Page 42 of Justice for JoElla

That was a good question. Hell, they’d slept together the night before and they’d spent all day together. “I dunno. Just… I told you, I’m not good at this,” she reminded him.

He let out a low chuckle. “It’s okay. I’m not either, so I guess we’re both dealing with a learning curve.”

“You’re sure they won’t mind?”

“I’m positive. Just remember not to walk around in your underwear in front of Landon,” he said with a laugh.

“I may be rough around the edges, but I wasn’t raised by wolves.” She stopped for a second, then added, “Hell, I wasn’t raised by anyone.”

“Well, I was raised by a housekeeper, so there ya go.”

“What time are we supposed to be there?”

Brandon sighed loudly. “I live there, babe. Anytime we want. We can go now, we can wait, doesn’t matter. The only thing he said time-wise was that he’d try to have it ready by six. And it’s only four now, so whatever you want to do is fine.”

“I guess we could go ahead and?” The ringing of her phone interrupted her, and she looked at the screen. “Hang on. I’ve gotta take this. Tompkins.”

“DetectiveTompkins? It’s QuintAxton.”

“Hey! It’s just JoElla. How are you?”

“Fine, thanks. I’ll be there tomorrow evening, so I’ll be getting a room and I wondered if you’d like to go to dinner.”

“Sure!” Then she thought about Brandon. Would he understand? Or could she just invite him along? It wasn’t like their investigation was a secret. “Can I bring a friend?”

“The more the merrier!” A chuckle rumbled through the phone. “Although you should let your friend know that I’m taken.”

JoElla snorted. “I’ll be sure to tell him.”

“Oh! Well, in that case, never mind!” Quint answered with a laugh.

“Okay. Just text me tomorrow afternoon and tell me where and when. Do you need a ride from the airport?”

“Nah. Department’s renting me a car, so I’ll be fine. I have no idea what’s around there, so pick a spot and we’ll meet up.”

“Sounds good! Thanks, Quint.”

“You’re welcome. Thank you. See you then.”

Brandon had turned to watch her as she spoke with the Texas officer. “Who was that?”

“QuintAxton. On loan from the SanAntonio Police Department on this case we’re working. He’s coming in tomorrow night and I’m going to dinner with him.” He frowned. “You’re more than welcome to come. Oh, I should probably check in with the weekend people and see if they’ve got anything. It’ll only take me a minute.”

And, as she suspected, nothing. One of the things she had every intention of talking to Roy about was the weekend shift people. They didn’t go out of their way to do anything?anything at all. They didn’t take out the trash, clean up their messes, or even bother to put files away. Plus they complained because they weren’t full time, but how did they think they’d ever get that kind of work schedule if they were lazy asses? Mick was probably going to kill her because she was planning to suggest that each of them take a weekend shift on alternating weekends so those numbskulls could see how detectives were supposed to work.

But it bothered her. Josie was out there somewhere. Was anyone actively looking for her if JoElla and Mick weren’t on the clock? One of the things Roy had been adamant about when he hired her was that she should have a life for herself. She’d laughed when he’d said it?she hadn’t had a life in years?but now, with Brandon right across the room… Maybe having a life was a good idea.

“Everything okay?”

JoElla shook her head. “I swear, my grandma would’ve said, ‘You gotta set a stake to see them move.’ That bunch won’t do anything unless you threaten them with no donuts or coffee creamer. It’s pathetic.”What the hell was I supposed to be doing?she asked herself. “Oh! I’ve gotta get a bag. Hang on.” It took her no time at all to throw some things into her duffel, and she was ready to go.

Smoke was rolling from the back yard and the smell of meat cooking filled the air when they pulled up to Landon and Jerrica’s. “Oh my god, that smells good.”

“Yeah, Landon cooks it low and slow so it’s tender. He’s really good with a grill. Come on.”

Brandon opened the front door and JoElla heard someone yell, “Mama? That you?”

“No. It’s me, and I’ve got a guest with me.”

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