Read Online Boss Divas by De'nesha Diamond - Free Book Online Page A

sweeps around the room while a forensic team combs every inch, snaps pictures, and dusts for prints.
    â€œWas there a sign of a break-in?” I ask no one in particular.
    â€œNo,” the chief responds. “The killer was either known or was able to trick her way into the house.”
    â€œHer? How do you know it was a woman?”
    â€œThe grandson. He saw the whole thing and then ran to a neighbor’s house. They are the ones who called this in.”
    Christopher. I know the name well because the department spent months looking for him after his mother, Officer Melanie Johnson, was murdered. The eight-year-old boy was abducted and held by Memphis’s most wanted, Terrell “Python” Carver—a name that strikes close to home.
    â€œBut get this.” Brown faces me. “The kid says our suspect identified herself as his grandmother.”
    â€œWhat?” I glance down at the floor, where Victoria Johnson lies covered up next to her husband. “From the father’s side?”
    â€œMust be.”
    â€œHe has a name?”
    â€œActually, the kid says he’s never seen her before.”
    â€œOkay. Who’s the father?”
    â€œHe won’t say.” Brown folds her arms, takes another look at the mess and shakes her head. “You should put a call into county and get a copy of his birth certificate. Hopefully, his mother listed the father.”
    â€œWhere’s the kid now?”
    â€œUpstairs. Packing.” She sighs. “Children’s Protective Services are on their way.”
    I huff out a long breath. “I’ll go up and talk to him.”
    The chief says, “Good luck. The kid’s been through a lot these past few months.”
    â€œGot it.” I thread back out of the office and then head up the staircase. At the top, I spot an officer standing outside a bedroom door. “The kid in there?” I ask.
    â€œYep.” The cop nods and then steps aside.
    I knock once and wait, but when I don’t get a response, I twist the knob. “Christopher?” I duck my head inside and then ease farther into the room. For a few seconds, I don’t see him—but the window is open. “Shit.” I rush across the room, but then I spot him quivering in the far corner.
    My heart melts for the kid. He looks terrified, lost, and lonely. His large brown eyes swim with tears.
    â€œHeeeeey,” I greet, creeping forward. But the closer I get, the smaller he becomes. “Everything is fine. Everything is going to be all right,” I reassure him and then squat down so that we’re at eye level. “I’m Lieuten—I mean, I’m Captain Hydeya Hawkins. I’m going to be the one who’s going to find out what happened to your grandparents. Do you think that you can help and tell me what you saw?”
    â€œI . . . I already told them,” Christopher says sullenly. “A crazy woman killed my grandparents.”
    â€œI know—but I want to hear the whole story from you. Do you mind? Do you think that you can tell it again?”
    His tears finally splash over his long lashes and run down his chubby cheeks. He’s quiet for so long that I wonder whether he has the fortitude to repeat his story.
    â€œM-my family is dead,” he says. “They are all dead.”
    My gut twists in anguish. “I know, sweetheart. I’m so sorry—but we’re going to find who did this and lock them up. We’re going to keep you safe, too. I promise.”
    â€œY- you can’t promise,” he says, seeing right through me. “My mom was a cop . . . and my granddaddy was too, and they couldn’t protect themselves.”
    â€œI know. I know.” I place my hand on his knee and give it a gentle squeeze.
    In response, Christopher burrows deeper into the corner. He can’t make himself small enough.
    I remove my hand, not wanting to frighten him further. “If we’re going