“Ashley, keep the carpenter on speed dial. Big strong cops around the area have a tendency to forget their strength around doors here,” Elliot says to Ashley with a small smile on his face. That’s another thing that has changed over the last month. He always softens his thorns with that sweet smile, at least when they’re targeted at me.
I look behind me to find her frowning in confusion.
“Did you know seals can recognize each other by their voices?” Sam says, ignoring Ashley’s uncharacteristically weird behavior.
I nod. “Yes, and they can hold their breath for up to two hours. But why are you guys watching seal videos?” I walk around Elliot’s desk, sidestepping Sam to drop a kiss on Elliot’s head before slumping on one of the visitor’s chairs. I dump the large takeout bag on the desk, which barely has any space left after two laptops, a pile of files, and a tablet already occupying it.
“Oh god, that smells so fucking good.” Sam follows me tothe other chair. “You were so right. Your man knows the best places for all the food in the city,” he says to Elliot.
I preen at the fact that Elliot talks me up to his friends while he ignores us in his effort to make space on the desk.
“I guess I’ll take my lunch break then,” Ashley murmurs before walking away.
I turn to watch her leave. “What’s up with her?”
“She thinks I’m cheating on you with Sam,” Elliot deadpans.
I give Sam a once-over. “No offense, man, but I don’t see it.”
“You guys are cruel. Both of you.” Sam points at us.
“I made fun of his flirting skills yesterday,” Elliot explains.
Sam takes out the boxes and spreads them on the now-empty table. “I could get either of you if I wanted.Easily.”
Elliot tilts his head in pity. “Sure, you can, buddy.”
“I hate you,” he announces before grabbing his lasagna and stuffing a mouthful into his face.
We distribute the food before Sam can hog all the good stuff, saving dessert for the end.
“Do you have the list of suspects yet?” Elliot asks as we start digging into our food.
“They’re not suspectsyet. And I’m still reading the reports. None of them even knew about the cocktail of medication you used.”
“Okay, then, possible suspects,” Sam says. “Send me the list so I can check if they’ve been around the victim.”
I feel hesitant to share any information with an outsider. I mean, how much do I really know about the guy? Just that he’s Elliot’s mysterious friend from college who’s a genius in mysterious fields? He has no stake in this. He can bail whenever he feels like it.
“We’ve got to find this person before your team starts looking into Dominic’s notes,” Elliot says.
Elliot. Right, he’s accountable to him. But how deep does this loyalty run? “Don’t worry about that. They’re not going to find anything there. Everyone believes he was a crazed killerwho had no leads whatsoever.”
“We’re lucky he went on a random killing spree before finding out about us,” Sam says.
“You’re going to send us this list, right?” Elliot asks, his gaze intent.Uslike they’re a team.
I may need to do some digging on this guy before I can get him more involved in a case that could easily go sideways and make Elliot’s life very difficult. But saying no to Elliot isn’t a skill I’ve developed yet. “I’ll email it to you now.”
Chapter Nine
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back, and Three Impossible Words
Elliot
After a week of tirelessly working on the adoption drive, the day is finally here. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get Adrian to talk to me anymore legitimately. The man is closed off like Fort Knox. So, unless I’m willing to bring it all out in the open, it’s not looking good.
I lean back in the office chair, trying to find ways to get him to spend more time with me. “What if there’s a legal emergency at the event? You really should be here,” I say into my phone.
