I stroll up to Munroe, who is examining Barret’s body. “I would ask if we could trace the gun, but I already know the answer.”
“Yeah, these bastards use throwaways that can’t be traced back to them.”
“Figures. Have you heard anything on Drake?”
“No. As of right now, he’s in the wind because these same people who killed Barret and tried to kill us; is gunning for him as well.”
“Well, we got a few hours before the blood comes back. Can I buy you a drink?”
She smiles. “Actually, I haven’t eaten since this morning, Lobos. So how about a bite instead?”
“Yeah, I guess I could eat.”
The place is crowded and has a beautiful view of the waterfront. Its only downfall is the Vegan only menu and the overly pretentious servers who act like they’re enlightened. I bet most of them eat meat when they’re off the clock. The waitress arrives at our table after waiting for ten minutes. “Nice to see you again, Agent Munroe, and I see you brought a friend with you.”
“Yes, Tina. This is Detective Devora Lobos of the Tampa PD.”
Her hands steeple as she bows. “Namaste, Officer. You know, I knew you were a cop the minute I saw your aura.”
I stare at her with a blank expression. “M-my what?”
She smiles nervously. “Your aura. Your life force.”
Great, our waitress is nuttier than a squirrel turd.
“Anyway, what can I get you two to eat?”
“I will have the Coconut Curry, and I will have chai tea for my drink.”
Coconut Curry? Gross.
She turns to me. “What would you like, Officer? And keep in mind you do get the police discount.”
“I’m not a vegan, so what would you recommend, Munroe?”
“You like pasta, Lobos?” Munroe asks.
“Sure.”
“Bring her the Lemon Fettucine Alfredo.”
“Excellent choice officer. You know that’s a popular dish with pasta lovers. What would you like to drink?”
“I’ll take a cup of coffee, no sugar, and no cream.”
The waitress finishes writing down our order. “Okay, your nourishment will be up shortly.”
Geez, pretentious much?
“So tell me, what are the odds of Drake’s people actually being prosecuted even with Drakes testimony?”
The waitress brings our food and drinks. Munroe leans back, crossing her legs, taking a bite of her food. “Detective, don’t expect these people to come quietly. Odds are they make us kill them. The people they work for will kill them anyway if they’re captured. So my answer to your question is I don’t know. That being said, bringing in Drake would be a big ace in the hole.”
I twirl one of the noodles around my fork and slurp it into my mouth. “This pasta would be better with some lobster or some chorizo.”
Her nostrils flare in disgust. “I honestly don’t know how you eat meat. It’s terrible for your colon and digestion. Plus, if you only knew what they do to the animals.”
“I’m Mexican. Meat is a big part of my upbringing. I grew up on Asado.”
“Come on, Lobos. That is a cop-out, and you know it. Meat is murder.”
I roll my eyes and cock my head to the side. “If meat is murder, then murder tastes pretty goddamn good.” I drop the fork on the plate. “Listen, amiga. You want to be a vegan fine knock yourself out, but don’t preach to me.”
She sips her tea and scowls. “Now hold on there. I’m not trying to covert you; I’m just trying to share a bit of vegan culture with you.”
“Share it with someone who gives a shit.” With two dead kids on my mind, along with worrying about my sister, Izzy, and Greg, the last thing I want to hear is how fucking great veganism is.
“I can’t eat this bullshit!” I launch from the table and shove through the front doors. I walk over to the water, lighting a Marlboro. My hands tremble as I come down off the adrenaline. I flinch as my cell rings. “Is my family safe, Ingrid?”
“Yes, they are, Devora. And units are moving in on Greg and your sister’s husband.”
I exhale with relief. “Spasiba.”
“You’re welcome.”
“How you holding up?”
“I’m fine. Just all I can see is Jason’s two daughters lying in the living room with holes in their heads.”
“Dead children is not something you get used to.”
“Ingrid, things are gonna get medieval. Guard them like they were your own. Don’t worry about me.”
“Stay alive.”
“I’ll do my best.” I hang up my cell.
I lean on the railing, puffing on my smoke and gazing at the choppy water. Agent Munroe appears in my peripheral. “Lobos, I am sorry if I upset you in there.”
I flick my smoke into the water. “Forget it. Let’s go.” I shove past her and head to her car. As I sit in the car, I get a text message.
Detective Lobos, we finally broke into Drake’s Laptop.
Good work. I’ll be there soon.
“Well, we may have something to help us find Drake.”
“Really?”
“Crime lab finally broke into Drake’s personal laptop.”
“Great. Let’s see if there is anything that we can use.” She puts the car into gear.
Chapter 19
A hefty black man sits behind the desk in the crime lab, reading a Stephen King comic book sipping coconut water “Hey, Gerald.”
“Yo, Devi. What’s up?”
“I need to sign out Drake’s laptop.”
“Okay, one second,” he says, handing me a clipboard. I sign in my name, and the time I checked out the evidence.
He returns from the back of the room with the laptop. “I want to warn you there is some really next level shit on here. And there is a sick video of him slicing up that MP.”
“What time was it uploaded?
“4:30 AM. I believe this may be a gold mine of evidence for
