14th Deadly Sin (Women's Murder Club 14)

After we’d ordered drinks, Claire piped up. “Yuki’s quitting her job.”

Cindy and I both said, “No way!” at the same time.

“I’m thinking about it,” Yuki said, “just thinking about it. It’s, like, an idea, you know? Geesh, you guys.”

Cindy jumped in with what I was imagining.

“Oh. My. God. I know what’s going on with you. You’re pregnant.”

Yuki was married to my boss, the tough but fair Lieutenant Jackson Brady—but they’d only been married for four months. I didn’t have a chance to get my mind around the idea of Yuki and Brady having a child, because Yuki was answering Cindy in her typical rapid-fire style.

“No, no, no, I’m not pregnant, but if you don’t mind, all of you, we have to order lunch now, because I absolutely have to be in a deposition in an hour.”

And that was when my phone rang.

I looked at the caller ID while everyone stared bullets at me. We had one rule for our no-holds-barred get-togethers.

No phone calls.

“Sorry,” I said. “I’ve got to take this.”

And I did.

CHAPTER 6

I LEFT THE girls and found a niche where I could take the call in private.

“What’s wrong?” I said to Lieutenant Brady.

“A dead body at Twenty-Fourth and Balmy Alley,” he said. “I need you and Conklin to do a preliminary workup. Lock down the scene and sit tight until replacements arrive. Jacobi wants you and Conklin on the check-cashing heist, nothing else.”

I rejoined my friends.

I said, “Sorry, guys. That was the boss. I’ve got to go.”

Yuki tossed her napkin a few inches into the air in exasperation.

Cindy said, “What can you tell me?”

You can take the reporter out of the Chronicle, but you can’t take the reporter out of Cindy.

“Nothing,” I said. “I can’t tell you even one little thing.”

“How many times do I have to prove I’m trustworthy?” said Cindy. “Plus, you owe me.”

Actually, Cindy was right. On both counts. I trusted her. And a few months ago, she’d saved my life.

“I still can’t tell you anything. Not a word.”

I grabbed for my jacket and had just about secured it when Claire said, “I cannot believe this is happening again.”

The expression on her face stopped me. She was pissed. Highly.

“What’s happening again?” I asked her.

“This is almost exactly what happened last year on my birthday,” said Claire. “And the year before that.”

“Are you sure?”