Free Stormy Weather (Storm Donovan Book 1) by Steve Rollins

ordered Justine Aoibhe Maria Lavoie to go into rehab. Donovan accepted the verdict in her place. She was not there, having passed out in the cell.
    Outside, Donovan found the topless man, whom he knew was one of Justine’s bodyguards, even if she did use him for other things too. He told him to bring the girl back into the limousine and take her home. He looked around and saw Naomh Walsh still making calls. He would probably not see her again, not any time soon, and he felt he should say goodbye. But she was busy and he had to get back to his office on the other side of town. Instead, he began the long walk several blocks north to his office and back to saner legal work.

 
     
    Chapter Nine
     
    Albert walked into Donovan’s midtown office, where he was in the library, looking through several decades of history of land ownership for Gregoris Sedakis. The case actually looked pretty clear-cut. The land did seem to have belonged to the Lang family, but the ownership was pretty much neglected since the deal was agreed between their grandfather and the corporation. It seemed pretty much as Sedakis had said.
    He did not know why he was still researching it, because the claimant in the case was dead, but he just felt compelled to keep looking. He could not explain why, but he did.
    “Need a word,” Albert said gruffly.
    “What about?”
    “The two corpses connected to you.”
    Donovan looked up with a sigh. “What now?”
    “First of all,” Albert came into the library. “They were paralyzed with drugs and then cut up while still alive.” Donovan looked down again. He did not want to show how horrified he was with that knowledge. “Second, there's no recent trace of any other sibling.”
    “There isn't?” Donovan asked him blankly.
    Albert shook his head. “Nope. They had a sister in that boarding school, but she vanished the same day as Mara Lang ended up under your car. Nobody has heard from her since. It was summer so she probably made it further than freezing to death. But nobody reported her missing. No bodies fitting her description have been found. She probably ended up somewhere in the woods or in the Hudson River.”
    Donovan shook his head. “I know Frankie wouldn’t tell me to look out for her if she were dead.”
    Albert just shrugged. “Believe what you want, but she's not showing up on the grid.”
    “Was that all, Al?”
    “No clue where to go with it, but for some reason, this killer does these horrible things. Might be a fascination with eagles or with Vikings or something. But the killer also has a strong connection to you.”
    “Well, it's not me, and I know fuck-all about it,” Donovan said tensely. He was annoyed because of the business earlier at the courthouse and he did not like to think too much about the two blood-eagled bodies.
    “I know.” Albert came forward and thumped him on the shoulder. “You need a distraction. How about more steak? You're buying.”
    Donovan looked at him and saw him grinning broadly. “Fuck you.” But he managed a smile too. “Since you're doing the inviting, you're paying, you bastard. But you can buy me a burger or something.”
    “So you can rub it in that you can eat them without getting fat and my belly is expanding all the time?”
    “Of course,” Donovan smiled. “How's the diet?”
    “Good enough as long as the wife doesn't know what I eat during the day.”
    There was a burger joint not too far from the office. Their burgers were expensive, but they were good. They made everything fresh and they actually had a decent chef running the kitchen. They sat down by the window and looked over the menu. It was changed every month and Donovan was not familiar with anything on the menu anymore. It had been months since he had been there.
    “Doesn't look too bad now,” he remarked to Albert.
    “Fucking expensive burger joint,” Albert grumbled.
    “Of course. It's quality food, not processed shit.”
    “I guess. Should never have agreed to