Free Death Deserved (A Detective Jackson Mystery) by L.J. Sellers

guest.” The man gestured toward the side panel door.
    Staying close to the vehicle, Evans eased to the side, then started for the van door. She kept an eye on the driver, whose hands were on the wheel. As soon as she was past his line of sight, the van lurched forward. Tires squealing, he raced out the exit.
    Damn! Evans looked for a license plate and didn’t see one.
    She watched the vehicle turn onto the lane leading out of the complex, then sprinted along the front of the hospital to her own car. Her first instinct was to follow the van. But if the driver was a federal agent who didn’t want to be questioned, he would use evasive moves, and she wouldn’t have much hope of catching him. She climbed in her car and drove toward the exit anyway. With her earpiece in place, she called Jackson again.
    This time, he answered. “What have you got?”
    “Did you listen to my other messages?”
    “Yes, I was just going to call you.”
    “I think our vic just left the hospital in the back of a van driven by another federal agent. I’m following now, but I’m not optimistic.”
    “Plate number?”
    “No plate in back. What should I do?”
    “Stay with the van if you can. I’ll make some calls. If you lose it, don’t worry. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
    “I’m on it.”
    A compact SUV pulled out of the medical building next to the hospital and cut in front of her. Evans had to hit the brakes. She tapped her horn lightly, then passed the car in the wrong lane. When she reached the main intersection, the van was gone.
    Evans called the DA’s office, pleased to get Victor Slonecker on the line. She explained what she’d found and asked for help. “I should get back to the apartment and not waste time driving around. I need an ADA to crank out a warrant, walk across the street to get it signed, then email it to me.”
    “I have a few minutes, so I’ll do it myself.” Slonecker confirmed her email address, then hung up.
    Evans hurried to her car and raced out of the parking lot, even though she knew it would take at least twenty minutes for the warrant to come through.
    Still, she was too late. When she reached the apartment, the gun and the laptop were gone.

CHAPTER 10

    Wednesday, December 2, 4:40 p.m.
    Jackson’s stomach growled as he drove toward the department, reminding him to order food for the meeting. They would keep the session brief, conduct the interrogations, then confer afterward. Or at least that was the plan. The way this case was unfolding, anything could happen, including having a federal agency take over. As he crossed the Ferry Street Bridge, his phone rang. He glanced at it on the seat beside him. Kera. He touched his earpiece to answer. “Hey, what’s up?”
    “I found a great rental. You have to come see it.”
    He didn’t have time. But he glanced at the clock to check anyway. Twenty minutes. “I have a task force meeting soon. Where’s the house?”
    “On Lariat Drive. Just a few blocks off Oakway.”
    A quick drive from headquarters. “Are you there now?”
    “Yep. The boys like it too. It has a great backyard.”
    “Okay, I’ll be right there. But I only have a few minutes.” Jackson passed his usual turn at Country Club Road and kept going.
    A few minutes later, he pulled up next to Kera’s minivan in the driveway of a vacant house. A nice neighborhood, but not enough trees. He didn’t like it as well as the southeast area where he’d lived his whole life. But he would be open-minded. There were no available rentals in his old neighborhood. Too close to campus. He strode into the house, glad no agent had come along. Kera and the toddlers were coming in the back door. A tall, striking woman with long coppery hair, full lips, and great muscle tone, his girlfriend was a good-natured goddess, and he was a lucky man.
    Benjie, who was a little older than Micah, ran to him. “Daddy!”
    God, he loved to hear that. Jackson picked up the boy for a hug, and Benjie’s