Page 53 of Shhh…It’s A Killer Story

I rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'm trying."

"I know you are."

His voice softened.

"That's exactly what worries me."

I looked at him. He gestured vaguely toward the coffee sitting untouched on my desk.

"When's the last time you ate something that didn't come out of a vending machine?"

"Yesterday."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Define yesterday."

"Around two."

"In the afternoon?"

I looked away. He chuckled.

"I'll take that as a no."

Silence settled comfortably between us. It wasn't awkward. Walker wasn't the kind of man who felt the need to fill every quiet moment with conversation. He understood silence, maybe that's why people trusted him. Eventually he folded his arms.

"You're carrying this case like it's yours alone."

"It feels like it."

"No."

His answer came gently.

"It belongs to all of us."

I looked back at the photographs.

"Doesn't feel that way."

"It never does."

Another pause.

"You know what the hardest part of this job is?"

I shrugged.

"The paperwork?"

He laughed.

"Close."

His smile faded just enough for something older to settle in its place.