Least Wanted (Sam McRae Mystery 2)

“I know she’s a tough kid, but she’s still a kid.”

She shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s out of my hands.”

The door opened and my former paramour, Ray Mardovich, walked in. The sight of him hit me like a punch in the gut. For a moment, I couldn’t move. I stared at him and felt my chest tighten.

“Sam, you know Ray, of course,” Martinez said, oblivious to how I glared at him.

Ray wouldn’t make eye contact. He sat across from me, looking a bit worn around the edges. He seemed to have aged significantly over the last three months. The lines on his face were more deeply etched and his hair was more gray than brown. Having a tough time keeping up with your little girlfriend?

Ray straightened his tie, as if to show he meant business. “Assuming we prevail on our request, which I’m confident we will, I’ll be prosecuting the case.”

I kept quiet. Martinez coughed and rose. “Excuse me,” she said, and without further explanation, left.

“So,” Ray said. “You . . . look good.”

“Cut the crap, Ray. I know about Amy.”

To his credit, he blushed. “Yes, I suppose that was bound to come out eventually.”

I had so many questions I wanted to ask, I didn’t know where to start.

“Bound to come out? What were you waiting for? An engraved invitation to tell me?”

He shrugged, looking sheepish. “I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Well, you did.” My words underscored the shame I already felt. I thought about Ray’s wife and how she had a legal right to feel hurt.

Ray stammered. “I know you’re angry. Can we not make this about us?”

“I’m not mad.” I spat the words. Affecting an offhand tone, I said, “I guess I just never gave you credit. Imagine having the energy for two extramarital affairs at once. That’s amazing for a guy your age. You on Viagra?”

Ray shot me a withering look. “I’m not that old,” he said, in an obvious bid to lighten the mood.

Old enough to be her father—almost. Again, I kept my mouth shut.

“Never mind all that,” I snapped. “We have business to discuss.”

Ray’s shoulders relaxed and relief washed over his face.

“Let’s start with why you want to try my client as an adult.”

“Well, it’s a brutal crime.” Ray leaned back in his seat, as if settling into a hammock on a summer day. “And your client has possible connections to a girl gang.”

“Possible connections. So you don’t know for sure.”

“We have reason to suspect she’s connected to a gang.”

“Based on what?”

“We know about the fight at school and her association with Rochelle Watson. We know the rumors about Rochelle. Of course, there’s also the pending matter of that purse-snatching. We see these things as possibly being connected.”

“Even if it were true—and I’m not saying it is—that doesn’t mean Tina would kill her mother.”

“No, but it might make Tina more likely to be violent toward her. We know there was a history of animosity—even physical abuse—between the two.”

“What about Tina’s father, Rodney Fisher?”

“What about him?”