Deadly Weakness (Gray Spear Society) Read Free

anger. Hopefully, they never would be.
    "Do you want some breakfast?" Aaron said. "I'll make an omelet the way you like it."
    She smiled. "That would be wonderful. I'm stuck in here for another hour."
    He left the booth and went to the kitchen. It was empty right now, but he didn't expect it to stay that way. The rest of the team lived in separate apartments and had to drive to work. They usually started showing up around this time.
    Aaron turned on a television in the corner. While he prepared Marina's omelet, he listened to the morning news. The stories were dull, standard stuff until one grabbed his full attention.
    Barney Simpson had died during the night. An intruder had killed him in his downtown apartment.
    Aaron had a terrible feeling but didn't let himself jump to the obvious conclusions. He would give Marina the full benefit of the doubt while he quietly investigated the murder. He wanted to see all the evidence before he confronted her.
    It didn't help that she had no alibi. She could've snuck away for an hour during her "volunteer" shift in the security booth. Aaron had been unconscious then, and the rest of the team had been at their homes. The surveillance video recordings might show her leaving, unless she had doctored them.
    No, he thought. She must be innocent. She's way too smart to do something so stupid.
    He finished cooking the omelet and brought it to her.
    She kissed him. "Thanks. This looks perfect!"
    "We're out of eggs," he replied. "I might as well go grocery shopping now. I also have some mail in my office that needs to go out."
    "Dress warm. It's freezing outside."
    Aaron went up to his office. A surveillance camera was there, so Marina could see him in the booth if she looked at the right monitor. He had to be careful. He kept his back to the camera as he reached into a desk drawer and covertly grabbed a thick folder. After slipping the folder under his robes, he scooped up some loose mail off the desk.
    He quickly went down to his private suite. There were no cameras in the bedroom for obvious reasons.
    Aaron examined the contents of the folder. The Chicago cell had reliable contacts in every major police department in its entire territory, which stretched from northern Minnesota to southern Illinois. The folder contained the names of all those contacts. A different cover story was attached to each one. The information could've been computerized, but Aaron was old fashioned about such things. He liked paper because it could be burned.
    He found a sheet for a Chicago Police Department detective who would have access to information about the Barney Simpson murder. Aaron quickly memorized the important details.
    Then he got dressed.
    * * *
    Aaron's small sedan was parked in the huge parking lot behind the municipal court building at 5101 S Wentworth Ave in Chicago. He was sitting in the driver's seat while the engine ran. It was too cold outside to turn off the heat. Frost decorated the edges of the car windows.
    A snowstorm had struck hard a few days ago, and patches of snow still remained on the parking lot. A lot of it had been plowed into huge mounds in the corners. The surface had melted just enough to make it crusty and granular. Pollution had darkened the snow to a light gray color. Solid cloud cover made the weather even more dismal, but it matched his mood.
    A pudgy man in a heavy blue coat stepped out of the back door of the court building. His thin brown hair was combed across a large bald spot on top of his head. He carried a leather briefcase. Aaron recognized Detective Ronald Flisk from the picture on his contact sheet. Aaron honked the horn twice.
    Flisk jogged over and sat in the passenger seat. He hurriedly closed the door.
    "Whew!" he said. "I hate this fucking cold weather."
    Aaron offered his hand. "I don't think we've met. I'm James Carroll from Total Access News."
    Flisk shook his hand. "I met a woman the last time."
    "She retired. I have the Chicago beat now."
    "Same deal as