Just Keep Breathing, GS Rhodes [best book club books for discussion TXT] 📗

a lot of paperwork after the last case and he had a feeling that something else was around the corner. The scumbags of the world didn’t like to give them a break if they could help it. Kidd had barely been back at work a month after being signed off with stress, and the case they’d brought him back to work, should have been enough to have him signed off all over again.

The Grinning Murders were a series of murders that had occurred fifteen years ago, when Kidd had first stopped being a uniformed officer and become a DC. When a body like that had shown up on the borough again, Detective Chief Inspector Patrick Weaver had wasted no time bringing him back. The copycat had been nothing more than a poor imitation, but it was still enough to give Kidd and his team the runaround.

They’d gotten news of the conviction today, a life sentence for what Tony Warrington did to Jennifer Berry. It was the outcome that they’d hoped for but didn’t dare expect. It wasn’t every day that you got a good result like that, so they basked in the win, allowing themselves to relax for the afternoon. But it would only be a matter of time before something else came along, sending them all over town trying to track down some nutcase who was running riot. Whatever it was, he hoped it didn’t come too soon.

“Anything juicy?” Liz asked, opening the oven to check on the roast. The smell that wafted out almost had Kidd clutching his stomach. It certainly had his mouth watering.

“You’re killing me here, Liz,” he said with a smile. “It smells great.”

She turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “I take that to mean you’re not telling me a damn thing.”

Kidd sighed. “I’m trying to get better at not talking about work all the time,” he said. “I got obsessed. I need to be less like that, for my own sanity.”

“Plus, you have someone else to occupy your time now,” she said, a knowing look in her eye. “Do I get to meet him properly anytime soon or do I just have to suffer you making goo-goo eyes at your phone whenever he messages you?”

She was talking about John. John McAdams. Kidd had met him at a bar about two weeks ago, and deciding that maybe he didn’t want to be alone for the rest of his life, had tentatively dipped his toe into the dating pool. He was still getting over the disappearance of Craig Peyton nearly two years ago, so it was baby steps, but things were looking up.

“You’ll meet him at some point,” Kidd said, heading to the fridge. “You want a drink?”

“You really are dodging everything I throw at you tonight, aren’t you?” Liz said with a laugh. “I’m zero for two.”

“Try harder,” Kidd said, pulling a bottle of wine and a bottle of cider out. He moved to the cupboard to get glasses.

“So, your school reunion is this week, isn’t it?”

Kidd made an involuntary shudder. “It is. I’m…I’m thinking of skipping it.”

Liz mock gasped, her hand flying to her chest. “No, you missing a social event, it couldn’t possibly be true!” She rolled her eyes and walked over to the cupboard where the glasses were, pulling out three wine glasses and a pint glass for his cider. “You should go.”

“Do I have to?”

“No,” she said. “But you never go out.”

“I go out,” he protested. “Why do we keep having this conversation?”

“Because you don’t go out,” she retorted. “You go out with John, you sometimes go out with your team, but this is meant to be fun. You can go there and you can flaunt your DI status to all the people who bullied you at school.”

“And they can ask me for free legal advice?” he offered. “Or they won’t tell me anything because they’ll think I’m going to cuff them there and then.”

“Kinky.”

“LIZ!”

“I’m kidding,” she groaned. “Stop being so dry all the time.”

She lifted the lid off the veggies that were bubbling away on the stove, giving them a quick stab with a knife to check if they were done. She opened her mouth to speak again, probably to start another onslaught of harassment about him going out, when the doorbell rang.

“Saved by the bell,” he said with a waggle of his eyebrows. “I’ll get it.”

He headed out of the kitchen and down the hall, opening the door to see DS Zoe Sanchez on the porch looking like a walking icicle. The breeze that came in with her drove its way right down into Kidd’s bones. It really was fresh tonight.

She looked up at him and smiled. She’d let down her brown curls that she usually kept away from her face during the workday and had changed from her work get up into a pair of jeans and a sheer, black blouse. She’d even put on a little bit of makeup for the occasion.

“You look nice,” Kidd said with a smile.

DS Sanchez’s brow furrowed. “Implying that I don’t usually?” she asked.

“Ha ha.” Kidd rolled his eyes. “Come on in, I’m sorting drinks. Wine or cider?”

“Cider for me,” she said, shrugging off her jacket and hanging it on the hooks by the door. “Sorry it took so long to get here. Got caught talking to Owen on my way out.”

“Christ, poor thing,” Kidd replied.

“He started talking about the case, the conviction and such, and then about going for a drink.” Zoe walked into the kitchen. Her face brightened when she saw Liz. “Liz, you’re looking well. It’s been ages.”

“Way too long!” Liz replied, hurrying over to wrap Zoe in a hug. She pulled out of the hug. “Okay, don’t mind me, I’m just about to dish up, you guys keep talking.”

“What did you say?” Kidd asked.

“I told him I was coming here, and he said maybe some other time, and then I left because it was so awkward!” She opened her bottle of cider and poured it into the