Goddess of Justice by Dwayne Clayden (mobi ebook reader TXT) 📕

jumped over Brad and licked her face. She jumped back, wiping her arm across her cheek.

“I guess he likes you.”

Sadie regained her composure. “I interview you because you know what you’re talking about. You don’t give me the complete story, but you don’t blow sunshine up my ass either. Besides, the public loves a hero.”

“And you get excellent ratings.”

“That I do.” Sadie’s grin grew wide. “Breakfast tomorrow?”

Brad pulled into the strip mall and parked in front of the pizza restaurant in Bowness. The restaurant’s name was, The Place. Brad discovered the restaurant when it opened while he was in police training. It was close to where he lived, had great food, and was small enough you could hear yourself talk. Eight vinyl booths lined the walls with a half-dozen tables in the middle. On a late Monday night, there were only two other customers.

He stacked his parka on top of Steele’s and Zerr’s and slid into the vinyl booth across from Sam Steele and Charlie Zerr. Steele slid a beer over. Brad snatched it off the table and drained half the bottle.

“Tough interview?” Zerr asked. “Ms. Andrus has found the new poster boy for the service.”

“We want you.” Steele saluted. “For the Calgary Police Service.”

Zerr clinked bottles with Steele.

“Abbott and Costello not available tonight? I get you two clowns?” Brad picked up a menu. “Did you order yet?”

“He’s deflecting again,” Zerr said.

“I noticed,” Steele replied.

“I’m hungry.”

“We ordered a pizza.”

Brad glanced over the menu. “Charlie. How’s your leg?”

Zerr punched Steele. “What the heck was that for?”

“For your big mouth,” Zerr said.

“Nope. Sorry, buddy. I didn’t say a word.”

Brad nodded. “True story. Sam didn’t say a thing to me.”

Zerr rolled his eyes. “Right. What did Emma say?”

Brad gulped his beer. “Your leg is giving you some issues.”

Zerr crossed his arms. “Nothing to worry about. It takes time to heal. But this shitty weather doesn’t help.”

“Helps me,” Steele said. “I always know when it’s going to get cold because you bitch about your leg.”

Brad laughed and set the menu down. “Did you get spaghetti and meatballs for Lobo?”

“Are you serious?” Zerr asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Steele said. “He’s serious. Lobo loves spaghetti and meatballs. Spaghetti and steak are the only things Brad knows how to cook, so that’s all Lobo eats.”

“Not true,” Brad said. “I do a mean eggs benedict.”

Steele choked on his beer. “He and Lobo survived on steak and spaghetti for weeks until Annie caught on and started making meals for him and putting them in the fridge.”

Brad tossed the menu on the table. “Carbs and protein. Perfect for an active lifestyle.”

“And beer,” Steele said.

“And beer. Electrolyte replacement.” Brad waved to the waitress, ordered another round of beer, and spaghetti with extra meatballs for Lobo.

“That crime scene was a frickin’ mess,” Zerr said.

“More than one assailant?” Steele asked.

Brad shrugged and chewed his lip. “Or one extremely talented person.”

“Are you thinking military?” Zerr asked.

“Aren’t you?” Brad stared at Zerr. “If you hadn’t been on the scene, you’d be my first suspect.”

“Ah, but we were on scene,” Steele said. “You weren’t.”

Brad stopped his beer halfway to his mouth. “Are you kidding me?”

Steele laughed. “All three of us could have done that.”

“So could any TSU member,” Brad said.

Zerr pointed his beer at Brad. “You got there awfully quick. You couldn’t have been at home.”

“Come to think of it, Ms. Andrus arrived at about the same time,” Steele said.

“Are you starting this shit again?”

“They had breakfast the other morning,” Steele said.

Zerr flashed his eyes at Steele. “Would you like to meet for breakfast, or can I just roll out of bed and make it.”

“Christ.” Brad’s head dropped to his chest. “Are we in grade nine?”

The waitress set three beers on the table.

“Pleasant lady,” Steele said.

“Great legs,” Zerr said.

Brad glanced out the window toward his car and gulped his beer. His friends were messing with him. But, maybe, still too soon after Maggie. He swung back to them, twirled the beer bottle in his hand, then absently peeled the label.

“Jeez. Sorry, boss,” Zerr said. “That got away from us.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Steele said. “This is like old times. For us, anyway. We didn’t think about you.”

“You guys are so wrong about Sadie.” Brad leaned over the table and grinned. “Because her ass is her best feature.”

Zerr spewed a mouthful of beer on his shirt.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Brad swung off Memorial Drive, parked in front of Gerry’s, and grabbed two coffees. As he exited the store, Jackson was leaning against the driver’s door. Was this guy going to hang out at Brad’s favorite stores and restaurants, hoping to see him every morning?

Brad sighed. “Morning, Sarge.”

“Coulter.”

Brad extended a hand.

Jackson shook his hand and slid a toothpick to the other side of his mouth.

Brad glanced at cuts on the back of Jackson’s hand. “Get in a fight with a cat?”

Jackson withdrew his hand. “Barbed wire at the farm. It doesn’t cooperate at the best of times but worse in the winter.”

Brad nodded. “Coffee?”

“What the hell happened last night?”

Brad set one coffee on the roof of the car and sipped the other. “There was a quadruple homicide.”

“For Christ’s sake. I know that. Why were you there?”

“Simple. I was paged.”

Jackson slowly nodded his head. “By Briscoe, not dispatch.”

“I was close, so I took the call. No sense getting anyone out of bed. I’m heading to the autopsies now.”

“At what point were you going to call me?”

Brad scratched his head. “I figured I’d tell you this morning after the autopsies when I had additional information.”

Jackson frowned, and the toothpick slid across his teeth. “But enough information to do a mini press conference last night.”

“The press ambushed me.”

Jackson rubbed his temples. “Sadie Andrus from CFCN News ambushed you.”

“Correct.” Brad sipped the coffee.

“Coulter, I’m not stupid. Archer told me about your relationship with Andrus.”

Brad held up a hand. “Stop right there, Sarge. There is no relationship—never has been. Sadie likes to play games she thinks are funny.”

Jackson waved his hand. “I don’t care about your off-duty time.”

“Am I off the case?”

“Archer thinks you should be