Broken (The Raiford Chronicles #3 Book 1) Read online

  I love you, but, please, go back to work before I kill you.

  Larkin

  Ray went about his normal routine for the day and did manage to actually replace a cracked window pane without further damage before he burned dinner. Larkin came in from the university and asked with a look of disgust on her face, "What did you do?"

  "I forgot to set the oven timer."

  "Where's Cherie?"

  "Raif's. I thought I'd take you out to dinner."

  "Got something on your mind?"

  Ray held up his shield. "Am I driving you insane?"

  "Not before you finished the propulsion system, but now you're bored. You have nothing to do except drive me insane."

  Ray laughed. "I'm not good at idleness. That's why I hated being chief."

  "No, you're not very good at doing nothing. However, you are an awesome detective. There's a rumor that an equally good detective needs a great partner. Talk to Brian. I'm sure he'll hire you back."

  "Who needs a partner?"

  "Go find out in the morning. Now, you're taking me to Amile's."

  The next day Ray got up and followed his normal routine until he left the gym at which time he paid a visit to Brian Baker.

  "Great to see you!" said Brian. "Are you coming out of retirement?"

  "Has Larkin talked to you?"

  "Yep. Actually, I talked to her. I need you back, Ray. Colbert and Tynes have gone to the FBI, and Pennington has moved to the big city of Baton Rouge. That leaves me with five detectives, one without a partner. What d'ya say?"

  "You did do a little shake-up of pairing after I retired. Who needs a partner?"

  "Parker."

  "Why?"

  "Because he can handle it alone if he has to. Marceau and Phelps are an unbreakable team. The other two don't work well independently. Shotz is good, but I really think he's ADD. He needs a partner to help him focus. Baines is a good detective and could go it alone, but I'm old-fashioned. I don't want a woman alone on the streets. She's not Chris. Parker can go it alone, but it's just good for somebody to have your back. He can't stand Shotz. Shotz grates Parker's last nerve. He could work with Baines. Let's face it—Delta Baines is a looker. Sheena would have a fit. You would strangle Shotz. So, it's Detectives Reynolds if you come back."

  "When can I start?"

  Chief Baker laughed loudly. Ray defended himself, "I'm bored!"

  Baker said, "All right then. How about tomorrow? Come in at noon. Don't tell Larkin, and I won't tell Parker. I'll just call him in and tell him I've hired him a partner. He'll groan, but he'll be surprised and happy.

  "Now, you haven't said a word about salary."

  "I don't care!" Ray shook his head fiercely. "Money isn't an issue."

  "Still, I think with thirty years' experience, I can waggle retirement to have been a sabbatical and make you pretty comfortable."

  "That's fine."

  "By the way, we've put your propulsion system on all our city vehicles. Your son-in-law is a salesman!"

  "Now, that's what I like to hear! I'll see you high noon tomorrow." The two men shook hands to seal the bargain.

  Ray stopped at the grocery store and picked up the things to make a special dinner for the two ladies at his house. As an afterthought, he called and invited Parker, Sheena, and Ashton. Ray carefully watched the stove as he prepared chicken cordon bleu, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, scalloped potatoes, crescent rolls, and crème puffs drizzled with caramel.

  Ray laughed to himself, "I can cook if I'm focused on it."

  Larkin was pleasantly surprised by the meal. "What's the occasion?" she asked.

  "Well," said Ray, "I burned dinner last night because I got sidetracked. I'm not totally useless in the kitchen, now, am I?"

  "No, it was actually delicious. What else?"

  "I've been thinking. I know I'm driving you crazy, Angel. What would you say if I started my own private investigations agency?"

  Larkin looked taken aback. "I think you'd be bored following a bunch of cheating spouses."

  "PI's do more than that. I could set my own hours and take only the cases I want."

  "Who would have your back, Daddy?" asked Parker.

  "It's not that dangerous," said Ray, biting into a crème puff.

  "It can be," argued Parker.

  "Well," mused Ray, "Christopher is pursuing criminal justice, but I think he's set on law school. Kyle has been my partner before."

  "Yeah," interrupted Larkin, "but he's dead set on marketing, and he's good at it."

  "There's always Courtney," said Ray. "She's bright and tenacious and doesn't know what she wants to do yet. She's talked about teaching, but she's so impatient and hot tempered."

  Larkin shook her head. "She's just like you. I thought you might go back on the force."

  Ray sighed. "I'm not thirty anymore. You know, getting calls in the middle of the night. I just don't know."

  Larkin laughed. "You have great stamina, darling."

  "Well," said Ray, deep dimples showing at Larkin's implication, "I just wanted to run it by y'all. I have to do something before my angel falls from grace and kills me."

  "I'm sorry, Ray," said Larkin. "I didn't mean it like that. I'll support whatever you decide. You could plan that Asian adventure. Perhaps, you could be a travel agent. You arrange great trips. I thoroughly enjoyed Europe."

  "I'll think about it. Just don't kill me before I decide."

  Larkin stood behind Ray and hugged him from behind. She whispered, "I agree with Kyle. I could never kill anything as beautiful as you. I love you. Do what makes you happy. Hurry up and send everybody home, and I'll make what I said up to you." She playfully nibbled Ray's ear.

