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Authors: Alexis Morgan
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wasn’t going to help.
“How am I supposed find a hidden safe if I don’t check out the walls?”
“A hidden safe is going to be behind a picture on the wall or under a rug on a hardwood floor, not under sheet rock where the only way the judge could access it is with a crowbar.”
Swan wasn’t stupid, just too young on the job. “Okay, so I’ll start looking behind things. How about all those books in his office?”
“Perfect. Take a few out at time and look behind them. Let me know if you see anything suspicious.” When his partner left, he continued his methodical search of the living room. The office was the obvious place for the judge to have hidden files, but his detective’s nose told him the judge wouldn’t go for the obvious.
So as his friend checked behind the heavy law books in the next room, Montgomery slowly made his way around the living room. Running his fingertips over every surface, he checked each table, every picture, and every cushion for anything taped to the bottom or hidden between the cushions. It took him the better part of half an hour to do just that one room.
He was about to start in the hallway and then go on to the kitchen when his cell phone rang. Technically he and Swan were still on duty, so he couldn’t ignore it. Pulling out his phone, he checked the number. It was his boss, all right, but not the one he’d been expecting. Damn. He’d told the man they knew as Mr. Knight that he’d call when they had news. Remembering the chill in the man’s eyes, a shiver curled up his spine. It wouldn’t be wise to ignore the call.
“Montgomery here.”
“Well?” The arrogant bastard conveyed a wealth of disdain in just that one word.
“We got here less than an hour ago. There was a double homicide we were called in on until…” Mr. Knight didn’t want excuses, only results. “We’re looking now. I’ve checked the living room. Swan’s in the old man’s office.”
“You won’t find anything there.”
“That’s why I left that room for Swan.” His partner had strong suits, but subtlety wasn’t one of them. If he wanted to hide something, he’d probably put it in an envelope and write “do not open” on the front.
“Wise thinking, Detective Montgomery.”
He didn’t give a damn what Mr. Knight thought about him. The only thing that mattered was that the man paid well for results.
“I’ll be out of touch for the next twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Leave any messages on my voice mail, but I won’t be able to get back to you until tomorrow night or the next morning.” The phone went dead.
Montgomery stared at his cell as he muttered every curse word he could think of. A few bucks for some inside information on their investigation hadn’t seemed like such a big deal, at first. They should have known that if it seemed like easy money, it would turn around and bite them on the ass.
He just hoped their asses were still alive when the dust settled. Maybe he’d pack a suitcase when he got home. Just in case.
Trahern had never had much use for cell phones, and the tinny music chirping away before the sun was up was enough to make him homicidal. He eased his arm out from around Brenna, hoping to silence the damn thing before it woke her up.
Snatching up the phone from the bedside table, he stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. “This better be important,” he growled into the receiver.
“Shut up, Trahern. I’ve already been up for hours and don’t want to hear any complaints from you.” There was a lot of static on the line, but Jarvis’s bad mood came through clearly.
Rather than getting into a pissing contest over which of them was in a worse mood, Trahern started over. “What do you need, Jarvis?”
“I’m going active down near the boot heel. Seismology has been picking up reports of swarms of weak, shallow earthquakes. They’re calling all the locals in. Sounds like we’ll be dancing with the darkness tonight.”
“How bad
“How am I supposed find a hidden safe if I don’t check out the walls?”
“A hidden safe is going to be behind a picture on the wall or under a rug on a hardwood floor, not under sheet rock where the only way the judge could access it is with a crowbar.”
Swan wasn’t stupid, just too young on the job. “Okay, so I’ll start looking behind things. How about all those books in his office?”
“Perfect. Take a few out at time and look behind them. Let me know if you see anything suspicious.” When his partner left, he continued his methodical search of the living room. The office was the obvious place for the judge to have hidden files, but his detective’s nose told him the judge wouldn’t go for the obvious.
So as his friend checked behind the heavy law books in the next room, Montgomery slowly made his way around the living room. Running his fingertips over every surface, he checked each table, every picture, and every cushion for anything taped to the bottom or hidden between the cushions. It took him the better part of half an hour to do just that one room.
He was about to start in the hallway and then go on to the kitchen when his cell phone rang. Technically he and Swan were still on duty, so he couldn’t ignore it. Pulling out his phone, he checked the number. It was his boss, all right, but not the one he’d been expecting. Damn. He’d told the man they knew as Mr. Knight that he’d call when they had news. Remembering the chill in the man’s eyes, a shiver curled up his spine. It wouldn’t be wise to ignore the call.
“Montgomery here.”
“Well?” The arrogant bastard conveyed a wealth of disdain in just that one word.
“We got here less than an hour ago. There was a double homicide we were called in on until…” Mr. Knight didn’t want excuses, only results. “We’re looking now. I’ve checked the living room. Swan’s in the old man’s office.”
“You won’t find anything there.”
“That’s why I left that room for Swan.” His partner had strong suits, but subtlety wasn’t one of them. If he wanted to hide something, he’d probably put it in an envelope and write “do not open” on the front.
“Wise thinking, Detective Montgomery.”
He didn’t give a damn what Mr. Knight thought about him. The only thing that mattered was that the man paid well for results.
“I’ll be out of touch for the next twenty-four to thirty-six hours. Leave any messages on my voice mail, but I won’t be able to get back to you until tomorrow night or the next morning.” The phone went dead.
Montgomery stared at his cell as he muttered every curse word he could think of. A few bucks for some inside information on their investigation hadn’t seemed like such a big deal, at first. They should have known that if it seemed like easy money, it would turn around and bite them on the ass.
He just hoped their asses were still alive when the dust settled. Maybe he’d pack a suitcase when he got home. Just in case.
Trahern had never had much use for cell phones, and the tinny music chirping away before the sun was up was enough to make him homicidal. He eased his arm out from around Brenna, hoping to silence the damn thing before it woke her up.
Snatching up the phone from the bedside table, he stepped into the bathroom and shut the door. “This better be important,” he growled into the receiver.
“Shut up, Trahern. I’ve already been up for hours and don’t want to hear any complaints from you.” There was a lot of static on the line, but Jarvis’s bad mood came through clearly.
Rather than getting into a pissing contest over which of them was in a worse mood, Trahern started over. “What do you need, Jarvis?”
“I’m going active down near the boot heel. Seismology has been picking up reports of swarms of weak, shallow earthquakes. They’re calling all the locals in. Sounds like we’ll be dancing with the darkness tonight.”
“How bad
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