Free Dead Broke (Lana Denae Mystery Series Book 1) by Bruce A Borders Page A

Rose City Apartments we needed to talk to. Then, the murders were around four a.m. and, oddly enough, it turns out most people are sleeping at that time of night.”
    “So, in other words, you’re telling me you gained no new information regarding this case?”
    “No, nothing,” Jamie said.
    “You left out our first mission,” Damien reminded him. Turning to Lana, he said, “We went to visit Holloway’s Bank, or Cascade Global Investment’s bank, and found that whoever cashed the payout checks from the victim’s accounts used one of those check cashing stores.”
    “Did you get a picture?” Lana asked hopefully.
    “No.” Damien frowned. “The store’s cameras weren’t working, haven’t been for a couple of weeks, including the days in question. That’s not surprising, judging by the crumbling decor and ramshackle building.”
    “No one could recall who cashed the checks either,” Jamie added. “So, that was another lead that didn’t pan out.”
    “What about traffic cams?” Lana said. “If we have the date and time this guy visited the check cashing center, we could pull footage from all the cameras in the area.”
    “We thought of that,” Damien told her. “But the store the guy used is located on a side street way out east, off Burnside; there are no traffic cams out there.”
    “Did you try private property owners?” Lana pressed. “Maybe they caught something on their surveillance.”
    “Not too many businesses around; a run-down bar and one of those rinky-dink Buy Here, Pay Here car lots. Neither of which have cameras.”
    “Why all the questions?” Jamie asked. “And why do I get the feeling we’re working for you now?”
    “Probably because you are,” Lana said. “This is my case.”
    “As of the present, these are still two separate cases.”
    Lana frowned. “I think we have pretty well established that the two are one and the same. And as senior detective...”
    Jamie laughed out loud. “You've been here exactly a week longer than either of us.”
    “Which makes me the senior detective,” Lana continued right on. “As such, I’m the lead investigator. And as soon as I speak to Captain Hayden, I’m sure he will agree.”
    “I thought you’d already done that.” Damien said.
    “Not yet.”
    Jamie gave her a sideways look. “You don’t really intend to talk to him do you?”
    “Why do you say that?”
    “Well, you’ve been saying for three days that you need to talk to him.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Have you talked to him?”
    “No, but that’s because–”
    “Because you don’t want to talk to him,” Jamie finished.
    “I don’t have a problem talking to the Captain,” Lana insisted.
    Damien spoke up again. “You just don’t want to deal with him trying to persuade you to take a partner.”
    “The Captain knows my position on having a partner and he knows I work best alone,” Lana said. Then with a thoughtful frown, she added, “’though he does try to push the idea every now and then.”
    “And you are afraid to tell him of the progress we’ve made on the case because he might think we work well together and then you’d be stuck with us, right?”
    Ray piped up then, reminding everyone he was still there. “You guys do work well together. All three of you.”
    “We do,” Lana acknowledged. “But, no offense guys, I just wouldn’t want to do it on a permanent basis.”
    “No offense taken,” Jamie said. Then with a mischievous look, he added, “What makes you think we would want to permanently work with you?”
    “Do I get a vote?” asked Ray. Without waiting for an answer, he said. “I vote no. Otherwise I’d hear this constant bickering every single day.”
    “What bickering?” Jamie said. “We’re not bickering.”
    Ray shook his head. “Bickering is what you guys do best.”
    Lana shrugged. “Amicable bickering maybe.”
    “Still bickering.”
    Damien had been silent, listening until he had something worthwhile to contribute.