I realized belatedly he was already dressed for work.
“Oh. I mean, no—I like them.”
Calvin seemed, maybe a bit—nervous?
“I really do,” I insisted, giving him a sleepy smile. “No one’s ever bought me flowers. Duncan Andrews doesn’t count.”
“If you don’t like carnations….”
“I do.Like them, I mean,” I blurted out. “This was really sweet of you. You’re playing into my mushy, lovey-dovey fantasies quite well.”
Calvin leaned down and wrapped a hand around the back of my neck as he kissed me. “I better get going.”
“So soon?”
“It’s after eight.”
“Wow, really?” I turned to look at the alarm clock. “I slept like the dead.”
“The dead don’t drool.”
“Shut up! I don’t drool!” I said defensively.
“I beg to differ.”
“You’re an ass.”
He laughed.
I set the flowers to my side and took Calvin’s hands. “Before you go… I showed a picture to Ben Parker last night. Of Neil. Ben said he looked like the cop that… that threatened him the same way Luther was.”
Calvin narrowed his eyes. “What there is against Neil right now is circumstantial at best.” It was horrifying to know that Calvin and I had been thinking the same thing about Neil, and yet at the same time, a relief that I wasn’t alone or insane for having these thoughts.
“I know. But… two people both gave the same story of a cop threatening jail time if they didn’t comply. And Neil… is… angry. At me. I can’t believe it, but—” I stopped and just shrugged.
“I understand.”
“Do you have ballistics from either of the murders?”
Calvin ran his thumb over my knuckles. “Both wounds were inflicted with a service pistol. We’re still waiting to see if it matches anything in the system.”
“And what about the number that texted Luther and Ben?”
“The one that sent Luther messages was a prepaid phone. Probably tossed afterward. I’ll have to confirm if the same number was used to reach Ben.”
“You need to go collect the pamphlet from your apartment,” I said next. “There has to be mention somewhere of the address regarding the next clue. There’s a dead body out there waiting to be found.”
Calvin didn’t respond to that, instead raising my hand up and kissing it. “Do you plan on staying here today?”
“I really would like to go by the shop and at least collect my mail. In and out.”
He started to speak, but his cell rang in his coat pocket. Calvin let go of my hands, retrieved his phone, and put it to his ear. “Detective Winter.”
I sighed and looked around the room briefly. I needed to find where my clothes went. Maybe I should go shopping today. Pop and I could go, and I’d forgot all about the fact that Calvin would be at work, getting his ducks in a row so that he could arrest Neil. God… the thought made me feel sick.
“Copy. I’m on my way in now.” Calvin hung up and glanced down at me.
“Waiting for me to ask?”
