Stone Cold by Joel Goldman Read Free Book Online

hell know it now.”
    Alex took a deep breath, her stomach still churning. “You’ll never hear that from me.”
    Rossi smiled. “I already did. Your statement is lying there in the street. ” He touched his finger to his forehead, giving her a mini-salute. “Have a nice day, Counselor.”

Chapter Nine
    A WEEK WENT BY and then another and nothing terrible happened to Jameer Henderson or his family. Alex knew that because she drove by their house each morning on her way to work and again on her way home at the end of the day, finding an excuse to swing by on the weekends. What began as an impulse born in a moment of panic became a ritual that eased her worry.
    Though checking the Hendersons’ house was reassuring, she began to fear what might happen if she broke her routine, that her daily drive down their block was all that stood between the Henderson family and catastrophe.
    Two weeks into her routine, she saw Detective Rossi parked across the street in his unmarked car. She felt her burden lighten for a moment, glad that she wasn’t alone in her vigil, until she realized that Rossi wasn’t there to protect Jameer Henderson. He was there because he was hoping Dwayne Reed would go after Jameer Henderson, and when he did, Rossi would be there. She slowed as she passed him, exchanging nods, Rossi giving her another salute.
    “You’ve got to stop driving by the Hendersons’ house,” Bonnie said after she came home that day.
    “Why? I’m not bothering anyone.”
    They were doing the dinner dishes. Bonnie cooked, Alex cleaned, and Quincy got to keep anything that fell on the floor or was left too close to the edge of the table.
    “You have to stop because you’re getting obsessed. You’re practically stalking them.”
    “How can I be stalking them? I haven’t seen a single one of them. At first I thought I was going by too early in the morning. Since it’s still summer and the kids are out of school, I figured they were sleeping in. But I’ve left the office early a few times and I’ve never seen them playing in the yard. And the blinds are always down on all the windows.”
    Bonnie looked at her, eyebrows arched. “And that’s not stalking?”
    “Okay, maybe a little bit. But it’s not enough for a restraining order. Still, it’s weird that I haven’t seen any of them.”
    “So what are you saying?”
    “I’m saying they’re afraid to leave the house.”
    “Afraid of who? Dwayne Reed or Kyrie Chapman?”
    “Either one or both.”
    “If Dwayne had nothing to do with Jameer’s testimony, aren’t you worried he’ll go after Chapman? Why aren’t you checking up on him?”
    “Oh, spare me, Bonnie. Jameer and his family are the victims here. I’m not going to lose any sleep over Kyrie Chapman.”
    “So it’s okay if Dwayne kills Chapman but it’s not okay if he kills Jameer?”
    Alex wrung out her sponge and threw it on the counter. “Of course not! That’s not what I meant!”
    “But it’s what you implied. Look, in the ER we don’t care who the patient is. We only care about what’s wrong with them and how can we make them better.”
    “My world isn’t the ER. Right and wrong, guilt and innocence matter. No matter how you slice it, Kyrie Chapman is one of the bad guys. Jameer Henderson is one of the good guys, and I helped put him in harm’s way.”
    Bonnie sighed, unable to dissuade Alex. “Jameer has to work. You said he’s a barber. Have you tried his shop?”
    “I drove by a couple of times, but I couldn’t get a clear look inside.”
    “Talk to that detective, what’s his name, Rose or something like that. You said he’s still going after Dwayne. Ask him if he knows what’s going on with the Hendersons.”
    “His name is Rossi and I saw him today. He was parked across the street from the Hendersons’ house.”
    “There you go. He’s looking out for them. That’s his job, not yours. Let him do it.”
    “That’s not why he was there. All he cares about is finding