Read Still Life: The Randi Lassiter Series, Book 1 for Free Online Page B

She still raves about her.”
    “What about this PI side gig of hers?”
    “I hate to say it but she’s pretty good at that too. Supposedly she’s had a couple of other lawyers ask her to do some night work, and she’s turned them down. Only willing to help her friend, Sarah.”
    “You think she could be involved somehow?”
    Terri scrunched up her face and shook her head. “Nah, I don’t see it.”
    “What about her sidekick, Caroline Jane Daniels?”
    “CJ?” Terri shook her head vigorously. “No way. CJ is a certified fruit loop, but only the harmless Toucan Sam variety.” She pointed a finger at him as he opened his mouth. “And don’t bother asking about their lawyer. Sarah Redding has a solid rep…you’d be wasting your breath.”
    “Well shoot, you have the scoop on everybody. In a couple more days, you should have this thing all wrapped up.”
    “Nah…with your luck Wacko will have it solved by morning.” She gave a hearty laugh as she jumped down out of his Jeep.

Chapter Seven
    Ben Wachowski pulled a fresh wet wipe out of the pack and rubbed the jelly smudge until it was gone. Clean again, the steering wheel gleamed in the light cast by the street lamp. “Sorry, baby.” He patted the dash of his Ford F-150 lovingly. The ’05 truck was his pride and joy. He looked down at the smear of jelly on his shirt and took a brief swipe at it, succeeding only in smearing it into a longer shape.
    He tossed the wipe into the white bakery bag and vigorously rubbed his hands together over the open top. Crumbs and powdered sugar from the last of his three jelly donuts trickled inside, but also dusted his trousers. He twisted the top of the bag and unceremoniously tossed it out the window. As an afterthought, he looked around to make sure no one witnessed the littering and turned his attention back to the Jeep parked across the lot.
    Just then there was a tap on the window. Ben jumped in his seat. “Fuck!” He rolled down the window. “Jesus Christ, you idiot! You’re asking for trouble sneaking up on someone like that.” He reached up and grabbed the folder out of Greg Stanton’s hand. “This all of it?” he growled.
    Officer Stanton looked at him as if not quite understanding the question. “Well, no. I’m sure it’s not everything. It’s just the preliminary walkthrough and prints.” Stanton reached down and picked up the bag of trash. “Bricksen says you can run these to the station. He wants to get the prints into the system as quickly as possible, and I’m sure you want to get started on collecting data for the reporting systems.”
    “Don’t tell me how to do my damn job, Rookie. Bad enough I’ve got to answer to some slug from Milwaukee on this.” He swiped his mouth with his sleeve. “He should be done by now. How damn long does it take to investigate a murder for fuck-sake?” He tossed the folder onto the passenger seat. Stanton glanced at the file to make sure its contents were still intact.
    “I still don’t know why this guy got the assignment.” Ben pointed in Jon’s direction. “I’d have had this thing well in hand by now. Probably just some crack whore cut up by her pimp.” Or some computer-obsessed geek like his reclusive neighbor, who no doubt trolled the Internet for porn sites and murder how-to information.
    Ben looked around disdainfully. Everyone was busy working the investigation. Not him, he wasn’t allowed behind the tape. Stuck at the fringes with a rookie didn’t sit well with him. Resigned to his vehicle, waiting for a hand off before he could be considered actively involved was such bullshit. And stuck doing computer import or whatever. Crap he believed had nothing to do with real police work. Shit, he was doing a rookie’s job.
    “Tell pretty boy I’m not making a trip back out here if he needs anything. Like he said, I’ve got to get this shit done.” Ben didn’t wait for a reply. He started the engine and pulled away from the scene.
    Stanton