Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 58874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58874 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
“I talk to you, Jule,” Tor said as he wedged his foot into his shoe. “You’re the only person I really talk to. But some things can’t be said.” He bent back down and kissed him. “I have to go. I’ll come back as soon as I can.” He kissed him again. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“Tori, please. I need to understand.”
He gazed at him for a long time, his blue eyes so shattered that Jule’s chest ached in reaction. “Penance,” Tor finally said, and then he stood and walked out the door.
Chapter 13 – Age 29
“Detective Wyble! It’s great to have you back.” Jule reached his hand out to Marcie.
“Stop with that detective bullshit and put your hand down.” She stood up, stepped around her desk, and circled her arms around Jule in a tight hug. “You saved my life, carrying me out of there and getting me to the hospital. We’re bonded now.”
“It was the least I could do after you saved both of our lives in there.” He gave her a squeeze and then clasped her biceps, leaned back, and looked her over. “Seriously, though, how are you?”
“I’m all better,” she said loudly. “I’m completely healed!” She lowered her voice and bent her head forward. “They need to let me back in the field. Desk duty is making me batty. Literally.”
Jule laughed. “You can probably use the rest.”
“Sure.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re good though?”
“I wasn’t the one who was shot.”
“No, you’re the civilian who dodged bullets, witnessed two people dying, and had to carry my bleeding ass out of there. I’m assuming your office doesn’t require a psych eval before they put you back to work because I know you’ve been in trial over the last few months, but there’s no shame in getting help.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He appreciated her concern, but she was wrong about what was still bothering him about that night, and he couldn’t talk to anyone about Tor. Not even Tor. He’d tried.
“Very convincing.” She shook her head. “Anyway, thanks for coming over here. I figured you’d want an update on the case, and I want to show you something.”
His client was no longer alive, so he wasn’t entitled to any information, but after everything that happened, he was invested and curious. “Sure.” He pulled out the chair in front of her desk.
“Actually, Jeffries is out and she said we could use her office. It’s more private.”
He followed her to the commander’s office, and they sat at a round table.
“Have you heard about Ariel?” Marcie asked.
“No.” He shook his head.
“He’s been arrested.”
“Detective Ariel was arrested? Why?”
“He set us up.”
Jule’s breath caught.
He must have looked as shocked as he felt, because Marcie nodded knowingly. “Took me off guard too. I mean, he was always a dick but so are lots of people so I didn’t think much of it.”
“What happened?”
“I don’t have every detail, the case is still being put together and it’s not being handled by this precinct, obviously, but Commander Jeffries told me she already had her eye on Ariel. Remember she took him off the DeLeroy case?”
Jule nodded.
“That’s why. Jeffries had an idea that something was wrong, not sure what tipped her off. While she was looking into it, she reassigned the case to me. Turned out Ariel was on the take. I wasn’t told exactly what he had planned or how they figured it out, but from what I understand, when they pulled him, he couldn’t make it happen anymore, so he had to pivot. Eliminating Tommy Breuger was already in the works and Ariel thought if he took me down with him, he’d be assigned as lead again. You were collateral damage.”
“Holy fuck.”
“I know.” She gave him a minute to process. “There’s good news though.”
“Someone beat the shit out of Ariel in lockup?” he said hopefully.
She laughed. “I doubt he’s being put anywhere near other inmates.”
“Too bad. Maybe I can go pay him a visit.”
“Umm. You sounded a little scary there, Julian.”
“Did I?” He rolled his head from left to right, his joints crackling. “What’s the good news?”
“The warehouse has cameras,” she said.
His heart stopped. Cameras meant the truth of what happened would come out. The truth about Tor.
“They weren’t on when we were there, obviously,” she continued. “They had that planned so they turned them off.”
He let out a deep breath.
“But Franks Junior didn’t know about the cameras, so he didn’t turn them off the night of the party and Franks Senior isn’t great at technology, so he deleted the original footage but not the cloud backup.”
“You have the rape on tape?” Jule spoke his realization.
“Not sure how we got that tape, but yeah, we have all of it.” She cringed. “I’ve watched it and it’s as horrible as you’d imagine. I know we aren’t supposed to speak ill of the dead, but Tommy Breuger played a much bigger part than he told us.”