Yellow Ribbons Read Online Free PDF

to have it come to blows tonight. But if Juarez took a swing…
    Lani brought her hand up, all fingers poised on her thumb to really hammer home the point she was about to make. He’d seen her use the gesture whenever her patience had reached the end of its tether.
    “I’ve had about enough of this. Two people are dead. Someone did it. Could we please focus on that and not who has the biggest penis right now?”
    Juarez’s face turned crimson. Beck’s jaw dropped.
    Greg fought a smirk. Yep, that was his captain, and he was damn proud of it. “Yes, ma’am.”
    “Good. Now…on to the children.” She dropped her arm. “You get any more info on this Santa-hating man hurting their mother?”
    Greg flexed his shoulders. “I think it’s a child’s view of hearing and observing sex. Susie heard them one night during Christmas, thought her mother was sick and crying so went to help her. She saw the man on top of her mother and started hitting him to get him to stop. Her mother got everyone calmed down and tucked the girls back into bed. An argument ensued between them, during which he said the girls were old enough to realize there wasn’t a Santa and old enough to know not to burst into someone’s bedroom.” Greg made quote marks. “‘He hates being rupted.’”
    “Oh…” Lani nodded. “ Interrupted .”
    “Was it the same man as tonight?” Jordan asked.
    “They don’t know. Their sitter had them in bed before their mother got home. Their mother came in to kiss them good night and told them to stay in bed. Both girls woke up when they heard something break. There was a lot of bad noise. They hid until it stopped, then went to their mother…”
    And found all that.
    “There could be evidence on them,” Juarez said.
    “They were too scared to go in their mother’s bedroom when they saw the blood. Instead, they went to the living room and huddled in their dad’s chair. Susie called and stayed on the line with the operator until the deputy sheriffs came to the door. The girls didn’t budge until the deputies arrived. They didn’t know the Santa man’s name. All the girls remember is that he had brown hair and mean eyes.”
    “Well, if someone had rupted me, I’d have mean eyes too,” Jordan said.
    “Been there.” Less than an hour ago, thanks to Jordan. “But no matter how rupted I was, I’d never trash Santa.” He and Jordan bumped fists.
    Lani issued the Sigh of Doom. “Boys, could we please focus?”
    “You’re the one who brought up penises,” Jordan said, as if it were perfectly logical.
    Then Lani passed Jordan a look Greg wished he’d never seen—sultry bedroom eyes, and the hint of a smile teased her lips.
    “I am all powerful, aren’t I?” Her tone was low, filled with sexual promise. “Don’t worry.” She tucked her arms over her chest slowly, bringing attention to her breasts and the hint of cleavage pressing upward in the V-neck sweater. “I only use my powers for good, not evil.”
    “Yeah, real professional, morons.” Juarez took a giant step away from them. “I need a smoke.” His about-face nearly toppled him in his haste to leave. Ten feet away, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket, no doubt calling in a complaint about them.
    Greg scuffed his palms together. “Now that we’ve managed to scare him off…”
    “It’s a murder staged to look like suicide. I’d stake my career on it.” Lani hugged herself against the cool night. She must have forgotten her jacket in her haste to get here. Greg thought about offering his but knew she’d refuse.
    “Agreed.” Jordan pulled a notepad from his suit pocket. “And whoever did it knew enough to not leave a bloody foot trail behind him.”
    Good. All three of them were on the same page. “Considering the blood in the room, that was quite a feat. Clothes, shoes, hands, hair.”
    “Bathroom,” they said together.
    “Door to master bath was open when I arrived. Laminate floor. Easily wiped up. We’ll know