too fucking short, you know what I mean?”
He flicked the wipers again and watched as the final piece of ice slid down the windshield and was pushed to the side. Unfortunately, his brother Brody had a shit track record with women, too. He glanced at the rear windshield. The heated coils running through the rear window had cleared it sufficiently to see behind him. He put the car into drive and inched the vehicle from his parking space. “I do know what you mean. Hey, you heard from Blay or the girls?”
“I saw Blay over at the Celtic Cock. The new rooster on the sign is hilarious, the fucker is wearing a kilt. Blay was hanging with the usual crowd of spark-heads. The girls? Brianna fed me yesterday when I stopped into the restaurant. Her new chef is amazing. Justin sent this one her way.”
“How many restaurants does that guy have now?”
“No fucking clue, but I’m happy for him. Jared called about a week ago asking me to put feelers out for anyone looking to go Federal. Guardian is hiring… again.”
“You tempted?” He stopped at a stoplight and flicked his blinker to the right heading to Kallie’s.
“Fuck no. I love what I do, no matter how much it fucks with my sleep schedule. What about you?”
“Nope. Never had the desire to do anything but this. Hear anything from Bekki?”
“No, but that isn’t unusual. I’ll hear from her when she needs something for a story she’s working.”
Brock snorted. “She’s a spoiled brat.”
“True, but she’s also the baby, so the princess act isn’t surprising.”
“No shit. All right, look, I gotta go. Thanks for asking your contacts about this, I’ll text you the description.”
“Roger that. Stay safe.”
“You too.” He pushed the end button as he drove up to Kallie’s apartment building. She bounded down the steps, and he smiled. The woman had adapted to the Southern District already. The precinct they worked couldn’t sustain suits. They had trouble enough trying to bridge the gap between cops and the people who lived in the poorest regions of the city. The fact she keyed in on it without asking was another mark in her favor. She wore jeans, combat boots, a sweater, and a brown canvas parka that snapped for quick access to her weapon, cuffs and badge. Her long hair was back again, braided and coiled tight against the back of her head. She opened the door and dropped into the car. “Did you order the snow?”
“Hell no. Cold weather only increases our workload.”
“Just like the hot weather.” She nodded. “Summer heat brings out tempers and escalates fights into murders, but the winter cold just silently kills.”
“The cold is a motherfucker, that’s a fact,” he agreed and handed her his phone. “Do me a favor and text Treyson’s vehicle information to the last number I called.”
She reached into her coat and produced her notebook. “The Bentley or the McLaren?”
“The Bentley was found this morning in a downtown parking garage Treyson used. Send the details on the McLaren.”
She tapped at the phone and pushed send. “There were no tracks at the crime scene?”
“Nothing that helped. The fire department obliterated any tracks at the front of the building when they responded to the fire. The back of the building only had patrol car and coroner’s van tracks.”
“So, you’re thinking someone took the… 2019 720S McLaren Spider and is trying to what… sell it?”
“It is a four-hundred-thousand-dollar car. That’s plenty of motive. Chop shops make bank on the parts, or the black market for resale is an option. If that car is in Hope City, Brody will find it.”
“Brody?”
“My brother. He is the sergeant for the J-DET team here in Hope City.”
“You are the only two in the police department, right?”
“Right. Blay is a fireman. Brianna owns a restaurant, and Bekki is an investigative reporter for the Hope City Journal.”
“Does your family have a thing for ‘B’ names?” She placed his phone back on the seat next to him.
“Yeah, well, it’s a family tradition on my Dad’s side. All his brothers’ and sisters’ first names start with C; my cousins, in each branch of the family start with the same letter. We are B. Although it was rumored Dad wanted to name Brianna, Wolfgang.”
She cocked her head, eyes wide in expectation, so he dropped the old family joke. “Before she was born, my dad used to tease my mom that he was naming the next child Wolfgang.”
“I think Brianna is a better name.”
“Yeah, she defo isn’t a