High Risk by G.K. Parks (books for 10th graders TXT) 📕

know what’s what, we’ll keep Michael Tolliver on ice in case he’s involved.” Voletek sighed. “He looks clean. Patrol is bringing in the rest of the bachelor party for questioning. We’ll hold everyone as long as we can. You already spoke to them, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Brad said. “But we didn’t know enough at the time. Liv might need to hear their voices. She could ID the ringleader that way.”

“Do you want me to come in?” I asked.

“No,” Voletek said, “I’ll make sure something gets recorded. Right now, just focus on getting better. The LT authorized us to stay on this, so I won’t be dropping by tonight. But I will call if something pops.”

“You better.” Brad disconnected and let out a frustrated growl. “I can’t believe Voletek’s not doing more to get Carter.”

“Wasn’t that a movie?”

Brad stopped what he was doing and eyed me over the laptop lid. “Not the time, DeMarco.” He put my computer down. “They should be combing the streets.”

“They will.”

“Fuck.” His outburst scared Gunnie, who crawled beneath the coffee table. “If they’ve gone to ground, we might not find them.”

“They can’t leave. They haven’t made a big enough score.” Even though I said it, I didn’t know if it was true.

“Yeah, well, if Voletek can’t find them, I will.”

I didn’t want to know what he meant by that. “Let’s get back to building a profile. There might be something in Diego’s history that would indicate where he’d go.”

“He’s got a sheet. Two counts of armed robbery. But there’s a notation about a stint in juvie. His juvenile record was probably sealed since I’m not seeing many details. The first time he got tried as an adult, he pled and got some kind of sweetheart deal. The last time he did this, he served time. But he’s been out a year and a half. As far as we know, he’s been keeping his nose clean. He’s holding down a job in a mattress factory. So what changed?”

I ran through the usual possibilities, but as far as we could tell, none of them applied to Diego. “And he’s never been violent before?”

“Just threatened violence, but never resorted to it.” Brad read the details on Diego’s previous convictions. “He never had a crew before either. It was just him.” He snorted. “Turns out he knocked over a liquor store.”

“24/7 Spirits?” I asked.

“No.”

I went to the map. “So what’s Diego’s deal with 24/7 Spirits?”

“If he takes the bus home from work, he would pass 24/7 Spirits,” Brad said.

“So that could be his liquor store of choice, depending on the nearest bus stop.”

“There’s one half a block from that liquor store to the northeast.” Brad read off the cross streets.

Just as I moved closer to the door to mark it, a knock sounded from the other side. I jumped back, a yelp escaping from my lips.

“Liv, get back.” Brad came up beside me. He palmed his gun and approached the side of the door. The knock sounded again. “Who is it?” Brad gestured for me to get into cover.

“It’s Logan.” The ADA waited a moment. “C’mon, Fennel, open the damn door. We have an appointment. You can’t skip out on me again.”

Cautiously, Brad opened the door. Logan Winters stood on the other side with his messenger bag slung across his chest, the files practically spilling out. The officer in the hallway gave Brad a nod. “All right, counselor, I guess I can let you inside.”

Logan entered, spotting me immediately. “Hey, I’m sorry to barge in on you. How are you feeling? You look good.”

“I look bruised and tired.”

“But you still look good.” Logan pointed to the gift basket. “I’m glad you got it.”

“I meant to call and thank you.”

“Don’t even worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay.” He turned, seeing the mess Brad and I had made out of my living room. “What’s going on? Did I interrupt something?”

“Nothing,” I said.

Gunnie snuck up behind Logan and let out a high-pitched bark, causing the ADA to jump. It served him right for startling me, and I couldn’t help but laugh. The puppy had my back.

Logan knelt down. “Who’s this guy?”

“That’s Gunnie. I’m dogsitting until my parents get back from vacation.”

Logan ruffled the dog’s ears and stood up. “Captain DeMarco doesn’t know what happened yet?”

“No,” I glanced at Brad, who busied himself with clearing off the coffee table, “I don’t think they have cell service, and once they get it, I hate to think how he and my mom are going to react.”

“Parents will be parents.” Logan shrugged. “At least you’re okay.”

“Yeah.”

He watched my partner push the board into the corner of the room. “Where should we set up?”

“Right here’s fine.” Brad pointed to the coffee table.

Logan put his bag on the floor and took out the files. While he did that, I returned to the map. Based on the bus schedule, Diego could have gotten off the bus, bought whatever, and caught the next bus when it arrived twenty minutes later.

“I’m gonna call Voletek and have him pass along a few questions to ask the liquor store owner. If Diego was a regular, the owner might know him,” I said.

“That’s assuming he feels like cooperating,” Brad said.

I bit my lip and stared at the map. “Even if he doesn’t, Lisco and Voletek are running Diego’s financials. If he ever paid with plastic, we’ll find the charges and place him inside.”

“We don’t need to place him at the liquor store, Liv,” Brad reminded me. “We already have DNA evidence. He was there. He attacked you. He can refute it all he wants, but we got him. We just have to find him and ID the third guy.”

Thirty-four

“Hold still, Liv.” Emma disinfected the area around my