“If you’re trying to show Kilton in a good light, why are you looking at that side of things?”
“Curiosity, I guess”
“Well, just remember what they say about curiosity,” he threw out, shutting down his computer.
Glancing at her phone, she saw that she had missed a text from Caitlyn.
Let’s meet at CC after work.
She was tired and considered declining, but the idea of a glass of wine, unwinding with her friends, and possibly seeing the mysterious Kyle again was too strong a lure to ignore. Grinning, she headed into town toward the Celtic Cock.
7
Closing the file on his desk, Kyle ran his hand over his hair and leaned back, hearing the vertebrae snap and crackle as he stretched.
“Fuck, you sound old,” Alex said, standing as he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. Ignoring the finger that Kyle was flipping, he asked, “You up for a drink at the Cock?”
“God, yes. This has been a long-ass week with nothing but dead ends.” He said nothing to Alex, but the chance that he would see Kimberly had him anxious to get to the bar. The idea that she was avoiding him slowed his steps just slightly. There’s no way she didn’t feel some kind of a connection. At least I hope that’s—
“McBride. Freeman.”
Their feet stuttered to a halt at the bottom of the steps at the sound of their captain’s voice. Sharing a glance, Kyle knew they were in for a long night. Whatever their captain wanted, the Celtic Cock was going to have to wait.
Jogging back up the stairs, they reentered the workroom.
“Got an armed robbery. Think you’re going to want in on this. Delivery van robbed at gunpoint.” He shot his gaze between the two detectives and continued, “The van? It was from Kilton Pharmaceuticals. Everything was taken.”
“Fuckin’ hell. Just what we need is more fuckin’ drugs on the street.” With a chin lift toward his Captain, he and Alex headed back down the stairs. Climbing inside his truck with Alex in the passenger seat, he put the address in his GPS. Looks like the Celtic Cock and the possibility of Kimberly is going to have to wait. A-fuckin’-gain.
Traffic was heavy at the end of the workday, but within fifteen minutes he pulled to a stop in an alley behind a small pharmacy. The alley was narrow but cleared of debris. Dumpster to the side, boxes broken down and placed out for recycling. The back door to the pharmacy was standing open with several officers moving in and out.
Badge hooked to his belt, he climbed from his truck. An officer lifted the yellow tape that had been wound around the perimeter to keep back the curious bystanders that always appeared whenever the police gathered anywhere.
Looking up, he noted the swipe of black spray paint covering the security camera. Mumbling, “Professional,” he knew Alex had spotted the camera as well. He stalked toward the plain, white panel van. He jerked his head toward the van, looking at Alex. “Nothing on the outside indicates Kilton. Somebody knew it was coming and what it carried.”
He stopped and looked through the open side door. The interior was lined with metal shelving on each side, now completely empty. Stepping back, he spied blood droplets on the pavement. A man in a navy blue uniform was sitting in the back of an ambulance. Recognizing the paramedic, he walked over. Looking back at Alex, he asked, “Robbery’s not here yet. You want to call for the lab boys or have them take the whole thing in?”
“Friday afternoon? Hell, I say let’s call the whole van in.”
“Works for me. I’ll go talk to the driver.”
He stalked toward the ambulance. “Rory,” he greeted the paramedic who had finished bandaging a cut on the driver’s forehead.
The paramedic glanced as Kyle walked up and grinned widely. “Hey, bro.”
His younger brother Rory had come home from his days in the Army and immediately began volunteering for the Hope City Fire Department. It didn’t take him long to decide he wanted to become a paramedic and was still in training.
“Is he going to the hospital?”
“We advised it, especially since this happened on the job. He can file Workman's Comp anyway, so he should go.”
“Sir, I’m Detective Kyle McBride. Are you up for a few questions before they take you to the hospital?” Gaining the driver’s nod, he collected the basics first—name, address, phone number, and even though his shirt had the name Kilton Pharmaceuticals embroidered over the pocket,