Read Online Jamie Hill Triple Threat by Jamie Hill - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jamie Hill
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smile, pocketed the five and cleaned off her booth.
Her day passed with agonizing slowness. She kept expecting Jack to return and tell her that her apartment had been equally trashed. She didn’t know why. Whatever it was, the mess didn’t involve her, yet she had a bad feeling about it. She was relieved when the boys arrived from school at three-thirty, and even more relieved to see Jack at four.
“Jack!” Devon hugged one leg and Mark the other.
He smiled down at them and ruffled their hair. “Hey, guys. How was school today?”
“Okay,” Devon answered. “I didn’t have any homework, but Crystal made me sit here and study my spelling words anyway.”
Jack reached across the booth to where three uneaten brownies remained on a tray. He pinched off the corner of one and popped it in his mouth. “Pure torture,” he commiserated with Devon . The boy smiled up at him with a milk mustache, and Jack laughed.
* * * *
Moe and Crystal leaned against the counter, watching the display. He commented, “The children seem to like him.”
“He’s very good with them,” she agreed.
He looked sideways at her and back at the man. “You seem to like him, too, if the look on your face is any indication.”
Crystal grinned at Moe. “That obvious, huh? Oops.”
He waved his hand. “It’s the same look he has on his face when he sees you. He tries to hide it, like it’s not natural for a young man to be interested in a woman as beautiful as you. But who’s he trying to fool?” Moe looked at her again and smiled. “If I were thirty years younger…Oh hell, twenty years younger…he wouldn’t have a shot at you.”
Crystal laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re too good for me, Moe. Don’t I always tell you that?”
“Yeah, Crystal , you always do.” He smiled and shook his head.
She sauntered over to the guys and nudged her hip against Jack’s. “Hey.”
He turned and gazed at her. “Hello there. How are you?”
“Fine, I guess. How are things?” she asked almost nervously.
He squeezed her hand. “Everything’s good. I thought we’d hit the store before we went home. Unless you’d rather go change, first.”
She glanced down at her uniform. “Nah, I’ve worn worse than this to the store. I’m ready.” She looked at the boys. “You two are a chocolate mess. Come on, let’s go wash up.” She led them around the counter to the back room.
* * * *
Jack ate the last bite of brownie and wandered over to the counter. “Good brownies,” he acknowledged to Moe.
“Thank you.” He gave Jack an obvious once-over.
Jack smiled and extended his hand. “Jack Dunlevy.”
Moe continued to look at him warily, and then shook hands. “Moe Wilson. You’re with the WPD?”
“Yeah. Homicide division.”
Moe raised his eyebrows. “You work that BTK guy’s case? He was one sick son-of-a-bitch.”
Jack looked down and shook his head slowly. He hadn’t been involved with the self-proclaimed “Bind, Torture and Kill” serial killer. At one time he would have been the first detective assigned to the case. These days he pulled dead homeless guys in crappy neighborhood cases. Before last week he wasn’t too thrilled with his recent assignments. Now he didn’t mind so much. In fact, it was an apparent stroke of luck the day he was called to check out Manny Hooper’s poor lifeless body. Jack looked at Moe. “No, I lucked out and missed that. He was one sick bastard.”
Moe glanced around to see where Crystal was, and then looked back at Jack. “You’ll make sure they eat tonight?”
Jack smiled at the look of concern on the man’s face. “You bet. Crystal said it’s payday, so we’re going to the store.”
Moe looked around again and said quietly, “I slip a little extra in her envelope, but it’s still not enough. She does the best she can, but she struggled when it was just her alone. Now, with those boys, I just don’t know.”
“I understand,”
Her day passed with agonizing slowness. She kept expecting Jack to return and tell her that her apartment had been equally trashed. She didn’t know why. Whatever it was, the mess didn’t involve her, yet she had a bad feeling about it. She was relieved when the boys arrived from school at three-thirty, and even more relieved to see Jack at four.
“Jack!” Devon hugged one leg and Mark the other.
He smiled down at them and ruffled their hair. “Hey, guys. How was school today?”
“Okay,” Devon answered. “I didn’t have any homework, but Crystal made me sit here and study my spelling words anyway.”
Jack reached across the booth to where three uneaten brownies remained on a tray. He pinched off the corner of one and popped it in his mouth. “Pure torture,” he commiserated with Devon . The boy smiled up at him with a milk mustache, and Jack laughed.
* * * *
Moe and Crystal leaned against the counter, watching the display. He commented, “The children seem to like him.”
“He’s very good with them,” she agreed.
He looked sideways at her and back at the man. “You seem to like him, too, if the look on your face is any indication.”
Crystal grinned at Moe. “That obvious, huh? Oops.”
He waved his hand. “It’s the same look he has on his face when he sees you. He tries to hide it, like it’s not natural for a young man to be interested in a woman as beautiful as you. But who’s he trying to fool?” Moe looked at her again and smiled. “If I were thirty years younger…Oh hell, twenty years younger…he wouldn’t have a shot at you.”
Crystal laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You’re too good for me, Moe. Don’t I always tell you that?”
“Yeah, Crystal , you always do.” He smiled and shook his head.
She sauntered over to the guys and nudged her hip against Jack’s. “Hey.”
He turned and gazed at her. “Hello there. How are you?”
“Fine, I guess. How are things?” she asked almost nervously.
He squeezed her hand. “Everything’s good. I thought we’d hit the store before we went home. Unless you’d rather go change, first.”
She glanced down at her uniform. “Nah, I’ve worn worse than this to the store. I’m ready.” She looked at the boys. “You two are a chocolate mess. Come on, let’s go wash up.” She led them around the counter to the back room.
* * * *
Jack ate the last bite of brownie and wandered over to the counter. “Good brownies,” he acknowledged to Moe.
“Thank you.” He gave Jack an obvious once-over.
Jack smiled and extended his hand. “Jack Dunlevy.”
Moe continued to look at him warily, and then shook hands. “Moe Wilson. You’re with the WPD?”
“Yeah. Homicide division.”
Moe raised his eyebrows. “You work that BTK guy’s case? He was one sick son-of-a-bitch.”
Jack looked down and shook his head slowly. He hadn’t been involved with the self-proclaimed “Bind, Torture and Kill” serial killer. At one time he would have been the first detective assigned to the case. These days he pulled dead homeless guys in crappy neighborhood cases. Before last week he wasn’t too thrilled with his recent assignments. Now he didn’t mind so much. In fact, it was an apparent stroke of luck the day he was called to check out Manny Hooper’s poor lifeless body. Jack looked at Moe. “No, I lucked out and missed that. He was one sick bastard.”
Moe glanced around to see where Crystal was, and then looked back at Jack. “You’ll make sure they eat tonight?”
Jack smiled at the look of concern on the man’s face. “You bet. Crystal said it’s payday, so we’re going to the store.”
Moe looked around again and said quietly, “I slip a little extra in her envelope, but it’s still not enough. She does the best she can, but she struggled when it was just her alone. Now, with those boys, I just don’t know.”
“I understand,”
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