Read Online When a Man Loves a Woman (Indigo) by LaConnie Taylor-Jones - Free Book Online
Authors: LaConnie Taylor-Jones
Ads: Link
the boys from the lab analyzing the paint chips left on the cars, but it’s a long shot at best.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin and reached over to pick up a glass of iced tea. “Ya know, I’ve been a cop for over fifteen years, and a hit-and-run ranks right up there with child molestation. Both burn the crap out of me. I want to nab the bastard who did this. Bad. ”
A.J. was puzzled by the fierceness of Zach’s last word. “Why?”
“Remember the car I told ya that hit Baby Girl?”
A.J. nodded.
“Well, we believe it might have also hit another car driven by a young family. Nice, hardworking couple, too. Their daughter, Nicole Broussard, got the worst of it. When I got off duty, I stopped by the hospital to check on her and see if the parents could provide any information.” Zach hung his head sadly. “Brother-in-law, that baby’s hanging on by a thread.”
“Oh, man,” A.J. uttered sadly.
Neither A.J. nor Zach spoke for a long time. It was as if their professions had trained them to the harsh reality of death, each of them understanding the difficult fate from two different perspectives. A.J. had witnessed it time and again trying to save young patients’ lives. Zach, on the other hand, had become acquainted with it after he shot and killed an armed suspect in an effort to save his own life.
Zach sighed wearily. “It’s a shame innocent folks gotta have their lives turned upside down like this.”
A.J. shook his head, confused. “I’m not following you.”
“From what I’ve been able to gather, the parents were headed to the emergency room anyway because Nicole was having bad headaches and they wanted to get things checked out. On top of all of that, they’re like half the working folks in America—no health insurance.”
A.J. released a long sigh of regret and his thoughts drifted to Taylor and Tyler. As a parent, he knew the agony Nicole’s mother and father were going through. Just the thought of having to experience something even remotely similar with his own girls made his stomach plummet as if he’d taken a fifty-foot dive off a cliff.
Zach shook his head before running his hand down the front of his face. “The good guys got a raw deal, know what I’m saying? Ya got a young girl probably no mo’ than a year or two older than T-One and T-Two, and her life might be cut short because some bastard was driving through the streets like a bat out of hell. Y’all had some angels watching over ya the other night.”
A.J. made the sign of the cross. “Tell me something I don’t already know.” He lifted a bottle of Perrier to his lips. After a few moments, he glanced over at his brother-in-law. “Do you think offering a reward would help identify the person responsible?”
Zach shrugged. “Certainly won’t hurt. Somebody out there knows something, and money always seems to bring ’em out the woodwork and cause diarrhea of the mouth.” His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
For A.J., the answer to Zach’s question was simple. Someone hurt his woman and didn’t bother to stop and help her. That reason alone was enough, as far as he was concerned, to bring whoever was responsible to justice. Besides, from what Zach just told him about Nicole’s injuries, her life could very well end before it even began. “Put the word out that there’s a $250,000 reward for anyone with information that will help identify whoever is responsible.”
Zach nodded. Closing his eyes, he slid down in his chair and slipped his suspenders off his shoulders with one hand atop a full stomach. “Ya gonna tell Baby Girl about the reward?”
“Eventually.”
Zach opened one eye. “Brother-in-law, best not keep her in the dark too long.”
“I won’t.”
Zach closed the eye and chuckled. “Ray and Marcel told me about ya plan to quarantine Baby Girl.”
A.J. sighed softly. He’d learned years ago nothing was sacred with his family. If one of them, especially Moni, knew something, everyone would
A.J. was puzzled by the fierceness of Zach’s last word. “Why?”
“Remember the car I told ya that hit Baby Girl?”
A.J. nodded.
“Well, we believe it might have also hit another car driven by a young family. Nice, hardworking couple, too. Their daughter, Nicole Broussard, got the worst of it. When I got off duty, I stopped by the hospital to check on her and see if the parents could provide any information.” Zach hung his head sadly. “Brother-in-law, that baby’s hanging on by a thread.”
“Oh, man,” A.J. uttered sadly.
Neither A.J. nor Zach spoke for a long time. It was as if their professions had trained them to the harsh reality of death, each of them understanding the difficult fate from two different perspectives. A.J. had witnessed it time and again trying to save young patients’ lives. Zach, on the other hand, had become acquainted with it after he shot and killed an armed suspect in an effort to save his own life.
Zach sighed wearily. “It’s a shame innocent folks gotta have their lives turned upside down like this.”
A.J. shook his head, confused. “I’m not following you.”
“From what I’ve been able to gather, the parents were headed to the emergency room anyway because Nicole was having bad headaches and they wanted to get things checked out. On top of all of that, they’re like half the working folks in America—no health insurance.”
A.J. released a long sigh of regret and his thoughts drifted to Taylor and Tyler. As a parent, he knew the agony Nicole’s mother and father were going through. Just the thought of having to experience something even remotely similar with his own girls made his stomach plummet as if he’d taken a fifty-foot dive off a cliff.
Zach shook his head before running his hand down the front of his face. “The good guys got a raw deal, know what I’m saying? Ya got a young girl probably no mo’ than a year or two older than T-One and T-Two, and her life might be cut short because some bastard was driving through the streets like a bat out of hell. Y’all had some angels watching over ya the other night.”
A.J. made the sign of the cross. “Tell me something I don’t already know.” He lifted a bottle of Perrier to his lips. After a few moments, he glanced over at his brother-in-law. “Do you think offering a reward would help identify the person responsible?”
Zach shrugged. “Certainly won’t hurt. Somebody out there knows something, and money always seems to bring ’em out the woodwork and cause diarrhea of the mouth.” His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
For A.J., the answer to Zach’s question was simple. Someone hurt his woman and didn’t bother to stop and help her. That reason alone was enough, as far as he was concerned, to bring whoever was responsible to justice. Besides, from what Zach just told him about Nicole’s injuries, her life could very well end before it even began. “Put the word out that there’s a $250,000 reward for anyone with information that will help identify whoever is responsible.”
Zach nodded. Closing his eyes, he slid down in his chair and slipped his suspenders off his shoulders with one hand atop a full stomach. “Ya gonna tell Baby Girl about the reward?”
“Eventually.”
Zach opened one eye. “Brother-in-law, best not keep her in the dark too long.”
“I won’t.”
Zach closed the eye and chuckled. “Ray and Marcel told me about ya plan to quarantine Baby Girl.”
A.J. sighed softly. He’d learned years ago nothing was sacred with his family. If one of them, especially Moni, knew something, everyone would
Similar Books
