Mystery: The Card Counter: (Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Suspense Thriller Mystery) Read Free

“I’ll see you next time, detective. Don’t forget to call us for the cake.”
    “I won’t,” I said as I pulled the cart away. “Thanks for the reminder.”
    I quickly packed the groceries into the car and put the cart back as fast as I could. I’d taken up too much time getting the food and barely had enough time to go home and unpack before running off to get the girls from school. I wouldn’t be late, but I always loved getting there early. Watching them interact with other girls, and even boys as they left, gave me a little more intel than I would ever get from the girls themselves.
    It was getting to the point where I was going to have to get someone on the inside to gather information for me, the equivalent of an informant on my own kids. The idea of having a personal informant as opposed to a professional one bugged me a bit, but with the way teenagers were these days, I needed to be proactive. The last thing I wanted was to be one of those dads who had to explain why I was completely in the dark and had no idea they’d turn out the way they did.
    I’d seen too many of those parents sitting in the police station with that deer in the headlights look on their faces, unable to explain why their kids would do the horrible things they were being charged with. I never wanted to find myself in that position, ever. If I had to take measures to make sure I was in the know about what was going on at my girls’ school, then I would do whatever was necessary. For now, I was just able to get home, unpack the groceries, toss out the old food that was green and molding, and still get to the school with fifteen minutes to spare.
    Like I said before, I enjoyed getting there early. I even got to see which kids had the balls to try to make a run for it early. Usually if they did, they rarely if ever used the front door. It was while I was waiting for the bell to ring that the last thing I wanted to hear started buzzing in my pocket. I paused for a moment and then answered the phone. “I don’t care what you’re calling for, I’m not coming in. I haven’t even picked up the girls yet.”
    “Don’t worry about it, Jake,” the voice on the other end replied. It was my partner, Flo. Known to everyone at the force as Detective Harris, Flo (short for Florence) usually liked to bust my balls whenever she was in need of passing time. “I was just calling to make sure you were on your way and not going to be late.”
    “I never am,” I retorted.
    “I know,” Flo concurred. “I’m just a little bored and thought I’d see how you were doing.”
    “As much as I hate to hear you’re bored, nothing could make me happier,” I replied with a smile she couldn’t see. The idea that things were slow gave me the impression that I most likely wasn’t going to be bothered that night. While I’ve been wrong on occasions, the idea that I might get to spend the night with the girls was a welcome thought.
    I watched as the kids started to file out of school, free for the weekend and happy about it. “Look, as much as I would like to help you with your current predicament, the kids are leaving school and I have my own thing to do. No offense, Flo, but I don’t want to hear from you again unless it’s really hitting the fan.”
    “All right, Jake,” she answered with a deep sigh. I could tell there was a hint of jealousy in her voice. She had been married for over seven years and had yet to have a little one of her own. I knew she wanted kids but it just wasn’t happening.
    I didn’t know what I would’ve done with myself if I didn’t have my girls. Being a dad was one of the best things that had ever happened to me. As much as I loved my job, it was always a means to being a better dad. I did it all for them, and every risk I assumed when I went out to do my work was well worth seeing the view I had every other Friday ... my kids heading to the car, happy to see me. “Abbey, take the front.”
    The older of my two