Tuesday Tales: From the Word CHILD

Welcome to February 2025. I, for one am not sorry to say goodbye to January. This week is filled with bittersweet memories as it marks the one-year anniversary of my mother’s passing. I can take comfort in knowing she’s no longer in pain.

This week, our word prompt is CHILD. I’m continuing with And Justice For All, my Romance Suspense that is the third book in the Protecting the Innocent Series. Enjoy.

“Organised crime is heavily involved in all of it,” Harry continued. “They bring in or take out anything from alcohol to refugees, drugs like fentanyl to guns like AK47s, and they make big money doing it. Is it possible that Cliff got in someone’s way? His mother has family living on the Reserve. He spent a lot of his free time over there. Money talks.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a child, Harry. I’ve been on the job ten years. I’ve seen how smuggling has changed.”

“Then you know that drugs, guns, and illegal immigrants coming into Canada from the US are at an all-time high. We can hire more Border Security officers, but there are places where it’s almost impossible to stop the flow. I’m not saying your partner was involved; I’m just saying I need to be sure. He did spend a lot of his time over there.”

“You’re out of your ever-loving mind,” she ground out between clenched teeth, her eyes flashing fire. “Of course, Cliff spent time on the Reserve. His grandparents live there as do a number of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. His family isn’t involved in anything illegal. Just the opposite. He’s got an aunt who’s a police officer with the tribal police, another who’s a nurse, and two uncles who were in the armed forces. His grandfather helped build the World Trade Center, and after it was destroyed, he went back to help construct One World Trade Center often referred to as the Freedom Tower. How dare you besmirch their good name like that. You’re just as bad as the people you claim wanted him dead.” She stood and paced, her hands fisted by her side. “As for the smuggling, that’s not new and probably dates back to prohibition days when rum runners ran booze across the river into New York State. In the eighties, the flow of booze changed directions along with the influx of cheap cigarettes. Isn’t that why the RCMP increased their presence here? Sure, we’ve had issues with sovereignty, and they did move the customs office off the Reserve, but as far as I can tell, Canadian Border Services have everything under control at the primary crossings. That being said, after that family of immigrants coming from the US to Canada died of hypothermia after falling into the river, we’ve all been watching the water traffic more closely.”

Don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales.