Fractured by Wendy Byrne Page A

Only a matter of time. Sooner or later she’ll be begging you for it.”
    Landry bit out a laugh. “I wouldn’t bet money on that one.”
    â€œShe’s a good kid, even if her dad was scum. Different last name, so I never knew about the connection until a couple of days ago.” He clutched the cup in his hands and took another long gulp.
    â€œShe kept it to herself. Did you know her dad? You must have been around when he got convicted. I heard it was a major bust at the time. Samuels gunned down a couple of undercover cops in broad daylight.”
    Jonas shook his head. “That was a long time ago. Don’t remember too much about the details. Only the name.”
    Landry made a mental note to check into the old case files to see if he could find anything of interest.
    * * *
    Isabella pulled up to Leo’s usual corner at North and Wells only to find it vacant. The wind had picked up from earlier in the day, so she did a quick reconnaissance of the neighborhood, looking into door alcoves and alleyways, any place he might have sought shelter while he waited for her.
    When she couldn’t spot him, she got out of her car and walked. She opened any unlocked doorways and peered inside. Next she tackled alcoves and alleyways. With mounting trepidation, she stepped inside the coffee shop.
    Five people sat in the small tables around the perimeter. A couple talked while sitting on an overstuffed purple loveseat, but no Leo. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath fighting the obvious.
    A few moments later, she opened the door to the liquor store on Wells, and peered inside. She cursed her own stupidity. By this time of night, with a twenty in his pocket, he could be darn near pickled on cheap booze.
    She thought about where he might head after he indulged in his vice. Would he be embarrassed and avoid her altogether? Or would he head into the streets and share his newfound wealth with his buddies?
    The owner smiled. “Evening, Detective. What can I do for you?”
    â€œHave you seen Leo?”
    He shook his head. “Not for a couple of days.”
    Isabella let out the breath. “Could you give me a call if you see him?” She handed him a card with her cell number.
    Pulling up the collar of her coat, she left. After searching the area one more time, she looked at her watch.
    Seven twenty.
    Most street people had a strict sense of time, even though the idea seemed like a bit of an oxymoron. They had to know the ebb and flow of traffic and people patterns. They needed to know the time frame for getting into a shelter and a free hot meal and bed if they wanted one. Most shelters had a limit to the number of people they could take in each night, so lines started to form before the doors opened for the evening. So street people definitely needed to keep track of the time.
    Besides, it wasn’t like Leo to break a promise.
    She worried her lip and walked back to her car. After driving through the neighborhood one more time, she headed toward Lower Wacker Drive. In a perfect world, she’d do a more thorough search, shake the bushes and find Leo somewhere somehow. But the one thing she’d learned through the years is that if somebody didn’t want to be found, it’s a difficult task, especially in a short period of time.
    â€œLeo’s a no show, but I’m heading to Lower Wacker to scope it out.” For some reason, her promise to Landry to be careful was more important than she anticipated as she’d picked up the phone and called him without even thinking about it.
    He swore. “I’ll see if there’s somebody in the area to meet you there, unless you were thinking about calling Matthews.”
    â€œI thought about that, but I’m off the clock, and I’m not sure he’d be so keen about the idea.” Her partner didn’t really go out of his way to get the job done, especially when it had nothing to do with a