Blood and Justice by Rayven T. Hill Read Free Book Online

evening ok for you? Say about seven o’clock?”
    “Seven would be fine,” she answered.
    “Actually, if you’d like to get away from the house for a while, there’s a quiet little deli I know. You can have a break and we can have some dinner, and talk.”
    Amelia hesitated. Jenny could call again at any minute. She wanted to be here if she did. She hadn’t wandered far from home these last few days. All she did was worry, pace the floor, and cry. And wait for the phone to ring with some good news. It never did. Would it be ok to just go out for an hour or so?
    Amelia thought a moment. “That sounds fine,” she said. “I’m sure I could use some time out.” Suddenly she felt guilty and considered changing her mind.
    Hank interrupted her thought. “See you at seven,” he said.
    She hung up the phone and dug in the kitchen junk drawer for the manual. She consulted it, and with a few clicks enabled call forwarding to her cell phone. She tested it. It worked fine.
    Before driving to Amelia’s house that evening, Hank visited the local car wash just around the corner from his apartment. After the wash, he spent a few dollars on the two dollar vacuum machine and did a well-needed cleaning of the inside of his car. Then, he dashed home and switched into a pair of slacks and a matching sport jacket. No tie.
    He knew about the death of her husband from his first interview with her a week or so ago, but he wasn’t sure what his intentions were with her. He knew he was attracted to her very much. She could use someone to talk to right now, and he could always use a little feminine company. He wasn’t much of a lady’s man. Just didn’t seem to have met anybody and never went out of his way to. Besides, his job kept him busy most of the time. It was always easy enough to work overtime to keep his mind occupied.
    But today was different. He definitely needed a break. He just hoped he wasn’t being too forward at this difficult time, when Amelia’s mind would be consumed with thoughts and worries of her daughter.
    He steered his Chevy into her double-width driveway at a couple of minutes before seven. A last look at himself in the mirror, a quick brush of his hand through his hair, and he stepped out and made his way to her front door.
    Amelia answered his knock wearing an attractive, but not too elegant, black skirt, matching high-heeled shoes, and a simple white blouse. She carried a small handbag, just big enough to hold a few necessities. A small gold chain and pendant hung at her throat, her long hair in a ponytail. Hank refrained from telling her how beautiful she looked.
    Instead, he just said, “Hi.”
    She offered him a weak but wonderful smile as he held out his hand to help her down the stairs. He followed her to the car, and opened the door for her. He felt a little self-conscious about picking her up in this wreck of his when she probably had a Mercedes, or maybe a Porsche, parked in her garage.
    “Buckle up,” he said. “I’m a cop.” And then thought how lame that must sound.
    But she laughed. A real laugh. Something she hadn’t done for a while. It made him feel better.
    They didn’t have time to more than exchange a few pleasantries, talk about the weather, and traffic, before Hank pulled up in front of the deli, only a couple of blocks away.
    Center Street Delicatessen was a popular Jewish deli, tucked over in the corner of a small strip plaza. Small, but great food, and always busy. They were able to find a fairly quiet booth near the back.
    Hank ordered a corned beef on rye with meat stacked about a mile high. A juicy kosher pickle and a generous portion of wedge cut fries on the side would be enough to fill his slightly rounded potbelly. And a large Coke, of course.
    Amelia was a little more conservative, with just a couple of stuffed knishes and a dollop of sour cream. A glass of Diet Coke would be enough to wash it all comfortably down.
    After placing their order, Hank said, “Amelia, I