Page 32 of D for Dead

He turned to Amy, who was looking a little surprised at his outburst. As if she hadn’t expected him to side with her. Thinking back to their previous encounters, he guessed she would have a point.

When did that change?

Deciding not to read into it, he got to his feet, throwing a scowl in Rivers’ direction that it was time to go. As the young Fed scooped up his notes, Jake glanced down at Amy.

‘Keep thinking of names. Remember, anyone who might be pissed at you, anyone showing a little bit too much interest or anyone acting at all oddly.’

Amy nodded. ‘Okay.’

Jake hesitated, glancing briefly in Rivers’ direction, before adding. ‘And if you get any trouble at all, give me a call.’

* * *

‘So what’s the deal with Adam?’ Hickok asked, as he and Rebecca made their way to the crime scene.

‘Alan, Hickok. His name is Alan.’

‘You guys serious?’

Rebecca gave him a stony look. ‘Why do you care?’

This was like déjà vu. Hickok beside her, driving like he was in a race, and knowing exactly what buttons to press to get her to bite.

And you do. Every time.

‘Lighten up, Angell. I’m making conversation, being polite. We haven’t seen each other in six years.’

And whose fault is that?

Rebecca thought the words, but kept them to herself.

They were on their way to a murder scene and she needed to have her full attention about her.

She wasn’t the same wide-eyed, small-town rookie Hickok had once known. Six years was a long time and she had worked hard to prove herself at work.

The Alphabet Killer case had raised her profile considerably. She had been injured in the line of duty, had helped to solve the case and been commended for her actions. Sure she still liked to kick back with a few bourbons and, okay, the hot temper was still there simmering under the surface, but she had grown up a lot, earned her place in this town and put down roots. She now owned her own house, had made detective and was well respected among her colleagues. Hickok needed to understand and accept that she had changed, and he couldn’t just roll the clock back.

‘The guy’s a douche, Angell.’

‘The guy is my boyfriend, Hickok. You don’t even know him, so please don’t judge him.’

‘Doesn’t stop him from being a douche.’

‘In your opinion.’

‘In my opinion.’

Rebecca drew in a deep breath. ‘Look, Hickok. We have to work together and I think we both want the same result, to catch the son of a bitch doing these murders. So why don’t we focus on that and not my personal life.’ She expected a sarcastic response, so was surprised when he replied in an affable tone.

‘Sure. If that is what you want. I was trying to show an interest, given our personal history, but we can keep it purely professional, no problem.’

Rebecca eyed him warily. This was not the Joel Hickok she knew. There had to be a ‘but’ coming. He would convince her he was doing as she had asked, then he would go back to being a jackass when she least expected it.

Except he didn’t. He remained focused on the investigation for the rest of their journey, sticking only to questions and theories about the murders. Much to Rebecca’s annoyance.

He’s doing as you asked. Quit being an idiot.

Despite her little pep talk, it still pissed her off.