“And stepped in it,” Neil concluded.
I frowned and checked the sole of my shoe. It was dark and tacky-looking.
Son of a bitch.
“Never a dull moment with you around, Sebastian,” Quinn remarked.
“Thanks, I try,” I answered dryly.
Calvin looked down at me. “Was anything inside your store missing?”
“I haven’t gotten the chance to look. But I’ll give you two guesses as to what they came for.”
“I’ll only need one,” Calvin murmured. He turned to Neil next. “Finish with him so Sebastian can take a walk through the Emporium.”
Neil surprised the shit out of me when he only nodded and said, “Yes, sir.”
Calvin took a step closer and squatted down in front of me. “You’re okay?” he asked gently.
“Peachy keen.”
He kept staring.
“Dead Guy startled me,” I admitted. “But other than the bruised ass and ego, I’m fine.”
“I wish you had just come home,” he murmured.
“Yeah, me too. But I guess we’d have ended up here regardless.”
“I suppose,” Calvin answered. “But at least you wouldn’t have had to wear booties.”
“Huh?”
“I need your shoes, Seb,” Neil interrupted.
Calvin gave me an apologetic look, as if he knew all along Neil was going to say that.
“They’re new, so it figures,” I answered.
Calvin stood and went to the dumpster with Quinn. He peered inside with ease, while his partner had to stand on her toes to get a look. Both of them were joined by the city medical examiner while Neil was tugging my shoes off.
“Nice socks,” he stated.
“I’d give that a two out of five.”
Neil dropped my shoes into a bag, then glanced at me briefly before filling out the form on the front of it. “What?”
“I don’t recommend using that pickup line when you start dating again,” I continued.
His mouth twitched. Not quite a smile, but it wassomethingfor a guy like Neil. “You used to always wear black socks.”
“Oh yeah. I’m turning over a new leaf. What color are they?”
Neil raised an eyebrow but kept writing.
“Apparently I already look like a mess, so hit me,” I insisted.
“Red.” Neil set the bag aside and held up a pair of crime scene booties.
