Jump The Line (Toein' The Line Book 1) (15 page)

Chapter 12

The woman drives like a zombie.  If I was
n’
t in a hurry,
I’
d ticket her.  Shoulders hunched over the steering wheel, sh
e’
s easing the big Volvo station wagon from the parking spot I want.  Deciding she needs a little help, I give her back bumper a gentle nudge.

“
Christ
!”
DeeDee yells.
 “
Aidan!  Wha
t’
re you trying to do?  Kill her
?
”

“
Not a bad idea
.
”
 
Keeping my eyes on grandma, I wait for DeeDe
e’
s lecture.  A former stringer for the E
nquirer
, she fancies herself a news hound. 
I’
m onto her, though.  Squishing grandm
a—
Cop Shoves Elderly Woman to Her Death with Cruise
r—
would
n’
t rate a headline.

On the way here, DeeDe
e’
s been picking my brain about the case.  I admit she rubs me the wrong way, but I hate my lack of self control.  I know she knows how she affects my libido, so I give her credit.  She asks questions.  Sh
e’
s persistent. 

At some point, I owe her an official briefing on how w
e’
re going to move the case forward.

“
Watch out
!
”

I gun it the second grandma darts halfway out of the spot, goldfish swimming from a piranha.  When I do, DeeDee rams her feet into the floorboard.
 “
Sh
e’
s going to report you
,”
she says.

I wait for he
r“
You deserve it
,”
which does
n’
t come.
 “
We gotta park somewhere, Detective Laws
.
” 

Parkin
g’
s one reason I hate coming to Verbote Dental.  Ther
e’
s another.  NP
D’
s used Bite Doc on previous cases.  H
e’
s a caustic bastard.  But today,
I’
ve sworn to ignore the heartburn he gives me. 
I’
ll catch Megalo Don much sooner with his help than without it.  Ma
n’
s sheer genius. 

“
You do
n’
t want to piss off Captain Meyers by running down old ladies
,”
DeeDee says.  I can almost hear her teeth grinding.

“
Do I look like someone who gives a ra
t’
s ass
?
”

Her penciled eyebrows arch: two blonde swans taking flight above boiling blue pools of dismay.

“
Move, dammit
!
”

As if grandm
a’
s heard me, the Volv
o’
s driver shoots into the street, but then she stomps her brakes and lays on her horn, nearly hitting a crazy pedestrian who runs in front of her. 

“
Wh
o’
s that idiot
?”
I ask, watching him zigzag and then bolt in front of me.
 “
Fool
!”
I yell, braking, but not in time to avoid bumping him. 

“
Aw, fuck
!
”
 
As
I’
m unbuckling my seatbelt to get out and see if h
e’
s dead, he stops, turns, and then runs full bore toward me and DeeDee.
 “
What is that stupid jerk doing
?
” 

“
Better sit this one out
,”
DeeDee warns.
 “
I think h
e’
s pissed
.
”

I’
m fighting to unbuckle my seatbelt and get out of the car.  Instead of seeing if h
e’
s okay, maybe
I’
ll trounce his ass.  I ignore DeeDee and watch the little bastard staring in at me through my ca
r’
s windshield.
 “
Hey, hey, hey, hey-y-y
,”
I yell, when the weird-looking little fuck starts pounding the Buic
k’
s hood. 

“
Watch it
!”
he screams, his orange and red scarf waving.
 “
Or yo
u’
ll be sorry
!
”

I almost laugh, but
I’
m too busy lunging from the car to choke him.  Unfortunately, DeeDe
e’
s right. 
I’
ve instigated the situation.  Thinking the situation over, I sit back and watch him pound.
 “
Little bastard runs out in front of that woman and then has the nerve to run over here and threaten me
,”
I grumble, ignoring the fact I bumped into his ass.

“
Mm-hmm
,”
DeeDee says, still looking like sh
e’
s seen a ghost.
 “
Jaywalkin
g’
s the worst yo
u’
ll bust him for
.
”

“
Not even that
,”
I say.
 “
H
e’
s disappeared
.
”

I gun the accelerator and shoot into the parking spot grandm
a’
s finally vacated, and then turn to DeeDee.
 “
Now what
?
”   

Sh
e’
s chewing and making little orgasmic sounds.  Eyes closed, sh
e’
s relaxing like ther
e’
s no serial killer running around devouring members of her precious sex.  She had to stop on the way over at Krispie C
rè
me to buy a bear claw.  I woul
d’
ve given her LaFigli
a’
s bag of sugary treats, but like DeeDee I dumped mine in the trash on the way out of Arne
e’
s, making sure the cameras picked me up disposing LaFigli
a’
s bribe.

