Read Online Tough Love by Nancy Holder - Free Book Online

warned. They need to stay off the streets, go home at night …...”"
    Grace thought of her family. Of Clay. Her stomach tightened. “"Yeah, got that right. Kendra Burke—--”"
    “"Ol’' Softie’'s woman?”" Ham snickered.
    “"You know that’'s not going to fly,”" Captain Perry said. “"Upstairs is telling a different story. But I’'ll see what I can do.”"
    “"Maybe we can cut the Sons off at the knees,”" Ham said. “"Start watching them, tracking them. They do anything, we bring them in. Keep sweeping until the streets are clear.”"
    “"Yes,”" Bobby said. “"That would prevent them from building a relationship with the community.”"
    “"Then they’'ll start talking police harassment,”" Grace argued. “"If we bring ’'em in but the DA lets them walk, they’'ll be holding press conferences in front of the Murrah Building.”" The Alfred P. Murrah Building was the site of the Oklahoma City bombing, carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. Grace’'s sister Mary Frances had died there while getting Clay his Social Security card. Everybody on the squad had lost friends and colleagues.
    “"Yeah, and Kendra Burke will be interviewing them,”" Ham said. “"In a nice tight close-up, to show off those big white teeth of hers. That she is lying through.”"
    Whoa, the love for Kendra was leaving the building. If this kept up, no one would be going to Butch’'s wedding.
    “"But if we can tie them to Malcolm’'s hit and run and Haleem’'s drive-by and/ or the dealer’'s shooting, we might be able to shut them down altogether,”" Captain Perry said. “"Like Bobby said, before they build up steam in the community.”"
    “"One, two, three, like dominoes,”" Grace said, making a flicking motion with her thumb and forefinger.
    “"Exactly. So there’'s your mandate, Detectives. Solve these three cases as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. If we can prove the Sons are involved in any of them, we’'ll kill two birds with one stone.”"
    Her dark brown eyes glinted. “"I want the Sons quick, and I want them legally. And this has got to be done by the book. I do not want procedural errors. I want it provable and squeaky clean. Got it?”"
    They nodded and broke it up like a team that had been huddling with their quarterback. Grace was glad Kate was their captain. She was smart, a great tactician, and committed to the job. Perfect credentials, as far as Grace was concerned.
    Energized, Grace crossed to her desk, opened her brown paper bag, and pulled out Mr. Briscombe’'s framed photograph of Jamal and Malcolm at Jamal’'s getting-out party. With a pang, she touched Malcolm’'s face with her fingertip. Then she set the photograph on her desk, angling it just so. Next she opened the drawer where she kept the dried petals from all the roses the father of a murdered girl kept sending her, hoping to remind her to keep on working that cold, cold case. She had not forgotten. She would not forget.
    So much death among the roses.
    Ham walked up to her. “"I got stuff on the dealer,”" he said. “"From Indian. His name was Chris Jones but he went by Ajax.”"
    “"Because that is so much sexier,”" Grace drawled.
    “"Someone accused him of cutting his heroin with kitchen cleanser. Jones beats the accuser to a pulp and injects him with ammonia.”"
    “"Well, damn, he’'s no angel.”"
    “"He got a bad reputation for dirty drugs. Plus he banged some underage girl, got her pregnant, dumped her, and she committed suicide. So I could see someone hating him enough to shoot him three times.”" Ham gazed down at the picture.
    “"And me, hating him enough to be glad he’'s dead,”" Grace said.
    She couldn’'t be sorry about it. But she was very sorry that this was the kind of world Jamal couldn’'t seem to leave, no matter how hard she tried. He was going to wind up in hell, way down deep where the fire was hot.
    Contemplating the work ahead, she made a face. “"Sheesh, Chris Jones. Why