Page 129 of D for Dead

He stared into those cold eyes he knew so well and listened to the words as they registered in his foggy brain.

‘Wake up. We’re not done yet.’

38

‘But why do I have to go?’

‘Because I said so,’ Joel snapped, irritated that in less than two days Rivers had gone back to whining like a child. He had cut his partner some slack, understanding he would need time to come to terms with Peterson’s death, and for a while there he had seemed contrite, genuinely knocked for six by what had happened. How quickly that had changed.

‘I am an FBI agent. I should be here where the crime scenes are. Not in some stupid town in the back end of nowhere.’

‘You should be wherever the hell I tell you to be.’

Sending Rivers with Sullivan was a smart idea. Regardless of the attitude, the man had accidentally killed a police officer. Getting away from Juniper, away from the thick of things, was exactly what he needed.

Ryan Caparelli was top of their agenda, with Gavin now a close second, but that didn’t mean Melford was off the radar. Tucker Johnson had committed murder and the local police hadn’t been able to locate him. Add to that the connection to Amy, plus the fact the Rooney twins had decided to go AWOL, it needed checking out, and sooner rather than later. Rivers and Sullivan were the right people for the job. That it would leave Joel alone with Angell was purely a coincidence, albeit a convenient one.

Things had been uncomfortable between them since Friday night. It was now Sunday; time to clear the air. So far they hadn’t had a chance to talk, as Sullivan and Rivers had been hanging around. Get them out of the picture and he and Angell would be able to cut straight to the chase.

* * *

Victor Boaz liked Amy Gallaty.

She was smart and sweet, she was really pretty and she didn’t cop him any attitude. So far, looking after her had been a walk in the park. He got to watch TV, she was a good host, looking after him with coffee and snacks, and she was definitely easy to look at. But over the past couple of days she had become a real pain in the ass.

He had heard a rumour she’d had a thing going on with Sullivan and it had turned sour. Vic hoped it wasn’t the case, wanted to respect her enough to think she wouldn’t stoop low enough to sleeping with Detective Dixie. Whatever it was, she was sullen and more irritable than usual, restless too, and it was starting to tick him off. Where she went he had to go, and out to the grocery store, walking the dog and paying visits to her friends was a little too much effort when he had gotten quite used to spending his days on the couch. He had started getting into all the daytime soaps too, and being dragged out to have coffee with her stuck-up friend, Heidi, listening to the two of them talk about Heidi’s latest diet and dating dilemmas, meant he was going to miss the outcome of a couple of crucial cliff hangers. Vic wasn’t impressed.

Of course they talked about the murders a lot. Heidi was annoyed they were no closer to arresting any suspects and kept shooting daggers in Vic’s direction as if it was personally his fault, which pissed him off, as he was only trying to keep her friend safe.

She mentioned Sullivan too and he noted Amy gave nothing away.

On the drive back to her apartment Vic decided to broach the subject of church again. The first time Amy had been dismissive of the idea, but then Angell had been with them, being her usual overly opinionated and sarcastic self, and had probably influenced Amy’s answer. Meeting with Pastor Ralph would give her a fresh perspective; probably help her deal with what was happening. And of course the pastor would no doubt sing Vic’s praises, earning him brownie points, which he could certainly do with if the rumours about Sullivan were true. Word might even get back to Brooke Michaels that he was guarding a pretty lady and his attentions were focused elsewhere. As far as he could see it, getting Amy to meet with the pastor was a win–win situation.

She was looking distracted, staring out of the passenger window. Vic glanced in the rear-view mirror at the dog who sat on the back seat, smiling back, his tongue hanging out and a dopey look on his face.

Dumb animal. It was one thing giving Amy a ride around town, but she insisted on bringing Huckleberry with her everywhere they went. Vic had spread a blanket out on the back seat, but the dog kept managing to knock it off, and his car was starting to smell of the damn mutt.

‘Do you need to go anywhere else or can we go back to the apartment?’

‘Sorry, what did you say?’ Amy glanced around, pulled back to reality from her daydream. No doubt about Sullivan.

‘I said do you need to go anywhere else?’ Vic repeated, a little irritably.

‘No, I guess back home.’ She turned to look out of the window again.

‘I know you said you don’t do churchy type stuff,’ Vic started, not quite as subtly as he had hoped.

‘I’m an atheist.’ Amy narrowed her eyes, gave him a quick sharp smile. ‘I don’t do church, period.’

‘But that doesn’t matter.’

‘What doesn’t matter?’

‘That you don’t believe in God. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone. Pastor Ralph is good to talk to.’

‘I already talked to Doctor Shinnick. I’m done talking.’

‘But Pastor Ralph is different. He helped me by explaining stuff.’