Busted by Zachary O'Toole Read Free Book Online Page B

mommy is?”
     
     
     
    The girl shook her head. Joe could feel her body go tense and start to tremble again.
     
     
     
    “Earlier, in your apartment, something happened. To your mom and brother and sister. I can help, Stephanie, if you tell me what happened.”
     
     
     
    Stephanie had started trembling as Steve spoke. “Mommmy!” she screamed, then let loose with a wail and started to thrash around. Joe almost lost his grip on her as she flailed, catching Steve with one of her feet.
     
     
     
    The blonde paramedic grabbed a syringe from out of a drawer on the side of the ambulance. Her partner held Stephanie’s left arm still as she slid the needle in and emptied the contents. Stephanie went limp and quiet as the tranquilizer took effect and she quickly fell asleep.
     
     
     
    Joe glared at Steve as he set Stephanie down on the gurney that was folded up on the floor of the ambulance. What Steve had done was heartless and cruel and left Joe so furious he was almost shaking.
     
     
     
    “What was that? What the fuck were you thinking?” Joe almost shouted at Steve as soon as the ambulance doors closed behind him.
     
     
     
    “I was thinking I have three corpses, a murderer on the loose, and one potential witness,” Steve snapped back.
     
     
     
    “She’s just a kid! She was covered in blood and saw something that freaked her out. Wasn’t that enough? She doesn’t need you digging it all back up again.”
     
     
     
    “That something was her mother, brother, and sister getting carved up, Joe.”
     
     
     
    Joe’s eyes widened. “Shit! Then the last thing she needs is you digging at it. Isn’t it enough that she had to see it once without you making her do it again?”
     
     
     
    “Oh yeah? How many more bodies is her peace of mind worth, Joe? One? Two? Five?”
     
     
     
    That set Joe back. It was logical, too logical for how he was feeling, and it left him defensive. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” While it might not have been what he meant, it was what he’d asked for, and he was starting to realize it.
     
     
     
    “It’s what you got. Her family is dead , Joe. Dead and she saw it, and I can’t make that any better. All I can do is try and make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”
     
     
     
    “But now? Can’t it wait?” Joe almost whined.
     
     
     
    “No, it can’t. She’ll forget the details, and this one… If it wasn’t his first it won’t be his last unless he’s stopped.”
     
     
     
    There was something in Steve’s voice that made Joe shudder. He wasn’t sure what it was and wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
     
     
     
    “Excuse me, Detective Russell?”
     
     
     
    Joe and Steve both turned. There was a middle-aged woman standing behind them. She was a little grey, a little thick, and a little weathered.
     
     
     
    “Hi Maryanne,” Steve said. He was glad for the interruption, and so was Joe.
     
     
     
    “Officer Davidson called. Said you had a girl?”
     
     
     
    “Afraid so,” Steve said. “Sedated. Her family was killed this morning.”
     
     
     
    Maryanne sighed. “You’ll fill me in on the paperwork later?”
     
     
     
    “Don’t I always?” Steve gave her the fakest innocent look Joe had ever seen.
     
     
     
    She just snorted and gave him a half-amused, half-disgusted look. She spoke to the paramedics for a moment then walked back to her car as they hopped in the back of the ambulance. The driver revved the engine and pulled out.
     
     
     
    Joe stood up and watched Maryanne drive off, following the ambulance. He let out a breath and slumped. The tension that had built between them had melted, leaving him feeling tired, dirty, and helpless.
     
     
     
    “I think I need a shower. A really long, hot shower. And a beer. You want a beer, Steve?”
     
     
     
    “That,” Steve said, “sounds like a really good idea right now.”
     
     
     
    * * *
     
     
     
    Joe was still getting the blood off his