Read Online Sugar and Spite by G. A. McKevett - Free Book Online Page B

Jeffries seemed to take over back at the station. Somehow, I don’t see Jeffries cutting me a lot of slack.”
    “He wants to be police chief when Hillquist moves up to mayor,” Savannah reminded him. “I don’t see how it would improve his image if the department was smeared by having a wife-killing cop on the payroll. It would be better PR if the killer were a third party.”
    Dirk shook his head, and his knees started banging together again. “I have a bad feeling about this, Van. Real bad.”
    “You don’t know yet if—”
    “Yes, I do. It’s gonna go bad. I know.” He reached over and put his hand on her thigh. His hand was shaking, too. “Stop the car,” he said. “Stop right up there.”
    He pointed to a small dirt driveway that led into one of the lemon groves.
    “Why?” She didn’t like his tone. She didn’t know what he had in mind, but she didn’t think he was intending to just empty his bladder.
    “Just pull over. Do it!”
    She did as he said, and before the car had even stopped rolling, he had the door open.
    “Dirk, what are you doing?”
    “I have to get out of here,” he said. “This car is closing in on me. I have to get out. I…” He bolted from the car and headed into the grove.
    “Wait!” she yelled as she killed the engine, grabbed her keys, and took off after him. “Dirk, damn it… hold on! If I have to run after you, I’m gonna make you pay, boy!”
    He darted between the rows of trees, and for a moment he disappeared. Then she saw him farther down the row.
    “Coulter! Where the hell do you think you’re going? You can’t run all the way to Tijuana, you moron.”
    But he looked like that was exactly what he intended to do. With a sinking feeling, she realized that if she didn’t give chase, he was going to be long gone.
    “Get your mangy ass back here!” she hollered as she ran. “You’re just going to make it worse.”
    Just when she thought she was going to lose him, she saw him step into a gopher hole and stumble. He fell against a thick lemon tree and got his shirt tangled in the thorny branches. By the time he had disengaged himself, she had caught up with him.
    “Now that was a crazy fool thing to do,” she said, panting as she grabbed his arm and gave it an irritated yank.
    He leaned over from the waist, sucking in deep chestfuls of air as he struggled to catch his breath.
    She shook her head, disgusted with him. “You aren’t in nearly good enough shape to become a fleeing felon,” she said, doing some panting of her own. “And I’m far too lazy to hunt you down.”
    “I was coming back,” he said.
    “Yeah, sure you were.”
    “I would have… in a few minutes… once my head cleared a little.”
    She stood for a long moment, giving him a searching look. Dirk couldn’t lie worth a fig to someone he cared about. On the streets, to the perps, all night and all day… but not in his personal relationships.
    He was telling her the truth.
    And she had to trust him.
    She let go of his arm and gave his shoulder a little, affectionate hit-and-rub. “Okay, pal. You need some space. No problem. I’ll wait for you in the car.”
    He looked surprised. Dirk might be trustworthy, but he wasn’t a trusting soul. Far from it. Throughout life he had expected the worst from people, and, as a result, was seldom disappointed.
    “Thanks, Van,” he said, obviously touched.
    “No sweat.”
    She glanced at her watch. When Jeffries had called, she had agreed to have Dirk in the station within twenty minutes. So what if it was more like an hour and twenty?
    Dirk was right.
    She could feel it, too. Things weren’t going to go well for him… no matter
when
they arrived.
     
    * * *
     
    As they rounded the final curve and passed in front of the city hall complex of buildings, Savannah and Dirk were surprised to see a bevy of reporters, some they recognized and others they didn’t, standing on the marble steps leading to the front door. Some carried cameras, others