Free Random Acts of Murder: A Holly Anna Paladin Mystery, Book 1 (Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries) by Christy Barritt Page A

the guys, I usually stayed inside and helped the girls with their homework. When I wasn’t tutoring, I helped them make cookies or we talked about boys or we did our nails. I liked it when I could get the girls apart from the guys because when they were together, all they wanted to do was flirt.
    The relationships I’d developed here seemed unlikely, but I was appreciative of each of the girls I’d gotten to know. I wanted to see them succeed and not fall into the cycle of poverty and crime, as I’d seen it happen so many times. I wanted them to know that there was more to the future than drugs and violence and gangs. Most of all, I didn’t want them to be on my caseload one day.
    Of course, now that wouldn’t be a problem. But when I’d started here, that had been my primary thought.
    “Ms. Holly,” someone yelled in the distance.
    I looked over and spotted the teen affectionately known as Little T. Little T was anything but little. At sixteen, he already stood well over six feet and was built like a linebacker. He had a deep, booming voice and an infectious personality. He was the type that seemed ripe for trouble, like someone with a wandering eye who always looked for new opportunities.
    For some reason, he was particularly fond of me and always went out of his way to talk. He put his phone down for long enough to give me his little handshake, high five, one-handed patty-cake, give-the-dog-a-bone routine.
    “What’s going on, Little T?”
    “Did you bring cookies?”
    I held out the plate. “Of course.”
    He grinned and snitched one. His eyes closed in delight when he took the first bite. “Can I marry you?”
    “I’m too old for you, Little T.” We’d had the playful discussion before.
    “But I want to eat these cookies forever.”
    “You just worry about keeping yourself out of trouble. Then you’ll meet a good woman and settle down. When you do that, I’ll teach your wife how to bake cookies like these. How does that sound?”
    He grinned. “It’s a deal.”
    “Wait. Don’t hurry away yet. I heard about those two boys who were shot. Did you know them?”
    He nodded. “We had some mutual friends, you could say.”
    “So, Dewayne and Anthony were friends?”
    “Yeah, I guess they ran in the same circles.”
    “Man, losing two friends in a week. That’s rough. How are you holding up?”
    He glanced out the window. “Hard to say. Lot of people is scared, wondering if someone’s going after people in our group. Maybe they’re targeting us.”
    “Why would you think that?”
    His gaze swung back toward me. “Isn’t it obvious? Two of them dead.”
    I tried to choose my words carefully. “You have any idea who’s behind it, Little T? I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
    He shrugged. “Everyone has their theories.”
    “What’s yours?”
    He shrugged again. “There’s this guy.”
    I leaned closer. “Okay.”
    “I don’t know who he is. They call him Caligula. I guess he calls a lot of shots.”
    “ Caligula? You mean, like the Roman emperor?” If my memory served me correctly, he was not only an emperor, but he was evil, causing a lot of suffering among his people. One thing I knew for sure: he wasn’t known for bringing anything good.
    “Beats me.”
    I needed to refresh my memory on Roman history. This wasn’t the time, though. “So, this Caligula is a gang leader, essentially?”
    He glanced from side to side. “I could get into trouble for telling you this.”
    “No one’s listening, Little T, except for me.”
    He swallowed hard, and I feared he’d clam up. Instead, he blurted, “All the drugs go through him. He’s loaded, and he’s got a whole army of dealers who do his bidding for him. He’s the one who came up with Cena. He created it, he makes it, he sells it.”
    “Wow. And you don’t know who he is? If you know, maybe the police can—”
    “ You’re on the popo’s side?”
    I raised my hands. “I didn’t say I was on anyone’s side. I’m on