Pop set down his empty mug and reached across the table for one of the last cookies on the plate. “If I knew you liked the couch so much, I’d have given it to you as a housewarming gift.”
“The request comes from Calvin,” I clarified.
“Doyouwant to stay the night?”
“A little.”
Calvin was right to be wary of the apartment. My gut was telling me to steer clear without some sort of backup, and my gut had kept me alive this long.
“Just until Calvin gets off work,” I added.
“Then, of course.”
My cell rang. I picked it up from the tabletop. “One sec, Dad.” I stood and answered the call. “Hey.”
“Hey, sweetheart. I’m sorry I only have a minute—I’m between locations.”
“It’ll be the best sixty seconds of my day.”
“Is that so?”
I shoved my free hand into my pocket as I wandered across the living room. “Really needed to hear your voice.”
Calvin paused for a beat. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” I answered quickly. I paused at the couch, raised my eyes to the ceiling, and blew out a breath. “No. I will be.”
“Sebastian?”
“Don’t worry,” I continued. “All limbs are accounted for and I’m not bleeding profusely, so… can’t ask for much more than that, can you?” I walked a bit farther away from the table at my back and said in a low voice, “I just mean—I like you, you know?”
I could feel the tension over the line ease a bit.
“I like you too.”
“What’re you doing?”
“Heading back to the precinct.”
“Were you able to collect any shell casings? In my statement, I said there were four shots.”
“Nothing was found,” Calvin said.
“That’s weird. Maybe it’s an old gun?”
“To not leave behind casings?” Calvin asked. “We’d be looking at black gunpowder and lead balls. Which would have been how long ago?”
“Prior to the 1860s.”
“Thank you. It’s more likely the shooter collected them.”
“I don’t think there was enough time for that. Neil and your—uh—Lee, went after the suspect.”
I think Calvin caught that, but he didn’t remark on it. “Well… we’ll find out soon enough. Millett’s digging one of the bullets out from the pillar near the register.”
“I’ve been thinking of changing up the shop interior, but the rejection of aesthetics is a little bit too Dada for me.”
“I’ll only start to worry if you install a urinal on the showroom floor and call it art.”
