With a thick swallow, Tilly continues. “We want this resolved quickly and quietly. As I’m sure you’re aware, there have been a few unsavory incidents in the media over the last twelve months.”
That is for damn sure. We had one soldier who was under investigation in a serial killer case. We had privates returning from overseas tours and letting loose by aggravating locals, starting fights in bars, and generally being a nuisance. Nuisance might be underplaying it. A photo was released of seven recruits with their pants down to their ankles, mooning a police station. They had painted one letter on each of their butt cheeks, spelling outfuck the police.They were deployed the next day, not to return for nine months. The police were furious, the mayor was livid, and I’ll tell you, that old bastard had more of a stick up his ass than my friend Alfie. The colonel was told to bring his soldiers into line, or he’d be shipped off to butt-fuck nowhere to end his career.
For a while, curfews were brought in with the solemn promise that if soldiers stepped outof line again, they’d be dishonorably discharged quicker than you can say BOHICA.
“Yes, sir. Do we know the soldier?”
“Yes. Connor Maddox, twenty-seven years old. From Ironvale, Ohio. No previous issues, no bar fights, no police incidents. He’s by all accounts an exemplary soldier who has risen quickly through the ranks. We had high hopes for him.”
Had.
They’ve already made the decision that he’s guilty.
The colonel slides a flattened palm down his uniform, removing a non-existent crease, and coughs lightly.
As if on cue, Tilly stiffens. “I must insist that you do everything within your power to move this under military control. We want to take over the case and try him in a military court where we can keep the extent of the fallout minimized.”
I glance at the colonel, who scrunches his lips so that his mustache rubs his nose. “Sir, surely that will be for a judge to decide?”
“The judge in question, Judge”—he glances down at the papers on his desk—“Washington. She has yet to be swayed either way and has agreed for us to participate in an investigatory fashion—hence your arrival. You’ll need to be persuasive and get the other psychologist on your side. Allow her to be swayed, convinced. You’re a charming young man. I’m sure you’llhave no issues.”
“Her?” I swallow hard.
Please don’t say Katie. Please don't say Katie.
“Dr. Katherine Murphy. She’s around your age.”
My heart thumps against my chest. Katherine Murphy. Killer of hearts for years. Unperturbed that her red hair has grown men growing hard in their pants just from looking at her. She’s a siren, a menace, and if the higher-ups think I have a chance of convincing her of anything, it’s clear they’ve never met the woman.
“I know her,” I admit.
The colonel’s eyebrows shoot up, and his silent position finally breaks. “Will that be a problem?”
Only if she doesn’t take her usual approach when it comes to me, a swift tackle until I’m flat on my back, wheezing like a puffer fish trying to deflate. Maybe in a professional setting, it will just be cold, dead eyes or a middle finger when no one is watching.
“No, sir.” I lie to myself as much as to him. “The psychological community is a small one. That’s all.”
“How do you know each other?”
Well, aside from the fact that I woke up in bed with her yesterday morning? We were best friends until I left for active duty, and since then, I’ve been terrorizing her for eight years, and she’s been giving as good as she's got. This is goingto be a goddamn nightmare. There was no way I could convince Katie to do anything. I couldn’t eventrickher into doing anything; she knows every weapon in my arsenal. We’d been outmaneuvering each other for years. We’d been playing with each other for years. Pushing each other’s buttons, hurting each other just enough to sting but not enough to cause an actual rift in our friendship group, who were all probably sick of our shit.
Despite my sudden urge to lieagainto my superiors, I don’t. Best to be upfront and hope that they choose someone else to take on this investigation. Even though a small part of me would love to see the look on her face when she realizes she’ll have to spend an indefinite period of time with me. We could really take our rivalry to the next level.
“We went to college together. We both studied at Elwood, and we have a monthly meetup with mutual friends from our PhD program who have stayed in touch with each other.”
“Will this be a problem for you to conduct your investigation?” the colonel asks, seemingly taking over this meeting now.
“No, sir.”
“You and this woman are friends?”
I pause at the bristling in his tone when he saysthis woman. It irks me, and I can’t work out why. “We’re not close. I only see her once a month for dinner club.”
I convince myself that it isn’t technically a lie. Katie and I don’t talk outside of our monthly meetup. We don’t even text. To be honest, I don’t think she thinks much of me at all until I’m walking through the threshold of Lottie’s house and she’s starkly reminded she’s in for an evening of snippy jibes, heavy pours, and an eventual race to the one good bedroom. I, on the other hand, relish the anticipation of our meetings. Once a month isn’t nearly enough, and on the odd occasion we have an additional evening to look forward to, the days before drag, and I can’t think of anything but seeing her again.
He gruffs, running his thumb and forefinger over his mustache.
“The chief of police is expecting you at ten hundred hours. The officers will be conducting their initial interview, and you can meet Miss Murphy. We’ll all be attending.”
