by C. M. Sutter
Lutz nodded.
“Henry, you’ve been the best part-time partner anyone could ask for. I’m going to order a dozen banana nut muffins to be sent to your house.” I looked at Mills and rolled my eyes. “Frank, I think we’ve made peace with each other, and from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving my life. You’ve just climbed to the top rung on my lifelong-friends ladder.”
Mills put his hand over his heart and gave me a wink. “And you saved my partner’s life, so I thank you too.”
The officers sitting next to him shook his hand.
Lutz took over. “Okay, let’s get this morning underway. We have a lot to wrap up with the Conrad case.”
By eleven o’clock, I was done with my report and ready to leave Chicago. I heard a commotion at my back and turned around. Detective Adams stood behind me with Mills, Henry, and Bandit.
I knelt to the floor. “Oh my God, it’s Bandit! Come here, boy.”
Adams released his leash, and Bandit ran to my side and covered me with slobbery dog kisses.
Mills jerked his head toward the door. “Come on, Kate. We have one more thing to do before you leave town.”
I grinned. “Really?”
“Yep. Consider this our lunch break, Boss.”
Lutz stood, shook my hand, and waved us on. “Get the hell out of here, all of you knuckleheads.”
Mills got behind the wheel, and Adams sat shotgun. I climbed into the backseat with Henry and Bandit. Bandit snuggled against me and put his head on my lap.
“Do you remember me, boy?” I scratched behind his ears for the duration of the ride. “So where exactly is Jesse?”
Mills looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Right now he’s at the University of Chicago Medical Center until he’s stable. After that he’ll go to Hazelden.”
“Does he know we’re coming?”
Adams looked over his shoulder. “Nope, and that’s the best part. Seeing Bandit should brighten his day and knowing he’s in good hands will help. My kids have really grown attached to that dog, and he can stay with us as long as necessary.”
“I’m sure Jesse will appreciate that.”
Mills pulled in and parked, and we crossed the lot to the main entrance. Adams said he had arranged everything, and although Jesse was medicated, he was awake.
The floor nurse escorted us to his room. We peeked around the curtain and saw a bruised, frail man lying in bed and facing the window.
“Detective McCord, you have company.”
Jesse turned and saw us. Bandit let out a squeal and leapt on the bed. Tears streamed down Jesse’s face as he hugged his dog. For the second time that day, tears fell freely from all of us. We gathered around the bed and explained what had taken place over the last week. Jesse had no memory of yesterday’s events—or the fact that John was dead.
“Kate, I don’t remember you being with me, but I’m damn grateful you were. You saved my life.”
I glanced at Mills and winked. “All in a day’s work.”
After we’d spent an hour catching up, the nurse suggested that we go. Jesse needed rest and more medication. His withdrawal from meth gave him serious mood swings, and at that point, I could see his agitation kicking in. We gave him our love, he hugged Bandit one more time, and we walked toward the door.
I turned back and smiled. “Don’t think you’ve gotten rid of me yet, McCord. If I recall correctly, Joe is a crime fiction writer. He may need some new material pretty soon.”
Jesse did his best to control his wave of symptoms. “As far as I know, he’s working on the necktie killer story right now. He’ll have that book finished in no time, then he can start on this next one. I imagine he’ll have to promote them as true crime stories instead of fiction.”
I laughed. “Who knows, he may need to interview all of us at some point. Maybe his books will turn into best sellers.” I walked to the bed and gently hugged Jesse. “Take care of yourself, buddy, and you know where I live.”
“Damn straight I do, and Adams, I really appreciate you watching over Bandit.”
“No problem. He gets plenty of attention, and I have a large fenced backyard. I will admit, that dog has way more energy than I do, though. I throw a ball from the comfort of a lounge chair, with a beer in hand, and the kids do the rest.”
We waved goodbye and left the hospital. Twenty minutes later, Mills pulled up to Chicago’s Union Station. With a round of hugs, we didn’t say goodbye, only that we’d get together soon. It was football season, and I could see plenty of parties on the horizon. Nobody needed to be psychic to predict that. We’d just be rooting for different teams.
The ninety-minute train ride to Milwaukee gave me plenty of time to reflect on the important things in life. I smiled as I counted them in my head.
Good luck, good health, good friends, and a good state of mind.
I said a little prayer for Jesse as I dozed off for the remainder of the ride. The recorded announcement woke me at two thirty.
“Milwaukee Intermodal Station coming up in five minutes.”
I sat up and stretched as I watched Brew City coming into view. It felt good to be back on familiar turf.
Jack met me in the terminal with a smile and a hug.
I gave him a punch on the shoulder. “You actually showed up. I guess that means you didn’t give my job to Mary.”
“Nah, I thought about it, but she changed her mind. She decided she likes working with Mitch more than she realized.”
“Very funny.”
Jack looked me over from head to toe. “It’s good to see you in one piece, Pierce.” He pointed at my face. “You could have done without some of those cuts and bruises, though.”
I smiled as we walked to the car together. “They give me character, sir, and it’s all in a day’s work.”
THE END
Thank you!
Thanks for reading Retribution, the first book in the Psychic Detective Kate Pierce Crime Thriller Series. I hope you enjoyed it!
Start at the very beginning of the Monroe sisters’ world and meet each character as they’re introduced. The Detective Jade Monroe Crime Thriller Series is where it all began, and Maniacal, the flagship book, is the first book in that series. Sergeant Jade Monroe, a detective in the sheriff’s department of a fictitious Wisconsin town, is introduced. Jade has more crimes to solve and murderers to apprehend than most detectives, but she's a tough cop, determined to prove herself, and gets the job done. The books are listed in order below:
Maniacal
Captive
Fallacy
Premonition
Exposed
The Agent Jade Monroe FBI Thriller Series follows on the heels of Exposed, Book 5 in the Detective Jade Monroe Crime Thriller Series. Jade has advanced to the big leagues. She’s now an FBI agent in the serial crimes unit. She has more ground to cover and more criminals to apprehend with her new partner, J. T. Harper. Currently available books are listed in order below:
Snapped
Justified
Donors
Leverage
Malice
The Amber Monroe Crime Thriller Series follows on the heels of Malice, Book 5 in the Agent Jade Monroe FBI Thriller Series. This series focuses on Jade’s sister, Amber, a new recruit in the Washburn County Sheriff’s Office. She has big shoes to fill, and all eyes are on her. Currently available books are listed in order below:
Greed
Avenged
Vendetta
Atrocity
Travesty
The Psychic Detective Kate Pierce Crime Thriller Series follows on the heels of Travesty, Book 5 in the Amber Monroe Crime Thriller Series. This series focuses on Kate Pierce, a psychic detective at the Washburn County Sheriff’s Office. Kate has gotten her share of ridicule over the years for her work as a psychic, but it’s that very gift that has landed her in the lead role in solving many cases that nobody else could figure out.
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