“
What the hell are you doing?  W
e’
ve got to interview Verbote
.
” 

“
Finishing my goodies
,”
she says.
 “
Go ahead. 
I’
ll be a minute
.
”

“
You can chew and get out of the car at the same time, ca
n’
t you
?
”
 
The bear claw sh
e’
s inhaling explains why she left the grapes uneaten at Arne
e’
s, but how does a woman like her eat like this and still have a figure like that? 

Aidan, get laid, will you? 
I recall my last rendezvous: disaster.  She kept calling and then cried when I finally explained
,“
Yes, I had a good time.  No,
I’
m not ready for anything permanent
.
” 

How can anyone fall in love after a couple of hookups?  The idea floors me.  I glance toward Verbote Dental.  Good question.  How can I be attracted to someone
I’
ve barely met?

To take my mind off Alaina Colby, I thumb my mental booty-call rolodex for tonigh
t’
s lucky girl, then get out of the car and walk around to DeeDe
e’
s side of the Buick.
 “
Hurry up
.
”

She opens the door and gazes up at me, still chewing. 

I glance at Verbot
e’
s, worrying. 
I’
ve driven an unmarked.  Do
n’
t want to alert Alaina
I’
m here, if sh
e’
s already arrived for work. 
I’
ve come to question her, and unlike last night, when she escaped my grasp, this time by God I will.

Then because DeeDee refuses to budge until she finishes the damn bear claw, I brief her ass right here on Echo Street.

* * *

“
After she bolted last night, I took info from Alain
a’
s dancer registration card at Oma
r’
s.  I ran your BCI background check against several other databases this morning, and I cross-checked her records with her brothe
r’
s and mothe
r’
s.  Looks like the Colbys are a one-family crime spree in Goshen
.
”

“
Do you mean that little burg a few miles northeast o
f‘
Nati
?”
DeeDee asks, licking her fingers in a way I wish she would
n’
t. 

“
Yep.  Mom Colb
y’
s on probation for dealing
,”
I add.
 “
She also did a stretch in Marysville for check fraud years back.  The so
n’
s on parole.  Drugs
,”
I add.
 “
Meth
.
”  

“
Impressive family
,”
DeeDee says
,“
especially the mother
.
”

“
Yep
,”
I agree, and then share another fact with DeeDee.
 “
Berta Colby was investigate
d—
but never charge
d—
with blowing off hubb
y’
s head
.
”

“
Weapon of choice
?
”

“
Shotgun.  Side-by-side.  She unloaded both barrels.  Claimed self defense
,”
I say, happy DeeDee is
n’
t put off by the gruesome details.  Shotgun blasts leave the vics completely disfigured, eyes blown out, cheeks missing, facial bones caved into their skulls.  Maybe sh
e’
ll work out after all.  Wait and see, I think.  Wait and see.

“
Alaina Colb
y’
s clean, though
?
”

“
Yes
,”
I say.
 “
Clean and pristine
.
”

“
Hmmm, ho
w’
d she do that growing up with Ma Barker and the meth-head brother
?
” 

“
Dunno
,”
I answer, hiding the fact I could sully Alain
a’
s pristine clean record.  Last night, i
t’
d been too dark in that alley to see much, but I got a glimpse of her buddy stuffing her head-first into the Coca-Cola truck.  Wes and I coul
d’
ve chased them down the alley, but we got the call about the body and turned back to Oma
r’
s.  I have a serial killer on the loose and a boss harboring a royal stiffie for my badge.  If Alaina gets tossed into lockup for grand-theft auto and lawyers up,
I’
ll never get the info I need from her. 
I’
ve been through hell trying to catch her, so
I’
m not doing NPD Property Crimes any favors by reporting the stolen Coke truck. 

This info, I also keep from DeeDee, something
I’
d never do with Wes. 

“
Le
t’
s go
,”
I say, watching her cock a lipstick tube midair.

“
Coming
.
” 

I stare, pissed but unable to look away.  Our gazes catch.

Why fight this?

With the sun playing on her bubble-gum pink lips and arousing that familiar ache in my groin, I watch DeeDee rub her lips together in a back-and-forth sideways motion, smoothing on the lipstick.  I imagine that motion on parts of my bod
y
—