Danger Revealed by Teresa LaBella

Author:Teresa LaBella [LaBella, Teresa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

The Chase

The bus rolled to a stop on the street in a neighborhood Cecily vowed she'd never set foot in again. Squat commercial buildings blended in tableau of typical Chicago brick and mortar with single-family residences that likely housed multiple unrelated tenants. Patched sidewalks connected with newer cut curbs and beaten down streets marred by crooked mini-crater crevices and muddy water potholes. The canopy over the bodega's door hadn't weathered the storms and seasons well. Cecily remembered the red as less faded. But the windows behind the wrought iron bars were just as dirty. Nothing much changes when there's nothing to lose.

But there had been loss here. Caleb Gillespie lost his life. Kelly lost her brother. Memories of the crushing defeat that had robbed Detective Cecily Vosh of a conviction and a career collided with doubts of the present-day purpose to continue.

What am I doing here? This is one fucked up plan.

***

"I have to be the one to deliver the message." Cecily sank into the big butter-soft leather chair opposite Kelly and Eddie who'd settled on the matching sectional sofa. She plopped wool sock-covered feet in the center of the chair's oversized matching footstool. Ambient light in the penthouse complemented the clear night view of Lake Michigan framed by floor-to-ceiling glass. "A sista of color blends in with the natives. You my friends, do not." Cecily sniffed at the chardonnay in the long-stemmed glass she cradled in her palm. Smells too rich to even sip. "Isn't having wine around too much temptation to fall off the wagon?"

Eddie squeezed juice from a slice of lime into his glass of mineral water. "We only keep a bottle around for guests. Whiskey was always my poison of choice. Wine reminds me of the soirees on the family compound in Connecticut. I poured so much of it for my mother Felicity's cheek patting and pinching guests that I can't stand the smell of the stuff."

"Fair enough." Cecily sipped and tasted butterscotch in the wine. Poor rich guy doesn't know what he's missing. "Another major advantage in my favor is a license to carry."

"Can't argue with that," Eddie agreed.

"So why don't either or both of you have one? A license to carry, I mean. Every other PI that I know does."

Kelly frowned over the rim of her glass. How could the cop who'd failed to find Caleb's killer ask that question? "I don't like guns. And I don't like you going in alone and us with no police backup."

Cecily shrugged. "Piece of cake. I get off the bus, take my sweet time walking to the address, check out the building, and look for Rayen. When I see her, I hand off the message in the bag Lucas gave us, the one that had the mate cup in it, walk back to the bodega, and take the next bus out. If I don't see her within a reasonable amount of time, I'll get out of there the same way."

"But what if this doesn't go down as planned?" Kelly's concern for her friend showed in the wrinkles between her eyebrows.

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