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nine
“Did you tell her the recovery rate on motorcycles?” Castillo said as she edged the minivan onto the road. “Intact or in pieces?”
“No.” Sean skimmed his notes. “She’s depressed enough already.”
“You’re acting weird.” Castillo took a sharp turn that made Sean slide roughly into the door. “Usually right about now we’d be sighing over the lady who left her shop wide-open with a fifty-thousand-dollar bike inside. You would’ve been the one to start the joking. You also would’ve been the one to check out the shop and perimeter.”
Sean ignored her probing. “What’d you find, by the way?”
“No tracks. Too much rain.” Castillo changed lanes in front of a rig that was going at least ten miles over the speed limit. Sean knew she was tempting the trucker to honk or flip her off, but the rig merely slowed down. “I did find a cozy spot under the eaves. Neat little corner where one could hide in the dark, stay dry, watch the back door and smoke cigarettes.”
“So maybe someone was watching the shop. How many?”
“Three butts. Newports.”
“Three. So he waited awhile.”
“Or he’s a chain-smoker. Our girl smoke?”
“No.” Sean sputtered a laugh. “Not with those lungs.”
Silence passed before Castillo whipped her head around to face Sean. “Oh, my God. That’s her, isn’t it? That’s the girl. Thewoman, I mean.” Her fingers fluttered open and her grumpy face broke into a sneaky grin. “I thought it seemed like you two knew each other.”
“No.”
“Yes.” Castillo glanced back at the road. “Absolutely yes. You two had this vibe going. Then you want to do the interview. This explains everything.” Castillo punched him in the arm. “This is the woman from the gym. Who ‘inspired’ you. Who beat you at the 5K run.”
“It was a tie.”
“Liar.” Castillo punched him again.
Sean swatted her away with his notebook. “Face the damn road. You trying to kill us?”
Castillo turned forward, the grin not fading even a little. “Dang, Callahan. You always go for the chase, don’t you?” She shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong. I can see the appeal. She’s adorable, but...” Castillo shook her head again.
“But what?”
“What you’ve been into since the divorce.” Castillo pulled up to the station and put the van in Park. She faced Sean, hands flying all over the place while she spoke. “After what you went through with Kim, I can see the appeal of a strong, independent woman. Kim was always that damsel in distress.”
“Lazy,” Sean corrected. “Kim was lazy. Liked to be pampered. I thought it was cute when I met her. Not so cute after five years.”
“Right. So first chick you date after your divorce is the lady with the dogs.”
“Sunny.”
“Right. And she’s strong and independent. But she’s also got the clothes and the hair and the cute little spin outfits. So she’s definitely not Kim, but she’s notnotKim.”
“She’s not Kim at all.”
“But that chick,” Castillo said, hitching a thumb over her shoulder in the direction of Delaney’s shop, “is a badass. Like, a flat-out, serious badass. She will eat you for dinner, Callahan. She’s not just playing at the biker chick persona. She actually fixes the damn things. And I think she can fix a lot more than motorcycles. I saw a picture of her in the shop? Up on the wall? Next to Daryl fromThe Walking Dead? My girl’s wearing BDUs, holding an assault rifle and leaning against an MRAP...with five dudes in the background. You see it? That chick is for real.”
Sean didn’t answer. He’d seen the picture, but he and Castillo didn’t actually have to answer most of each other’s questions. Fifty percent were rhetorical and the other fifty percent were answered with cop telepathy.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Castillo was getting ready to open the minivan door but paused. “Sunny. The dogs.” She snapped her fingers. “These two ladies know each other.”
Again, Sean didn’t answer. None of this mattered, right? What mattered was the job. Working the case. Finding the motorcycle.
Castillo bent over, laughing, her back shaking. When she finally lifted her head she had tears in her eyes. “You’re in trouble, Callahan. I can’t wait to see how this plays out.” She got out of the minivan, but Sean didn’t follow. He slid into the driver’s seat and fastened his seat belt. “Where you going? It’s lunchtime.” Castillo glanced at her watch.
