“You’ve got good instincts. Just be careful. There are a lot of wolves out there who don’t like heroes. They get jealous when someone like you comes along.”
Luca contemplated Joe’s warning later on when he was driving home after his shift. Wolves? Interesting word choice. He had heard there were werewolves on the force.
As he turned onto Mass. Ave., he passed the corner pub and spied a man lying in the gutter.
Luca pulled over and got out of the car. Making his way to the prone figure, he squatted down and bent to check for a pulse. The man groaned. At least he was alive.
“Hey, man, you okay?” Luca shook the man’s shoulder, trying to wake him up.
The man groaned again and started to move. Luca helped him turn over and then recognized him. The man’s eyes opened and widened, clearly recognizing Luca as well.
“Hey, I know you. You live aroun’ here,” he slurred.
“Hi, Jack. Are you hurt?”
Jack burst into tears. “Hurt? You’re asking me if I’m hurt? My wife was killed, and my little girl is missing. Hurt doesn’t even begin to explain what I’m feeling.”
“Sorry, man.” Luca hooked his arm around Jack’s elbow. “I meant, have you sustained any injuries?”
“Nah, just had too mush to drink and then I guess I mush have passed out.”
“My car is right here. I’ll drive you home.”
“Thanks.”
Luca helped Jack to the car and eased him into the front passenger seat. As Luca drove him a couple of streets over and down the block, Jack rubbed his forehead and glanced over at the uniform. “You’re a cop?”
“Yeah, just started my first week.”
“I don’t think those detectives are doing a damn thing.”
Luca hesitated. There was a protocol. He didn’t want to overstep, but at the same time, he was feeling frustrated himself. “It takes time, Jack.”
“I don’t have time. I went online to see if it’s true, what they say about the forty-eight-hour thing, and it’s not good. After forty-eight hours, it becomes even harder to find a missing person. She’s just a little kid, and there’s no ransom call. Maybe you can help me? I keep calling those detectives, and they say they’re working on it, but I need to find my daughter. Sh-she’s all I—”
Jack broke down, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed.
Luca reached out and awkwardly patted the man on his shoulder. “I promise I’ll do my best to find your daughter. But you have to do something for me.”
Jack looked up at Luca, his eyes red from crying. “Anything.”
“You have to give me something of Mandy’s, a stuffed toy or a doll.”
“Are you gonna use sniffer dogs?”
“No, I’ve got something else in mind, but you can’t tell anyone. I mean it. I could get fired.”
Chapter 7
“’Bye, Gran. See you later.”
Dawn grabbed her keys and slipped on her leather jacket. She figured it was a thirty-minute walk to the Youth Community Center, plenty of time to get there and avoid the subway. She loved to walk as much as possible. It was the only exercise she ever got, and it helped her sort out her feelings. That and her visits to the Christian Science Center kept her sane. Now that she had Karma Cleaners to help her, she hoped her path would be easier, and she could finally live the life she’d always dreamed of, helping others—and free from the Keene Street Gang.
It was early yet, so most of the people in her neighborhood were either sleeping one off or already at work. Keene Street had always been that way. Most were decent, working-class people usually with two, sometimes three jobs to make ends meet, while the others wanted a quick fix, in more ways than one. Distracted by her thoughts, she didn’t notice the footsteps behind her and felt a sudden tug on her arm.
She growled and swung around with her baton key chain, ready to do battle.
