Simon Says_. Walk (Kate Morgan #6)(19)
Author: Dale Mayer

 

Such mockery filled his voice that Kate clenched her jaw, while staring at him, trying hard not to pop him in the nose. But aggression would never get her agenda resolved, and it would get her in hot water with her department, something she wasn’t prepared to do.

 

He grinned at her and turned to Rodney. “Man, you see the fire in that gaze? I really like that. Anytime you want to change your career and actually go with a real man,” he offered suggestively, “you give me a call.”

 

She half laughed. “No point in calling you, if I’m looking for a real man. That would be a waste of my nickel and yours.” As she turned to walk away, she pivoted and asked, “And that’s all it was in that conversation?”

 

“Yeah, I hung up on her,” Stone stated. “Like I need that shit in my life again. That brother of hers was psycho, so no way in hell I was doing anything to bring him back into my life. Besides, as I said, she lost her looks, and she wasn’t bringing in the money anymore. Selling her was a good deal for me. I scored big-time on that.”

 

“Yeah? How much did you sell her for?” she asked curiously, looking Stone straight in his face.

 

“Twelve grand. I would have given her over for half that.” Stone laughed. “But the brother didn’t even argue. He paid it, and that was it.”

 

She winced, as Terry was so eager to save his sister that he probably didn’t even realize how Patricia was a bargaining chip. Then Kate wondered about a person who would bargain for a person’s life, instead of paying the damn bill, and figured the brother’s way was better after all. “It’s just money,” she declared. “You can always make more money. What her brother really did was try to save a soul.” She turned and walked away without a word, Rodney by her side.

 

“A soul that was already gone,” Stone called out after her. Then he yelled back, “Hey, Copper!” She turned her head around, and he asked, “Why you even asking?”

 

She grimaced. “Because that soul may have been gone but she was somewhat present even then. She was murdered last night or in the wee morning hours,” Kate added, as he paled somewhat. “So you can bet we’re checking on everybody’s whereabouts.”

 

“You didn’t ask me about mine.” His face flushed all kinds of shades. “So you don’t think I’m capable of killing her?”

 

“I didn’t think you were.” She walked back to him. “So, since you want to be asked, where the hell were you last night?”

 

“At home, with two of my girls. One of them’s down sick.” He almost stuttered as he spoke now. “Christ, was she ever sick. She’s puking all over the place.”

 

“You ever think she’s pregnant?” At that, the pimp stopped and stared at her in horror. Kate nodded. “Birth control doesn’t work on everybody,” Kate shared. “Take her in and get her checked, before she ends up losing it in a bad way, and then you lose her. Alternatively she’ll give you whatever the hell she’s got.”

 

“Hell no, that ain’t happening.”

 

“Then let me take her in.” Kate crossed her arms over her chest. “She needs care, and she’ll make you and your stable sicker.”

 

He hesitated for a moment, but it was obvious that this girl was severely ill because he immediately nodded and agreed to Kate’s offer. “You take her then, fucking good riddance.”

 

He lifted a hand, and two men immediately appeared. He told them to bring out the sick one and fast. They didn’t say a word but turned around and headed right back inside, and Kate noted which door and which building. When they returned, dragging a waif of a girl, who couldn’t have been even seventeen, Kate’s heart damn-near broke. The girl was green around the gills, barely on her feet, and Kate grabbed her arms and immediately Rodney picked up the waif.

 

Kate nodded to Stone and said, “I’ll take her into the hospital and see what’s wrong.” Then she walked away.

 

He asked in a half cry, “You gonna pay me for her?”

 

“No,” Kate called back. “You’ll pay me for her.”

 

After a moment of silence came Stone’s laughter again. “Damn, I knew I liked you,” he repeated, with a snort. “Make sure she ain’t got nothing contagious and hasn’t already brought down my whole stable.”

 

“You’ll find out pretty quick all on your own,” she told him, “because it’ll spread like wildfire, depending on what she’s got.”

 

And, with that, they quickly bundled the poor girl into the back seat of their vehicle, with Kate beside her. Kate looked over at Rodney, worry etched all over her face.

 

Rodney nodded. “I know. I’m on it.” And, with that, he drove like a street racer to the closest hospital.

 

As Kate stepped inside the emergency section of the hospital, she flashed her badge and explained what was going on. She got an ER doctor almost immediately. He took one look at the patient, shook his head, and immediately got her on a gurney and whisked her away to a room.

 

Kate wasn’t sure if the girl was even cognizant, but they were still working on her an hour later, and nobody came out to say anything to her. Rodney had gone to pick up coffee, and, when he returned, the doctor stepped out and walked over toward Kate.

 

She bounced her feet. “And?”

 

“She’s in a bad way,” he explained, with a sorrowful expression. “Not only is she coming off the drug high but she’s had something really ugly, and we’ve found an anomaly in her blood that’s not quite right. We’re running a bunch of tests, but it looks as if she could have a major disease.”

 

“And not one caught from the street?”

 

Immediately the doctor shook his head. “Not one caught from the streets. I’m thinking potentially leukemia, something along that line. We’re running tests now.”

 

“Aw, shit,” Kate muttered. “That girl can’t catch a break.”

 

“She’s a hooker?”

 

“Let’s just say that she was in a pimp’s possession. I don’t even know how old she is, but she looks barely even seventeen.”

 

“No, she doesn’t,” the doc replied. “In fact, I would hazard a guess that she’s probably closer to the fourteen mark, but she is currently menstruating, so she’s past puberty.”

 

“Got it,” Kate nodded. “Is that significant?”