Unknown Victim by Kay Hadashi (classic books for 11 year olds .TXT) 📕

was in progress at a liquor store. By the time we got there, the perp was long gone. But before he left, he’d taken a couple of potshots at the store clerk on his way out.”

“The clerk was hit?”

She shook her head. “Thankfully not. It was a young pregnant woman working the counter while the owner of the place, her husband, was stocking shelves. She’d done everything we tell them to do, give the perp whatever he wanted and keep their hands up. When the perp shot, the bullets hit bottles behind her, which splashed booze all over the place. It really scared the daylights out of her.”

“I still don’t understand the point of the commendation. I can see you providing comfort to the woman, and helping her decompress after a traumatic situation, but why the comm?” he asked.

“Like I said, she was pregnant. Her water broke and the shock put her into labor. I gotta tell you, that kid came fast. The paramedics barely got there in time. As it was, she delivered the baby right there on the floor behind the cash register in a puddle of booze and broken glass.”

“And you stayed with her and talked her through it?”

“Unfortunately, she was stuck with me as her coach. There’s something I don’t ever want to do again.”

“Why not?” he asked.

Gina scratched her head. “Just something about hysterical women.”

“Where was the husband?” Kona asked, chuckling. “Why wasn’t he helping her?”

“That’s what we wondered. Apparently, he wasn’t supposed to be her coach anyway, that her sister was going to help her at the hospital when the time came. Butch was busy just keeping the husband under control outside. Honestly, I wanted to be out there with him.”

Detective Kona chuckled. “Not big on babies?”

“I like them just fine, as long as they go home to someone else’s house at the end of the day. Otherwise, let me know when they turn eighteen so I can have a conversation with them.”

Detective Kona put the small evidence bag containing the watch in a pocket and tucked his yellow pad under an arm. He looked finished except that he wasn’t leaving. “Need to have a little talk with you, Miss Santoro.”

“Uh oh. This doesn’t sound good. But whatever you’re thinking about me having something to do with that guy’s death, forget it. I had nothing to do with that, except finding him on my front porch.”

“Which is a lot. Let me explain,” Kona said. “You used to work as a police officer, and weren’t even out of training before you walked away. That makes you a junior investigator at best.”

“I know.”

“Let me finish.”

“Sorry.”

Kona seemed to reload his lecture. “There’s something suspect about the man’s death, and I can’t put my finger on what that is. But right from the very moment I got here this morning, you’ve been involved with the investigation. Now, here I am, back again on the same day, collecting what might be evidence that you seemed to have found, even trying to direct my thinking into it belonged to the body you found a few hours before. At that time, the man had nothing of value in his pockets, but now suddenly a Rolex shows up. Miss Santoro, what should be a simple case of a homeless man dying of natural causes has become an investigation that I don’t have time for, and you’re right in the middle of it.”

Gina was wondering how far she needed to walk to find a store that sold cigarettes. "Sorry."

Detective Kona stood up straight with his chest out. “Even though it seems no crime has been committed, I feel compelled to put your name on a suspect list, and there are no other names.”

Gina was numb as she watched him get into his car and leave.

“He’s right. I should’ve listed that stupid watch on eBay.”

Chapter Ten

For an old estate that was lost in the woods, the place was looking like Cleveland’s main transit station near the stadium on game day, with all the people coming and going. No sooner had Detective Kona and the CSI van left, when another vehicle came across the little bridge, a small pickup truck. It was mid-evening by then, and in the dim ambient light that the moon offered, she couldn’t tell if she’d seen the vehicle there that day, if someone from her work crew was coming back for some reason.

“Maybe someone discovered they lost their watch,” she muttered, waiting for someone to get out. She walked slowly to where they parked at the side of the house, reluctant to get too close. When she saw a woman get out of the little pickup, she forced a smile she didn’t feel. “Hi, Millie. You’re out late this evening. Is there something I can do for you?”

“I’d like to talk with you for a while. Have you had dinner?”

Millie must’ve heard about the dead man found on the porch and Gina steeled for yet another lecture. “I was just about to make minestrone. It’ll take me an hour or so, but you’re welcome to join me.”

“Must be easier now to cook?”

That was an odd question. “Why?”

“With the new hot water tank, you have plenty of hot water now, right?”

“Oh, you heard about that? Yes, I can do the dishes and shower with hot water. Now I just need to get the stove to work right so I can cook a few things.”

“There’s nothing on the stove right now?” Millie asked.

“I haven’t started anything, no. Why?”

“Let’s go somewhere.” Millie handed over the keys for the pickup to Gina. “You can drive.”

Gina reluctantly took the keys. As much as she’d been looking forward to making a pot of minestrone, the idea of restaurant food sounded better. She was also hesitant about driving someone else’s vehicle. “Me?”

“There are a few tricky things about this little pickup that you need to know,” Millie said as they got into the truck.

“I’m not sure why you’re telling me about your truck.”

“It’s yours now,