Sammy & Ilna - I wish you a healthy, safe year. You always manage to light even the most tedious times with laughter.

REAL McRollers and Readers, we hope 2022 is safe and healthy for you all. Thank you for the love and support!

This one's for Shelley who gave us the stuffed goat idea :)

Persistence

Angie was perched on the sofa, peering out the window, clutching one of the Christmas presents from her godfather when Steve entered the room with Cammie at his heels.

"Uncle Danno's here!" She announced before turning, dropping to her bottom and sliding off the seat as he walked up to the house.

"I have to go with Uncle Danno for a little while." Steve bent and kissed her head as he opened the door.

"You going to the car wash?" She asked as Danny entered and kneeled to see her eye to eye.

"Not without you." Danny smiled. "Your daddy is helping me pick up some furniture." He booped her nose. "I see you and Felix have everything under control here." He indicated the stuffed animal in her arms.

She nodded vigorously. "Felix is being good friends with Angie the Aardvark and DJ da Giraffe." She was holding a stuffed goat while her aardvark and giraffe looked on from the sofa. "Can we go see my goat again soon?" She swiveled to ask Steve.

"Next time we're at the zoo, in a few sleeps, we'll see the goats again," he said with a pointed look at his grinning best friend.

"We can see my goat?" She confirmed.

"He'll be there," Danny said with a chuckle, then looked at his partner. "What? I sponsored a local one so she can visit. I have a kid, I knew better than to sponsor a goat in Zimbabwe."

"Yeah," Steve ran a hand through his hair and bent to kiss Angie's sheek. "Yeah, you did. And also knew she'd ask every day after Christmas Eve when she can see her goat, which you totally did on purpose."

"Whose genes are causing that?" He ruffled the stuffed animal's fur and kissed Angie goodbye. "Bye Felix. Have fun with your new friends. See you later, Angie." The detective was still smiling as Catherine entered the room and said, "Hey, Danny. C'mon, baby girl, let's get ready to meet Grandma for our lunch."

"We're having a big girl lunch," the four year old announced. "DJ's at Michael's house. They's riding bikes."

"Sounds like fun," Danny said as he and Steve walked towards the door and Angie went to place Felix the goat next to his buddies on the sofa while she ran to get her boots from her room.

Outside, the partners continued. "You sponsored a sloth for Kaitlyn," Danny pointed out as he entered the truck.

"She's fifteen, she's not gonna ask to see the actual sloth represented by the stuffed animal and certificate," Steve countered as he started the engine. He'd just pulled onto the street when his cell rang and he hit speaker on the steering wheel. "Yeah, Duke?"

"Steve, you should get down here. We're at South King and Pensacola. We've got a pair of legs in a trash bag."

Steve hit the siren as he said, "Danny's with me, be there in five."

"And there goes my furniture pick up," Danny sighed and grabbed the ceiling handle as his partner passed a group of cars at top speed.

At the scene, Duke met them as three uniformed officers cordoned off the area with tape and a familiar face walked up next to Officer Tucker. "You were first on scene?" Steve asked Jadon, who was looking as serious as they'd ever seen him.

"We got a call from the apartment landlords that somebody dumped a load of trash next to their dumpster," Tucker said as he nodded towards the fortyish man and woman sitting with the third officer a few yards away. "I went to question the husband about surveillance cameras while Jadon walked around to the dumpster with the wife, and when she went to point out the bags …"

"There was a leg hanging out of one of them," the young cop said. "I walked her back to her husband and we called it in. It couldn't be here long, it smells really bad and it looks gray but there's no flies and it's a hundred today with no wind."

Steve and Danny exchanged a look and Steve said, "Good observation," as Tucker glanced at his trainee proudly. "You guys get a statement?"

"Yeah, Commander, then Lieutenant Lukela arrived on scene." The training officer said.

"Okay, Duke, let's get Max here and we'll see what we've got."

Six hours later, Steve and Danny arrived back at the house to be greeted by both kids as they stepped onto the deck where they were eating with Catherine.

"Hi! Mommy said you caught a case," DJ said as they got through the door.

"Daddy, Uncle Danno, we're having fruit with coconut for dessert, want some?" Angie said as both men approached for hello hugs.

"They missed dinner, baby girl," Catherine said as she moved to the outdoor fridge and pulled out several containers. "Kept plates for you both," she told them as she pecked Steve's lips hello. "New Year's Day leftovers plus grilled fish. Ready to heat up."

"Thanks." Steve took them and moved to the microwave.

"Thank you, Cath," Danny smiled at her. "Holiday break for craziness is over.'' He grabbed a slice of cantaloupe from the fruit tray on the table and took a bite as Steve came back outside and passed him a dish.

"Did you see any goats?" Angie asked and both men grinned at her persistence.

"Actually no goats on this case," her father explained. "But guess who we did see?"

"Who?" DJ asked as he speared a chunk of pineapple on his fork.

"Jadon." Steve said, then looked at Catherine. "He was first on scene with Tucker."

"First … grisly one, hmmm?" She asked.

"He handled it really well," Danny said.

"I bet he did a real good job." DJ smiled. "Are you done, Daddy, or do you hafta go back?"

Steve ruffled his son's hair and passed Cammie a piece of fruit. "All done. It was a fast case, so it's solved."

"And I get a raincheck on moving the chest of drawers," Danny pointed his fork at his best friend. "How about this weekend?"

Angie smiled and piped up as she lifted a piece of fruit. "Me and DJ can help." She made a muscle and smiled. "I'm very strong. And after that we can stop at the zoo and …"

The whole family grinned and recited the phrase she'd been repeating since Christmas, "See my goat."

# End thanks for reading

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