December Frost (A Southern Romance Monthly) Read Online Free PDF Page B

His address was a local one, not far from the precinct. Maybe a few blocks.  
    As the night wore on into morning and she continued to stare at the photo, fellow detectives, uniformed officers, staff, all of them came and congratulated her on catching the notorious Phantom.  
    Truth was…something in her gut said this guy wasn't it. Yeah he wasn't showing up in AFIS, and his face wasn't triggering anything in face recognition. Both of those would make sense if he were a thief.  
    But the things he'd said to her. They hit some kind of cosmic bell. In fact, what he said made more sense than him actually being this infamous thief.  
    Yeah her libido wanted him to be innocent because she wanted to do him in his cell.  
    She blushed instantly at that thought. Not so much because of the brashness of it, but because it was true. She really…. really …liked him.  
    And if anyone got wind of her attraction, or figured it out, then any investigating she decided to do on her own would be compromised. She'd seen the movies, read the books, watched TV. All those romances between cops and thieves.  
    It worked out on the screen, but in real life?  
    And why the hell was she fantasizing about a man who could be guilty?  
    Sheesh .  
    "Hey…Inzmann. You didn't stay all night, did you?" Detective Jerry Keidis said as he approached his desk. His was behind hers. Neither of them had been assigned a new partner yet and she hoped like hell Captain D wouldn't put them together.  
    Jerry was what Cecelia's brother called a Pension Counter. As a Medical Examiner, Lex had known a lot of police during his career and harped all the time about cops who didn't give a rat's ass about who was really guilty. As long as the evidence fit, and they could go home, then that's as far as they went.  
    Jerry was a small guy, medium build. Cecelia was a good foot taller which irritated Jerry. That was obvious. There was a time he liked to make jokes about it, but she put that to rest about   a month ago after humiliating him by winning an arm wrestling match. She'd been surprised how strong he was, and how often he tried to cheat by slipping his elbow off the table.  
    But the detective watching the event caught him.  
    They didn't like each other. Mutually.  
    She didn't answer him and continued staring at the screen. Before he could look at it, she hide the database and picked up her phone.  
    "So I hear you caught an important person. And you were wearing a one of your hooker dresses. Did you let him get a peek? That's how you got him?"  
    Cecelia pressed a number in her contacts and put the phone to her ear. "Drop it, Jerry."  
    "Why? You should be proud. I mean, you run in and catch him red handed, didn't you? Statue was saved and you're the flavor of the month."  
    She turned and faced him. If there was one thing about Jerry Keidis, he was a pussy. A small man with a small penis. The biggest thing about him was his temper.  
    Cecelia stared him down, waiting on the phone to ring.  
    He stared back.  
    Three…two…one…
    And he looked away. He took his coffee and went to his desk.  
    "Georgia Crime Lab. Deb Proctor speaking."
    "Hey."  
    "Well where the hell were you last night?"
    "I told you I had a case happen right there. Did you catch it?"
    "My assistant did. Still nothing on the suspect's finger prints. We came up with dozens of prints from the scene—I mean it is a museum. We've ruled out two sets, but they belonged to the Curator and his assistant." She lowered her voice. "Is it really that guy in line? The hottie in the nice suit?"
    "It's him. And he's still protesting he's innocent. I pulled up Thomas Carr. The photos don't match, but all the other info could be his. The address is nearby. In fact he told me—" Cecelia caught a movement to her right and turned. Jerry was walking away.  
    Had he been standing beside her? Listening to her? What for?  
    "Hey? What's wrong?"
    "Eh…Jerry."
    "Oh that creep. Did you know he