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I threw myself down on the sofa and toed off alley separated fro roo up my dinner

Then he said, “Coht”

I dropped into a chair and watched Joe taking care of lasses The oven pinged and Joe brought ave ifts: his undivided attention I swear, it brought tears to my eyes

“Let’s hear it,” Joe said “Start talking”

I told him the four-word headline

“Dirty, no-good cops”

CHAPTER 29

IN THE LIVING roo at her desk, fully dressed in co on her laptop, with cable news on in the background, while waiting to hear Brady’s key in the lock

When Brady finally cah the door at ten fifteen, he leaned over the back of her chair and kissed her cheek He shed his jacket and gun belt and was heading toward the bathrooo out”

He turned to look at her and said, “Now? I’”

“I ade”

“You did?” He looked genuinely pained “Jesus, Yuki, I’m sorry Why didn’t you remind me that today was your birthday?”

“They close atno for an answer”

Yuki let Brady’s assumption that it was her birthday stand It was a brazen lie of oet her husband across a dinner table from her orth the small stain on her conscience She really couldn’t take the silence and the distance and the se any answers out of people

She hoped she could handle the truth