Grace Read Online Free PDF Page A

headed out the door. She practically made it to the elevator when her cell phone rang.
    "Hello,” she answered.
    "Is this Detective Grace Martin?"
    "Who's this?” She didn't recognize the voice on the other end.
    "This is Jerry Hughes, Celina Marquette's boyfriend. I didn't hurt Celina! I didn't kill her!” he yelled into the phone.
    Grace didn't know how the kid had gotten her number or why he called her. She wasn't the lead investigator on this case, Frank was.
    "Calm down, Jerry. The police are doing their job. They need to investigate everyone. Why are you calling me? This isn't my case. It's Detective Frank Lupine's case.” She wondered why she had decided to turn her cell phone on at all.
    "I heard you're working a similar case and that there may be a connection to Celina's disappearance. I need your help."
    "I don't know who you heard that from, but right now, you should be speaking to Detective Lupine. He's in charge of Missing Persons and this case."
    "I love Celina. We were planning to get married. Her parents know I didn't do this. They want to meet. Will you meet with us?"
    "The Marquettes need to speak with the detective in charge of the case. I'm sorry, Jerry, but like I said, I'm not the one to speak to about this."
    Grace got off the cell phone and made it down the two floors to the lobby before her phone rang again.
    "Hello,” she answered.
    "Hello, Grace. It's Frank. I need a favor. I know Jerry just called you. I'm friends with the Marquettes and they only want to find their daughter and move things along. What did you think about the file I sent you?"
    "Shit, Frank, you know better than to get personally involved with a case. Push it off to someone else if you can't stay neutral."
    "It's not like that, Grace. I know the family and they're good people, but more importantly, I've seen the similarities in the case you're working on and Celina's. Her apartment was left the same way. She lived in the same apartment complex, hung out with the young woman who's the victim you're investigating.... There's something there, I just know it."
    Grace thought there was, too, but she would need her commander's approval to investigate further. She stepped back into the elevator and hit the button for the fifth floor. Maybe the commander was still around.
    "I'll see what I can do, Frank."
    "I want Jerry involved. We'd like to meet you, Grace, tomorrow. Can you meet the three of us for lunch downtown?"
    "Are you sure you want him involved? Have you thoroughly checked him out?"
    "Yes. Now help me out, please,” Frank asked again.
    Grace agreed to meet them tomorrow, then turned off her cell phone before closing it. She immediately went upstairs to discuss everything with her commander.
* * * *
    "Hey, Lieutenant, were you uptown all day?” Detective Tommy Johnson asked as he met Max by his cubicle.
    "Yeah, I liked sipping tea and munching on fresh pastries instead of smelling dead bodies and stepping in cat shit,” Max added sarcastically, then stretched while picking up the phone on his desk to check his messages.
    He rubbed his face, touching the whiskers. He needed a shave. He felt old, tired, and his head hurt.
    "What's the latest on Celina Marquette?"
    "Well, so far, no prints but Celina's and her boyfriend's. He did answer all our questions willingly. Apparently, he was planning to marry Celina."
    "What about his little drug problem?"
    "It's little."
    "Now, Tommy, did you check it out thoroughly? Who is his supplier? Where does he go to get hooked up? You never know where this might lead."
    "Do you really think this has something to do with drug dealing?” Tommy asked.
    "No, I don't, but all leads must be investigated thoroughly.” “Who's Detective Martin?” Max asked while listening to the messages.
    "I took the liberty of appointing Jones to take care of her since you were busy all day. Jones said she was pissed off, but the cases weren't similar at all."
    Max laughed then hung up the phone and changed the