Two Guys Detective Agency Read Free

going to have to lower her expectations from the kind of job she’d like to
    have, to one that would have her .
    On the second pass, she read more closely the more mundane service and retail positions that paid
    minimum wage. But even those jobs required experience, plus demanded hours that would interfere with
    her obligations at home.
    A third pass was even more discouraging. At the end, she’d narrowed her options down to dog-
    walking, baby-sitting, and restocking vending machines. Resigned, she called the contact numbers for more
    information to apply, only to be told in every case that the job had already been filled. The vending
    machine company offered to put her on a waiting list. She shakily gave them her name and number, then
    disconnected the call.
    A bubble of panic welled in her chest, vying with anger toward her husband. He’d assured her leaving
    the police force to start his own investigative agency was a good move, that it would give them more
    autonomy and he’d be able to spend more time with the family. Because he’d had a couple of close calls as
    a cop, she’d readily agreed, happy just to know he’d be safer. But only a few weeks after hanging his
    shingle, the economy had tanked, and the business he’d anticipated hadn’t materialized. Now they were in
    debt over their heads.
    She wiped at her eyes again, then blew her nose. When Sullivan got home this evening, she would
    make him sit down and admit they were in trouble, and together they would come up with a plan to dig
    themselves out. It would be good for them, good for their marriage. She was certain their looming debt was
    partly to blame for how distant he’d become over the past several months. Hadn’t she come to their bed
    lately with her own unspoken resentments?
    She steepled her hands and sighed. God help her, but more than once, she’d even fantasized about what
    it might be like not to be married to Sullivan. About starting over…
    The cordless phone rang, jangling her raw nerves. She had the brief hope the vending machine
    company was calling her back, but that thought was dashed when she saw Lexington Division of Police on
    the caller ID. It wasn’t uncommon for Sullivan’s former colleagues to call.
    “Hello?” she said.
    “Linda? It’s Oakley.”
    She smiled. Detective Oakley Hall was her husband’s former partner on the force. He had been like
    family, and his absence was one of the reasons she missed Sullivan’s old job. “Oakley, what a nice surprise.
    What are you doing with yourself these days?”
    His silence sent dread arrowing to her stomach.
    “Oakley?”
    “Linda,” he said, his voice anguished. “It’s Sullivan. He collapsed at his office. I heard the call over my
    radio.”
    Her heart dropped to her knees, and her voice faltered. “Is…is he okay? Oakley, tell me he’s okay!”
    “He’s on the way to St. Joe Hospital. I’m coming to pick you up. I’ll be there in two minutes.”
    “I’ll be ready,” she murmured, and dropped the phone.
    Ready . An odd choice of words considering she wasn’t ready for this, wasn’t ready for more upheaval
    in their lives. Linda stumbled around blindly to look for her purse, choking back sobs. Her mind reeled —
    what would she need to take with her? Her cell phone, wallet, insurance card —
    A screaming siren announced Oakley’s arrival. On the way to the front door, Linda grabbed the open
    box of Kleenex.
    Chapter Two
    WHEN A PERSON is under extreme stress, Linda realized, the most mundane details are magnified.
    When Detective Oakley Hall, a bull of a man who wasn’t yet thirty-five, emerged from his car to run
    around and open the passenger side door, she noticed he was starting to get a little silver in his sideburns
    and temples. And he must’ve dressed in a hurry this morning because his green and yellow paisley tie
    clashed horrifically with his blue and white striped dress shirt.
    He and Maggie would make quite a colorful pair. She fought