“Oh my God. One more sigh out of you and I’m taking you to medical. Buck up, Jane. You’ll get a hit on your guy. Guys. Whoever. Be patient.”
“Easy for you to say. You just closed a big case.”
Jenn’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “You got that right. I am thrilled that we found that last safehouse. Screw that guy. I hope his buddies find mean boyfriends in jail who do to them everything they did to those poor girls.”
They clinked water glasses. “I second that,” Jane said.
Jenn looked around and leaned in. “So who do you think Lionel is going to saddle you with? And what do you make of Nelson Rupert’s driver? Hot? Not hot?”
“Ew. Try criminal.” Unlike most of the fictional bad boys on TV that people found attractive, felon types never attracted Jane. “I prefer my heroes to be on the right side of the law.” She refused to think of Matthew. Not thinking about him grew both easier and harder day by day.
“Stickler.”
“Really? How’s Dash doing? He’s pretty far from a bad guy. And I like him.”
“You would.” Jenn grinned. “He’s amazing, actually. Handsome, intelligent, and he thinks I’m awesome. Obviously, he’s a great judge of character.” Pause. “Just like Sam.”
Jane groaned, which had Jenn laughing. “Enough. Your cousin and I are good friends. Say it with me.Friends.”
“Yeah, sure. He thinks you’re pretty.”
“Pretty boring.” Jane chuckled. “Your cousin is into adventure and travel. I just want to do my job and go home to my clean, almost-sterile, I think you called it, apartment each night. No partying. No dancing on tables. Just work and home.”
“All work and no play… You know the saying.”
“Yeah, but I’m happy.”
Jenn studied her. “But are you? Really?”
Before Jane could tell her, nicely, to knock it off, her phone rang. “Saved by the bell.”
“I’m not done with you, Ms. Avoidance.”
Jane deliberately said into her phone, “Agent Cannon.”
“Jane? We have a hit.”
Jane pulled her phone away to note the phone number. Then she put it back to her ear. “Diego? I thought you handed this off to Teri and Mark to track because you were slammed.”
“They couldn’t handle it. Besides, I’m in this now.” He sounded way too enthused.
“Okay. So what’s the message for me?”
“Your boy, Rook, says, ‘You want the truth? Meet me here.’ The here is coordinates that I already mapped out to a warehouse. And guess what? We’ve been there before. When the Code Blue Killer left a circle of bodies in Tacoma.” In the Mazzuca crime family ring they’d loosely tied—but could never prove—to August Kaminski.
“Seriously?” Jane tossed some bills down on the table and said to Jenn, “I have to go. Sorry.”
Jenn waved her on. “Good luck. Let me know if you need help.”
But Jane was already on the way. “Have you called anyone else?”
“I’m already putting the word through to Detective Ryan. Hold on.” After a pause, Diego said, “He’s got officers and is en route. Should I let him know you’re meeting him there?”
“Yes. But do you have the time to be handling this?”
“Oh, I’m back in Seattle. Didn’t I tell you?”
“What?” She rushed into her car, put a flasher light on the roof, and took off.
