Plumber Prequel Read Free Page B

of our
kids.
    Tucker stopped crying, his
sky blue eyes watching his mommy's video.
    "Mommy," Tucker said. His
little fingers reached out to the screen and touched his mother's
face.
    I miss her so
much.
    "Daddy, I'm scared." Poppy
stood at the entrance of the living room, holding a big stuffed
bunny in her hands.
    "Come here." I waved her
to come toward me and she walked to the computer desk and climbed
on my lap.
    We were watching the video
together.
    In the video, Cassandra
was showing me the bedtime routine. How she helped the boys and
Poppy got ready for bed. She was full of praise when the kids
stayed in bed, but was firm when the kids asked for another bedtime
story.
    "What are you doing?" Max
walked in.
    "Come join us," I said,
and pat the seat next to mine.
    These video were
therapeutic for all of us. Her soothing voice calmed us, gave us
warmth in this otherwise cold, lonely night.
    I held back tears in my
eyes and held Poppy closer to my chest. Max was holding Tucker,
making sure he didn't fall off the desk. He was already taking the
role of the older brother and I was proud of him.
    "Daddy, will mom come
back?" Max asked.
    I looked down at my son.
My heart ached for them. "She never left us. Her spirit is looking
over you. And she will always love you."
     

 
     
Chapter
10 Ryan
     
    The next day, I arrived at
work early and buried my head in the files about the gas poison
case, completely forgetting the time.
    "Hey old man, want to grab
lunch." Patrick, a hot shot detective, in his mid-20s, tapped on my
shoulder. He was arrogant and cocky as hell, but the ladies seemed
to like him.
    Patrick and I had a
rivalry going on. He was competitive and fought to take on harder,
and more complicated cases. I took his competitiveness all in good
humor. When I’d first started, I was eager to break cases, take
down criminals, and show off to the old guards.
    He was doing the same.
He’d mature in a few years. Seeing death day after day, year after
year, did that to a man.
    I pointed to the pile of
files. "Thanks, but I think I’ll stay and get these out of the
way."
    He eyed the thick files
and said, "That partner of yours, Paula, she’s not very helpful, is
she?"
    "What do you mean?" I
asked, not happy with his condescending tone.
    "She must be a big
handful. I don't mean her breasts. Detective work is for men, not
for women. You know, you and I should partner up and take down
those dirt bags together, we’d make the best team."
    My face tensed. He was
more immature than I thought.
    Patrick continued to dig a
hole for himself. "I wouldn’t mind dating Paula. Those tits. That
butt. But she is a joke as a detective."
    I slammed the file on my
desk.
    He stopped talking,
looking confused.
    "That’s my partner you’re
talking about," I said. "If you ever talk about her that way again,
I’ll break your jaw."
    Rage flashed across his
eyes, as he stiffened. "Suit yourself old man. Don't say I didn't
warn you. That partner of yours will get you killed one
day."
     
     
     

 

     
     
Chapter
11 Ryan
     
    At 2 pm, that afternoon,
Paula and I arrived at the leasing office of the condo building,
where Lara and Gary were killed.
    The leasing office looked
even more luxurious than their condo unit. Espresso-colored Italian
furniture, glass to ceiling doors, and curved TVs on every wall.
Its design appealed to a rich clientele, where aesthetic and
prestige were more important than functionality and
cost.
    Steve Jones, the 40-year
old building manager was sitting next to Carlos Martinez, the
maintenance manager, responsible for the west tower, where Lara’s
unit was.
    Steve started the
conversation, “During my years as a building manager, we’d never
had a murder or even a theft. I hope the police will respect the
privacy of our other residents. Of course, we'll cooperate fully.
It's disturbing that the killer is still out there."
    "We'll do our best to keep
it discreet," Paula said.
    "Can I have a list of the
people who had