A Winter Kill by Vicki Delany Read Free Book Online Page A

holding.
    â€œShe was my girl,” he said. “Maybe I wasn’t much of a father to her, but I loved her. She knew I loved her. She was going to have a baby. A beautiful little girl just like my Maureen. I would have taken care of them. I would have made a good grandpa.”
    â€œI’m sure you would,” I said.
    â€œSome bastard killed her.” Grey started to sob. His whole body shook. He leaned against the bar, crying for what he had lost.
    â€œCome on,” I said. “I’ll take you home.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    I drove Pete Grey home. He cried the whole way. I could see his wife standing at the front window as I helped him out of the car. She opened the door and took him into her arms. I stood in the snow, feeling awful.
    The light was on in the detectives’ office when I got back to the station. I shook snow off my hat and jacket. Stomped more snow off my boots. I popped coins into the pop machine. A can of Coke fell out. I pulled the tab and took a long drink.
    Sergeant Malan sat at his desk, typing on the computer. I knocked on the open door. He looked up. He had dark circles under his eyes. “Yes?” he said.
    I told him about the incident with Pete Grey. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
    â€œI believe him, sir,” I said. It wasn’t my place to tell a detective what I thought. But I knew I had to say something. “I don’t think Pete killed his Maureen.”
    â€œProbably not,” Malan agreed. “Right now I don’t have much in the way of suspects.”
    I swallowed. “Well…uh…I’ve been thinking.”
    He pushed back his chair. “Not your job to think, Constable. After ten years on the job, you’re allowed to think.”
    â€œOh,” I said. “Sorry.”
    He laughed. “Get me one of those.” He pointed to the can of Coke in my hand. “And then you can tell me what’s up.”
    I got his drink and hurried back. I hoped I wouldn’t be called out by dispatch again. Not before I could say what I wanted to say.
    â€œI know it’s not really my job, Sergeant,” I began.
    â€œBut?” he said.
    â€œHow did you know I’m going to say but?”
    â€œEager young officers always have ideas. Go ahead.”
    â€œMaureen Grey.”
    â€œWhat about her?”
    â€œI’m local, right? I’ve lived in the County all my life. My mom’s heavily involved in the community. She volunteers at the youth center. She knew Maureen.”
    The sergeant hadn’t offered me a chair. I shifted from one foot to the other. My boots dripped melting snow onto the carpet.
    â€œI think a boy named Jason Fitzpatrick knows something about her death.”
    Malan linked his fingers together. “Fitzpatrick. I remember him. We interviewed the kids at her school. He said they weren’t friends.”
    â€œThat’s not true. They dated.”
    â€œWho told you this?”
    I felt my cheeks turn red. “Actually, no one told me. I guessed.”
    â€œYou guessed?”
    â€œYou saw him at her funeral. The big good-looking boy in the nice suit. Remember how sad he was?”
    â€œEveryone was sad, Constable. It was a funeral.” The sergeant began to turn back to his computer.
    â€œThey were pretending to be sad. The kids, I mean. They didn’t like her while she was alive. They laughed at her because the family’s on welfare and her father’s a drunk. They only care about her death so they can be part of the drama. But Jason really was sad. I saw him later, at the cemetery. When everyone else had left. He was the only one who stayed. He shouldn’t have been there anyway. The burial was private.”
    â€œThank you, Constable. If I think of anything more, I’ll ask you.”
    â€œYou don’t have a suspect, do you?” I blurted out. “It wasn’t Mr. Grey. If he’d killed her, it wouldn’t be any