Silent Night by L.T. Vargus

Author:L.T. Vargus [Vargus, L.T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FBI Thriller, Serial Killers, Police Procedural
Publisher: Smarmy Press
Published: 2020-04-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 32

When Loshak and Spinks made it to the station, the regular staff was down to bare bones for the overnight shift. Very few hands on deck. Most would be out on patrol or responding to calls sent through by Dispatch. Officer Lennie was gone, of course. Hopefully fast asleep in an oxygen tent.

Millhouse wasn’t there, either, though Loshak had left her a message on their way out of the hotel. It felt a little underhanded to come here in the middle of the night and talk to the task force without her, but if Loshak was honest, he was relieved the Deputy Chief wouldn’t be there to undercut his idea as soon as he proposed it.

While Spinks went to find “the little reporter’s room,” Loshak headed through the desk pool and down the hall to the AV room, where a pair of low-grade detectives were sifting through footage from the parking garage. One was the detective who had challenged everything he said at the profile meeting, then backed him up on not jumping after Ray Winston as their guy. The other was a heavy guy with a ruddy, chapped-looking face and linty sport coat.

Loshak rapped on the open door.

“I come bearing gifts,” he said, stepping in and depositing an offering of Humble Donut Co.’s last batch of the day on the table between them, along with one of those cardboard cartons of fresh coffee. He’d had to tuck the container into his coat when they left the store so it wouldn’t suffer the same lukewarm fate as his coffee this morning.

“Then you are our new favorite FBI guy,” said the red-faced detective.

He rubbed his eyes and stretched, leaning his chair back so far that Loshak was surprised it didn’t tip over.

“Oh man, HDC’s got the best coffee,” the chip-on-her-shoulder detective said, pouring herself a refill from the steaming carton. “You are a godsend.”

“Can I get a hallelujah?” Now satisfactorily stretched, the other detective reached over and dug through the donut box.

She dusted sprinkles off her wrinkled slacks. “If you stop dropping stuff on me, you can.”

“So, you guys drew the overnight shift?” Loshak asked.

“Volunteered.” The heavy guy gestured with his cake donut. “My kid’s got a dance program tomorrow, so Deluca agreed to take the late shift with me.”

“Nice of you,” Loshak said.

Deluca shrugged, the move bunching up the sleeve of her sport coat. “We’ll be on call tomorrow either way.”

“Eh, don’t let her fool you, she’s a good partner,” the guy said. He took a sizeable bite of his donut. “If you don’t mind her shedding all over your car.”

“Better than crumbs.” She smiled at Loshak and stuck out her hand. “I don’t think we were ever properly introduced. Deluca, obviously.”

Loshak shook her hand, but before he could say anything, the other detective spoke up again.

“Tell the nice agent your whole name, Deluca. It’s the polite thing to do.”

She rolled her eyes. “Peaches. Peaches Deluca. Before you ask, yes, my mom is from Georgia. And this delightful sack of crap dropping sprinkles everywhere is my partner, Jared Brunhauser.

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