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

little arms squeezed his neck—like they had the day he’d found him under the house where the boy’s mother had been murdered. “Hey, Benjie, are you having a good day?”
    “I am now. I love this house.” The boy kissed his face. “But I love you more.”
    Kera and Micah caught up, and she kissed his other cheek, while Micah hugged his leg. Kera’s grandson was finally warming up to him.
    “Give me the tour.” Jackson tried to put Benjie down, but the boy hung on, so he carried him.
    Kera gestured at the large, empty living room with dark hardwood floors. “As you can see, no carpet. That’s a major selling point.”
    She was tired of scrubbing little-boy messes out of the beige carpet in her house. They all loved Kera’s house on the hill, but in her last few years there, her son had died in Iraq, and her husband had left her. Later, Micah’s mother, who’d been living with Kera, had died in a car accident. The house held too many painful memories, and she wanted a fresh start. They planned to buy a house together—eventually—but they wanted to see how it would go with all of them living together first. The most worrisome factor was his sixteen-year-old daughter, Katie, who was in class now, but would have strong opinions about this house and possibly changing schools.
    The kitchen was huge, with a big island in the middle that had its own sink. “So you can help me prep dinner,” Kera said, smiling.
    Jackson grinned too. “Of course.” They both knew he would not be home in time for that very often.
    He did a quick tour of four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a family room. Plenty of space.
    “Now the best part,” Benjie said, sliding out of his arms. On short, chubby three-year-old legs, the boy ran for the sliding glass door. They followed him outside into a massive backyard that had clearly been home to children before. Two mature trees near the back of the yard hosted small forts with an elevated walkway between them. A kids’ paradise.
    “Wowza!” Jackson hurried after Benjie. They climbed a stepladder to check out one of the forts. Jackson glanced at his phone. Time to go. “I’ve got to get back to work, son. But we’ll see more of the house after we move in.”
    Jackson climbed down first, then guided Benjie. The house and yard were so great, he’d feel bad about making the kids move again when they found a home to purchase. But that could be years away.
    “What do you think?” Kera asked, standing in the yard, the sun lighting the copper in her hair.
    “Let’s take it.” Jackson jogged across the yard toward her.
    “We have to apply and get accepted. But with you being a cop, I think we’ll be considered good tenants.”
    He hugged Kera. “You’re the good one.” A flash of guilt as he stepped away. “I have to go. The team is meeting in five minutes.”
    “So go. But thanks for taking a moment with us. I’ll turn in our application tonight.”
    Jackson left them in the backyard and hurried to his car. Finally, he and Kera would make a home together. They’d had some rough times in their few years as a couple, but their love grew stronger with every hit. He didn’t know why he’d been so worried to commit to this family. He loved being a dad.
    But he loved being a detective even more. That was always the problem.
     
    Back at his desk, he ordered ham and turkey sandwiches from a nearby deli to be delivered. And a pint of potato salad for Schak. His partner had tried to eat healthy after his heart attack, but he was slipping back into old patterns. Jackson wasn’t his wife or mother, so it wasn’t his job to monitor that stuff. He opened a Word doc on his computer, keyed in a few names and notes, then saved it as a case file. He would print it out later, after the interrogations. He grabbed his satchel and headed for the conference room, wishing he’d had time to stop for some good coffee. The crap in the break room was undrinkable—unless he was exhausted and