Deadly Treatment Read Online Free Page A

guessed he was about seven years old.
    ‘His name is Joshua, and he’s nine years old, going on twenty.’
    ‘Nice kid,’ he said looking up from the picture and frowning slightly.
    ‘He’s a great boy, just a bit misunderstood.’
    ‘What do you mean by misunderstood?’
    ‘He’s got a bit of a speech problem, sort of a lisp. It’s a tongue thing…’ She was going to demonstrate when Malone raised his hand to stop her; showing it wasn’t necessary.
    ‘It means he gets picked on at school, and it’s made him a bit of a loner outside. He can handle himself though, and that’s what gets him into trouble. Other people start the fights, but he always seems to be the one who gets the blame.’
    Malone assumed it was just a protective mother talking. Over the years, he’d seen a lot of them: women who believed that if you looked in their kid’s mouth, you would see a big slab of un-melted butter.
    ‘Tell me about the trouble outside of school.’
    ‘I work long hours at the diner, well actually two diners, and there’s no Mr. Costello.’ She looked a bit embarrassed; Malone decided not to pry just yet.
    ‘Getting a sitter is too expensive, so Joshua has a lot of time on his hands, and let’s just say he doesn’t use it the best way he can.’
    Malone nodded sagely.
    ‘Look, I don’t expect you to feel sorry for him or even to understand the way he is; all I’m asking for is your help. I know that if there’s anyone who can help me find my boy, it’s you. I’m begging you, please help me find him.’ She began to sob.
    Something about Erin sparked Malone’s interest. More times than he cared to remember, people entered his life for a purpose: Daniel, Taylor, and Logan, to name a few — for some inexplicable reason, this seemed to be one of those times. Maybe it was her accent, maybe it was that no one was helping her, or maybe it was just because he was bored, but ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ was what he said.
    At the end of the long day, Malone knocked on Veronica’s office door. ‘Feel like grabbing some Italian?’
    Veronica looked at the stack of files on her desk and let out a sigh. ‘Sure, why not.’
    They went to the restaurant they’d regularly used when they worked in their old building; now it was a place they kept for special occasions or a place to go when they had something sensitive to talk about.
    Since it was early in the week, the restaurant was virtually empty. The large, cheerful owner greeted them with a beaming smile and seated them in their usual seat. Disappearing into the kitchen, he returned with the menus and placed a basket of garlic bread on their table. Veronica ordered tortellini a la panna with a glass of red, and Malone ordered his usual spaghetti and meatballs with a mineral water. They made small talk until the food arrived.
    ‘Okay, champ, what’s on your mind?’
    ‘What do you mean?’ Malone responded with a smile.
    ‘Dinner looks great, and I’m famished, so make it quick and then we can enjoy the food before it gets cold!’
    Malone took a bite from the garlic bread as he thought about how best to approach the subject.
    ‘It’s about Miss Costello…’.
    ‘Miss who?’
    ‘The blonde lady in the office today.’
    ‘Oh, is that her name. What’s her story?’
    ‘Her boy, Joshua, has gone missing, and the cops apparently don’t seem to be doing much about it. I told her I’d help.’
    ‘That’s great! I was hoping you’d get back in the saddle and take interest in a case; it’ll make a change from paper pushing,’ she joked.
    Malone smiled then went serious. ‘The thing is, Veronica, I can’t think straight in the office, what with the calls, and the hordes of people in reception, it’s a market…’
    ‘You think I don’t know the way you work yet?’ she interrupted.
    ‘You’re a great draw card for the office, but I know you work better well away from our office buzz. So, is this about you asking for time off again?’
    Malone