Free Open Wounds by Camille Taylor Page B

ever seen…” He hurried off when she and Kellie turned to him. The poor ginger haired newbie had not yet learned the fine art of dealing with women. Especially armed women.
    Wide-eyed, Darryl glanced back at them and Amelia tried for an innocent expression. She knew she failed when his eyebrow rose.
    “So a fight, huh? Is a hospital visit required?” he asked, his gaze drifting slowly over Kellie. So, that’s how it was. She shouldn’t be surprised; the woman was gorgeous inside and out.
    “You might need one if you don’t let it drop. We’ve worked it out,” she said bluntly.
    Darryl grunted as if disbelieving, then settled back into his chair. “Already forgotten.”
    “So, what are you doing? Maybe I can help,” Kellie said, putting them back on track. “I’m part of this case too, and I want to see it closed. I may not be a detective but I have two eyes and a brain.”
    Amelia studied her for a moment. “These are the records for our two dead guys,” she said, tapping a couple of manila folders.
    Kellie opened the first file. “Geez…large enough? Reminds me of your file,” she said to Amelia wryly. “Wow, was there anything these boys weren’t into? Quite the alphabet of offending charges.”
    “You ever heard of a man named Dick Coleani?” Darryl asked Kellie.
    Her head jerked up. “Sleazy Coleani?” She turned to Amelia. “Yeah, he used to run our neighbourhood as kids. What about him?”
    “Well, it appears that’s where Lambert headed after we released him. Butler and Benedict also used to work for him,” Darryl said.
    “The boys apparently decided to go it on their own.”
    Kellie made a tsk tsk sound. “Coleani would not appreciate that.”
    Amelia agreed. If anything could be said about him, he demanded loyalty from his employees and wasn’t kind to those who betrayed him. She had been unfortunate enough to see his handiwork once—her first lesson in anatomy, and she’d never forgotten.
    Darryl opened up the box and grabbed a slice of pizza. He took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Both Benedict and Butler have been part of his crew since puberty. They were both from foster homes and were regulars at his youth centre.”
    “You mean his tax deductible recruitment centre,” Kellie corrected.
    Amelia grinned. Kellie wasn’t one for mincing words no matter her stance on rights for criminals. Coleani always brought the devil out in her. Had since they were teenagers.
    She leaned back in her chair. “We had our tech boys take apart their hard drives and found they were running a website out of their home.”
    “What type of website?”
    “An all stop shop for your pharmaceutical needs, catering to the illegal side of course.”
    “How enterprising of them,” Kellie commented.
    “It seems the boys had a five-year plan, and hoped to become big real estate moguls. They already bought up six houses on Hamilton,” Darryl added.
    “Moving in on Coleani’s territory…never a good plan if you want to see your next birthday,” Amelia said.
    Kellie frowned. “Hamilton isn’t Coleani’s territory.”
    “He’s moved up in the world.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 10
     
     
    Kellie rolled fitfully in her sleep, the blanket twisting around her waist. In her mind she was back in the gutter, wishing, praying to die. Warm, sticky liquid rolled down her cheek from her forehead, which burned, the pain slightly below unbearable. Her whole body felt bruised and battered, used and discarded, and a sickening disgust threatened to drown her. The worst thing was knowing she would live to remember and relive the night over and over again.
     
    She couldn’t move, no matter how hard she tried, her limbs refusing the orders her brain sent. She listened to the thud of running footsteps, the small splash of stagnant water as those feet hit a filled pothole. The shouts of frightened people beside her filled her head, telling her to hold on. The sharp siren shrieked in her ears as