Ultimate Dilemma (Justice Again Book 2) by M Comley (best books under 200 pages txt) 📕

be sure not to go down that route. I respect you for one thing.”

“Ha! Are you saying Lorne didn’t?”

“I think I’ve said too much already. Getting back to the reason I’ve rung you, is it okay to forge ahead with the overtime?”

“Yes, of course. Keep me updated every step of the way. Umm…maybe not every step, every significant step, I should have said.”

“You know that goes without saying, sir. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“I will. Damn, I’ll have to reheat my dinner now…or maybe I’ll just put it in the bin where I should have dumped it in the first place.”

“May I ask what it was?”

“Chicken tikka served with bullet rice, at least that’s what it damn well tastes like. I’m going to have to get a woman in.”

“To cook your meals?”

“Yes, why, what else did you think I was talking about, Inspector?”

“Umm…is that the time? I should get going, sir. I hope you sort your dinner out soon.”

“I will. Tread carefully. Make sure you gather all the evidence first and foremost before tackling the daughter.”

“Thanks for the advice, boss.”

“Maybe say that without the added sarcasm attached next time, Inspector.”

“I’ll try. Goodbye, sir.” Katy ended the call and looked over at Charlie to give her the thumbs-up. Then she checked in with AJ to break the bad news to him. “Sorry, love. It’s a necessity.”

“Stop apologising. I know you wouldn’t make the call if you didn’t deem it important. Thanks for ringing me.”

“Goes without saying. Will you give Georgie a kiss for me?”

“She’s here. Hang on. Say hello to Mummy, sweetpea.”

“Mummy, I had fun at school today. I made a new friend.”

Unexpectedly, Katy’s eyes watered. She smiled. “Did you, sweetie? What’s her name?”

“It’s Jack, and she’s a boy.”

Katy covered her eyes and chuckled. “Oh, silly Mummy, presuming all your friends should be girls.”

“Pre, pre…what’s that?”

“Presuming…umm… thinking it should be something when it turns out to be something else. Does that make sense?”

“Er…sort of. I need to go now, my ice cream is melting.”

“You go, darling. I’ll see you later.”

AJ came back on the line. “Hi, you know what she’s like with a bowl of ice cream. She was hungry so I fed her earlier.”

“I’m so sorry to disrupt your lives the way I do.”

“Nonsense, you do nothing of the sort. Hey, you go, stay safe, and remember we love you.”

“I love you, too. I’ll never know why you put up with me at times.”

“Are you nuts? Because we care and love you. I can’t wait to see you. I have some news that will cheer you up.”

Just like that, he ended the call, leaving her dangling. She was tempted to ring him back and force the information out of him, but they had an important job to do and time was getting on—it was already seven-twenty. She slipped into the driver’s seat and started the engine. Charlie finished her call and sighed.

“That was the final one. The team are all on their way back to the station.”

“Good, you guys are the best. Was Brandon okay about you working late?”

“Yeah, I think so. He didn’t really complain.”

Katy picked up an underlying hidden meaning in Charlie’s words and tone. She continued to take the detour back to the station and cast a glance sideways to see Charlie staring down at her fingers, picking at the skin around her nails. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Charlie?”

“No, I’m fine. We have some issues to work out. It’s part and parcel of being involved in a relationship. Nothing spectacular, just tiny issues.”

“Yeah, we all have those. It’s not helped by the guilt we feel either, is it?”

“Maybe that has more to do with how I’m feeling. Just ignore me, I’m sure Brandon and I will be fine.”

Katy held her fingers up. “I’m here to use as a sounding board if you should ever need one.”

“I know. Ditto.”

“AJ has some news for me. He’s such a tease, told me that then hung up.”

“You guys have the best relationship. I wish mine and Brandon’s was half as good as yours.”

“Are you telling me you’re not as solid as you used to be?”

“Is anyone? I thought it was the norm for relationships to settle into…well, something more comfortable.”

“Don’t let your mother hear you talking like that. Charlie, after what you’ve been through, you deserve to be treated like a princess every second of the day.”

“Aww…now you’re making me out to be some kind of ogre. Brandon treats me better than any other guy I’ve been out with, not that there have been that many. Ignore me, I’m sure we’ll be fine. If not…” Charlie shrugged. “Then I’ll have good memories to look back on.”

Katy’s eyes widened. “Bloody hell. That sounds like you’ve given up on either the relationship or Brandon.”

“Did it? Sorry, I haven’t. Can we talk about something else? This conversation is making me squirm.”

“Whatever you want. What are your feelings on the investigation so far?”

“Thanks, I’m not sure which conversation is the more demanding.”

They both laughed.

“If there is a connection, which it sure looks like to me, then maybe the men had a secret. Something their families weren’t aware of,” Charlie noted.

“Am I to believe you don’t think Nadia is to blame here?”

“Why should we? What’s she actually said or done to make you think she might be guilty of something?”

“Good point. I can’t rid myself of this damn feeling in my gut.”

“What do you propose doing about it?”

“I’d rather not dive in and regret my actions. I want to run things past the team first.”

“Makes sense to me. We’ll back your decision either way, you know that.”

“I know. On the flip side, I would hope you’d tell me if you thought I was playing the wrong cards during an investigation as well.”

“I would, sort of. Maybe I’d point out a few discrepancies in your way of thinking, now that I’ve worked with you a couple of months and know how approachable you are.”

“My job is done then. I’m glad you feel that