Page 63 of Deadly Avarice
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. With a huff, I placed my fisted hands on my hips. “You know, this isn’t polite. In fact, it’s considered extremely rude. Besides, if you’re here, I’d like to see and speak with you. For reasons I can’t fathom, Ilikeseeing you.” I’d meant the words as encouragement and was surprised when I realized just how much I meant them. “Huh,” I muttered to the seemingly empty room.
Franklin’s headlights flashed through the kitchen window, and I heard the faint sound of his tires crunch against the gravel driveway. Franklin’s heavy footfalls sounded along the wooden porch before his key found its way to the front door. If I hadn’t been so mentally preoccupied, I would have met him at the door.
“Hey, baby. Where are you?” Franklin asked as he came through the door.
“Kitchen,” I answered, voice raised just enough for Franklin to hear.
Franklin inhaled deeply as he walked into the kitchen. “Is that nuggets I smell?”
“And tots.”
“Sounds good to me.” Walking deeper into the kitchen, Franklin took off his office jacket and loosened his tie before leaning down to give me a kiss. His hands wound around my waist, pulling me in closer. “How are you feeling today?” Franklin asked as he leaned away.
“All healed.” I mentally sighed and thought,Maybe a little too healed. All of Franklin’s love bites were gone and my ass held no memory of the plundering it had taken last night. It was a little disappointing but maybe I could get a repeat performance soon.
Franklin grinned. “Best news I’ve heard all day.”
A spike of unease whispered through my brain. “Did Captain Cicely say no?”
Franklin’s eyes squinted in confusion. “No to what? I… Oh no, not at all.” Franklin stepped farther away and began rummaging through cabinets, pulling out glasses and plates. “Captain Cicely is A-okay with using precinct resources to help weed through the list. I’ve already spoken with Becks. Turns out, you and I’ve got some homework to do but we can get to that later.”
Relief flooded me. Leaning against the counter I blew out a deep breath. “That’s very kind of her.”
Franklin shrugged. “I won’t argue that, but I also think it’s smart.” Rubbing the back of his neck, Franklin tilted his head enough that I heard the pop of his joints. There was something else going on, something that made him stay later at work and had his shoulders practically pulled up to his ears with tension.
“What is it?” Franklin couldn’t always talk to me about what was going on at work. I got the feeling he could get away saying more to me because I was tangentially involved with police cases and procedure.
With a loud groan, Franklin leaned his palms on the counter. Head down, he said, “Do you remember the case I almost called you in on, the one where we didn’t know the ID of the body?”
“The young John Doe with a gunshot wound to the head,” I answered.
“That’s the one. Lucas Davies.” With a huff, Franklin turned so his ass now leaned against the counter, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “I met his younger brother today.” Scrubbing his hands over his face, when Franklin pulled them away, he appeared two parts furious and one part utterly exhausted. “Why are some people so damn predatory? Why can’t they just… Hell, I don’t know. I’m no psychologist, but the human brain is a fucked-up mess.”
The corner of my lips twitched. “Is that your professional evaluation?”
“Fuck, yes. It is today.” Franklin proceeded to tell me as much as he could about his latest encounter with a very young Billy Davies. Shoulders slumped, Franklin said, “I spoke with Captain Cicely and she’s agreed to put surveillance on the Davies’s home and Billy’s school. Officer James appeared confident regarding the sketches Billy helped her create. Assuming Billy’s memory is accurate, they should help, but there’s always a chance this Boggs asshole will send some other goons next time.”
“You think he’s got that many people on his payroll?”
“I think it’s very possible. I spoke with some of our other local detectives and they’ve heard the name before but can’t put a face with it. None of us know if Boggs is a first or last name, or just as probable, an alias. I put a call into the state police, narcotics division. Hopefully I’ll hear something back tomorrow. I have to think if this Boggs is a big player, then he’s on their radar.”
“And the other part, the probable prostitution of underaged boys and girls?” Gaia, I felt sick saying the words.
“A different department. I’ll head that direction if the drug trail goes cold. The impression I got from Billy was that his brother, Lucas, thought the underage issue was newer. Maybe too new to have much of a trail yet.”
“Yet,” I repeated, feeling the pit in my stomach grow.
“Yeah,” Franklin said on a sigh.
The timer on the oven went off and I retrieved our dinner. The scent of toasted tots and chicken strips filled the kitchen. I’d been a lot hungrier before Franklin related what happened at work. I stood there, staring at the food and felt my stomach cramp.
“Sorry,” Franklin whispered in my ear as he slipped his hands around my middle, squeezing me tight. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No.” I adamantly shook my head, my hair rustling and probably tangling against Franklin’s chest. “I’m glad you told me. I don’t want you keeping that kind of shit in your head where it can fester.”
“Yeah, but now it’s festering in your head too.”
“That’s okay. I can handle it. A problem shared is a problem halved.”
