‘Good, thanks. You?’
She shrugged. ‘You don’t look good, you look exhausted. No, sorry I didn’t mean that to sound so bad. You do look good, I mean you always look good. I just meant you look tired. It’s been a rough day.’
He straightened up, cheeks burning a little, was she being extra nice to him or was she after something?
‘I look and feel like crap.’
She reached out and touched his jaw with her fingertips, gently stroking the bruise that ran along it.
‘Ouch, that looks painful. Do you want me to get you some ice or something, it’s quite swollen.’
‘No, I’m good.’ He jerked his face away from her fingers. ‘What are you still doing here? We’ve been in the post-mortem for a couple of hours, I thought you would have gone back to the station by now.’
‘Tori has been released now and gone home with her dad. I thought I’d come and update you in case you went looking for her.’
‘She has? That’s good, the poor kid, what an awful time she’s having.’
‘Yeah, I don’t envy her one little bit.’
Amber’s perfume was potent and it filled his nostrils. He realised she was standing a little too close for his liking, and he wondered if she was flirting with him, or was he being delusional? He wasn’t very good at reading signs, but he hoped to God that she wasn’t because he was not interested in her at all.
‘I was thinking, and forgive me if this is a little bit too forward, but you know you don’t get if you don’t ask.’
He stepped away from her, straightening his spine to make him look taller than her, trying to look a little bit off-putting; he was terrified of what was about to come out of her mouth.
‘About what?’
‘About how you can’t do this on your own. There aren’t enough of you to run with two murders and two missing people. I could help, I helped before and I think I’d be an asset to the team.’
Ben almost said,Thank Godout loud, but managed not to.
‘Oh, I’d have to ask the boss and see what he says. I’ll speak to him about it. Thanks for offering.’ He smiled at her and thought about how he’d rather shit in his hands and clap than have Amber hanging around the office again, especially if she wasacting this weird and causing all sorts of friction between him and Morgan.
She was smiling at him, and it was really unsettling him. ‘Oh, yes. I forgot you’d have to run it past Marc; he’ll probably say no.’ She pouted, and he wished he had never come out here on his own. ‘Can you not just tell him you asked me to help, then he can’t? Please, Ben, I’ll do anything to make you happy.’ Her fingers were gently squeezing his arm, and he felt an icy chill envelop him.
‘Hey, Ben. I need to talk to you ASAP.’ Declan appeared, and Amber snatched her hand off Ben’s arm, and his skin felt hot as if he’d been burned by her touch.
‘I’ll let you get on, but please will you think about it and let me know.’
She smiled at Declan then walked away from the pair of them. Declan didn’t speak until she was out of view.
‘Think about what?’
‘Christ, don’t tell Morgan about that.’
‘About what?’
‘I think she was flirting with me.’
Declan threw his head back and laughed loudly. ‘You’re having a day, my friend.’ He clapped Ben on the back. ‘What would Morgan do?’
‘Probably kick seven bells of crap out of her.’
‘You flatter yourself, you know that, right?’ Declan was grinning at him.
‘I do.’
Declan nodded. ‘Look, I’m sorry, I wanted to apologise about the humour before. I get a little carried away with myself; dark humour is my coping mechanism.’