  The next morning, Chief Brian Baker summoned Parker to his office. "Sit down, Detective," he said. "I called you to introduce you to your new partner."

  "I don't need one, Chief," argued Parker.

  "I say you do, and I'm the boss. At least I didn't pair you with either Baines or Shotz, but it's not a rookie either."

  "Did you hire someone from outside?"

  "Something like that. I thought you could have lunch with the man and see how you think you'll fit."

  There was a knock at the door precisely at noon. "Ah, he's here right on time. At least he's punctual. Come in," called Baker.

  Parker sighed and turned around to see who he would be stuck with. Ray walked through the door.

  "What the?" exclaimed Parker.

  "Detective Reynolds, meet Detective Reynolds," said Baker, beginning a deep-belly laugh. "And, yes, our small-town mayor and council members approved the pairing of father and son."

  "Did you know about this last night?" asked Parker.

  "Yep."

  "So, all that was just bullshit?"

  "You know it."

  "This is as it should be," said Baker. "Now, get out of my office and get to work, Detectives Reynolds!"

  …Eight years later

  "What do you have in that cooler to eat?" Detective Raiford Reynolds asked his partner and son, Parker. "It's your turn to feed us tonight; so, I know it won't be doughnuts." Ray laughed.

  Parker laughed too. "There's no way Sheena would pack doughnuts. Neither would Momma, come to think of it." Parker reached over the seat and brought a cooler forward. Inside he found tuna sandwiches and an assortment of fruit in the basket above sodas, bottled water, and fruit juice. A bag beside the cooler offered nabs and chips.

  Ray chose a ripe red delicious apple and took a bite.

  "Bad timing," joked Parker.

  "Damn it!" exclaimed Ray. "Well, snap some shots and let's wait for our little cat burglar to come out the window." He leaned toward the dash and squinted. "That person is really small. Do you think it's a woman?"

  "Could be."

  Fifteen minutes later, a black-clad figure slid down the drain pipe of the two-story brick home. As it started through the space between the hedges, it was greeted by, "Don't move! You're under arrest."

  Two
weeks of watching the house they had set for bait with only Chief Brian Baker's knowledge, Detectives Reynolds nabbed the second-story man that had hit seven minority-owned homes in Eau Boueuse to steal valuable paintings and other historical relics, as well as jewelry.

  Removing the burglar's stocking mask, Parker screamed, "Tasha!"

  Ray echoed Parker's sentiments. "This can't be happening." He rubbed his head as he felt his first migraine in years. He stared at the young woman in front of them in total disbelief. He groaned as he thought about doing whatever it takes to catch a criminal. Did that philosophy include arresting the daughter of a dear friend, yea, Parker's sister-in-law? He glared at the tiny woman.

  Yes. It did.

  About the Author

  Janet Taylor-Perry, a native of Laurel, Mississippi, a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a BS in psychology, Belhaven University with a Master of Arts in teaching, and gifted certification from Mississippi College, is an author, editor, and educator in English, social studies, and gifted. She has taught 5th - 12th grades in a number of districts in the state. She currently teaches life skills in a variety of areas with Goodwill Industries of Mississippi.

  Janet's short pieces appeared in Letters from the Soul, 2002; Brick Streets Press: 2010 Winner's Circle; and The Magnolia Quarterly, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Her short biological sketch, "Thibodeauxs Do Magnifique," was included in the 2015 anthology, Mississippi Profiles, published by Gulf Coast Writers Association. She's produced pieces that finished semi-finalist, short-list finalist, and finalist for The Pirate's Alley Faulkner Wisdom Competition in 2012, 2013, and 2014. Memberships include Kappa Delta Epsilon, Red Dog Writers, Gulf Coast Writers Association, The Mississippi Writers Guild, Mississippi Poetry Society, and TheNextBigWriter.com.

  The first and second installments of The Raiford Chronicles, Lucky Thirteen http://amzn.to/1ld8grm and Heartless http://amzn.to/1iWuYmP, can be found on Amazon for both Kindle and in paperback, as well as at The Bookshelf, Ridgeland, MS; Main Street Books, Hattiesburg, MS; and Southern Bound Book Shop, Biloxi, MS.

  Inspiration comes through life experiences. She's the mother of five and an avid reader who loves anything historical from antique cars to old cemeteries. She's on Facebook at http://goo.gl/z3FFxx and can be found http://www.amazon.com/author/janettaylorperry, as well as on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/mom5kidz421, at her fledgling blog http://janettaylor-perry.blogspot.com/, and via LinkedIn.

  Whatever It Takes

  The Raiford Chronicles #4

  Final Installment

  Detective Raiford Reynolds has always done whatever it takes to crack a case, but when the case involves hurting his family, and he is not the one even investigating, he changes his tune quickly. Suddenly, whatever it takes includes putting the life and well-being of his family and friends in danger, especially his headstrong youngest child, Cherie.

  Ray must come to terms with the fact that he is growing older and many things are changing. He must learn that whatever it takes means letting go and not being the one in control of a situation.