“Sorry, darlin’. I just don’t think my wife would like that very much.” He tapped his fingers on the counter, then offered her a wave and a smile. Turning, he walked toward Kyle and the two left the building.
Once outside, Kyle shook his head. “Harsh, man.”
“Shit, I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“You’re losing your touch.”
“Just because you’ve got a girl waiting for you at home doesn’t mean the rest of us do.”
Kyle smiled at his partner as he climbed into the cab of his truck. “Well, I know a certain detective that looks like she wouldn’t turn you down if you asked her.”
“Birdie?” Alex sighed. “Yeah, she’s special. But damn if I know how two detectives are ever supposed to get together for a date. I can’t even imagine what that must be like.”
“Brock and Kallie make it work.”
“Yeah, because they started as partners. Me and Birdie… never happening, man.”
Kyle let it drop as they approached Tingle’s Bar. His eyes were on a parking space when Alex called out. “Isn’t that him?”
Lifting his head around to look out the passenger window, he observed Roger walking down the sidewalk away from them. Turning at the corner, he drove past Roger and found an opening at the curb. A grin slipped across his face as he parallel parked perfectly. They sat for a moment until Roger walked past them, then bolted from the truck.
Roger spied Alex first and started to run, crashing into Kyle as he stepped in front of him. A flash of fear moved through his eyes just before Kyle pinned him against the wall.
“Don’t try it,” Kyle warned, pressing Roger’s face against the brick of the nearest building. “I can see running in your eyes, and it won’t go good for you.”
Roger's head jerked in a nod as his feet remained rooted to the sidewalk. As though suddenly aware of their location, his eyes scanned the other people on the street as Kyle loosened his grip slightly. Looking back at Kyle and Alex, he said, “Do we have to do this here?”
Alex cocked his head for a second then turned to Kyle. “I like this. Nice and easy.”
A chuckle erupted from Kyle’s chest, and he nodded toward Roger. “I’d say it would be best if we took this to the station.”
“Do I need a lawyer?”
“Your call.”
Roger stayed still for a few seconds, then said, “Not now. But I reserve the right for representation later if I need it.”
“Like I said, your call.”
Thirty minutes later, Roger was settled in an interview room. Kyle and Alex were ready to walk in when an assistant, Jocelyn, rolled her wheelchair down the hall toward them, a sheaf of papers in her hand.
Handing them to Kyle, she winked and said, “Interesting reading.”
As Alex looked over his shoulder, he flipped through the papers, skimming to the sections she had highlighted. After a moment, he lifted his head and grinned widely. Bending, he kissed her cheek. “You’re the best.”
Waving as she rolled away, she laughed. “That’s what all the men say!”
Turning back to the interview room, he tucked her file folder underneath the other one in his hand and walked in. Alex leaned his back against the door while Kyle scraped the chair over the tiled floor and sat, slapping both files on top of the table.
“We know you get the money from the sale of the drugs stolen from Kilton Pharmaceuticals. We have one of your distributors in custody, and we’re currently rounding up two more that we know of. The one in custody is playing this smart and has already given you up. We have you linked to the truck that was used in the latest theft of a pharmaceutical van, and we’re working on gaining the physical evidence, including traffic cameras, to prove that you were the one driving. We know that you pass the drugs to Jeremiah Dempsy, who then gets them to your distributors.”
He shook his head slowly and said, “I guess that’s the part I really don’t get. You trust Jerry to get the drugs to your distributors? A known addict?” He watched a specter of doubt move through Roger’s eyes. “So, Raphael distributes, takes the money, keeps his cut, and gets the payment to you. And before you’re set to deny, we’ve got him, and he’s ready to roll.”
“I think I want my lawyer now.”
“Wish you’d decided that earlier—it would’ve saved us some time.” He closed the folder and said, “Once your lawyer gets here, let him know