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“Lover’s quarrel, they suspect. Her boyfriend has an alibi and was conveniently with friends out of town, but he has a record of abuse, so he could easily be lying. There’s no proof it was him, but the girl’s roommate said he had a temper.” Talking about it makes me think of Sophie and everything she went through with Weston. This could’ve been her fate if he hadn’t been stopped. My jaw clenches just thinking about it.
“So they let him go after questioning because there wasn’t enough evidence to keep him?” Greg asks, but I have a feeling he already knows the answer to that.
“Absolutely. And from what I’ve learned, men like that do it again and again until they’re caught.” Or brought down, but I’m not going to open that can of worms with him today.
We lock the door as the manager instructed, and we continue our conversation as we walk toward the truck. “How much longer do you have until you’re finished with school?”
“A year left of grad school,” he says with a groan. I’ve been there. I lived that life.
“It will fly by,” I encourage as we drive to the office. Once we’re back, Greg and I give the fingerprint tape to one of the forensic scientists in the lab, Monica, who agrees to process it as soon as she can. I know she’s swamped with a million other things, but we give each other shit regularly and always do favors for each other. I let Jerad know we’ve returned and move on to my next case, though I can’t seem to stop thinking about this poor young woman. I go back to her files, read the witness statements, and look at all the evidence collected. Perhaps I’m jaded, but I think it’s more than obvious the boyfriend is lying.
“Innocent until proven guilty, my ass,” I whisper under my breath, hoping this fingerprint comes through, and we can find out who’s responsible for this girl’s death.
Sophie comes to mind again, and I decide to text her.
Mason: Thinking about you! Hope you’re having a good day.
Sophie: Weird, I was just thinking about you too, but only because your underwear were mixed in with my clothes.
She sends over a pic of my boxers lying next to her sexy little panties. Mmm. Hot as hell. Is she trying to kill me?
Mason: Stealing my underwear now? My T-shirts weren’t enough?
I’m totally messing with her, which she knows. She takes my shirts, and I pretend it doesn’t feel like a knife to my heart that I can’t be the one wrapped up in her.
Sophie: You know it! Better keep an eye on your jeans. They’re next.
Mason: I’ll keep that in mind.
Sophie: So I thought I’d plan a get-together at our favorite place tonight for your promotion. We haven’t really celebrated, and you deserve it.
A smile touches my lips.
Mason: What time?
Sophie: When are you leaving work? What about after?
Mason: Six works for me.
Sophie: Alright! Consider it done. See you then. ;)
I love it when she’s easygoing and jokes with me like this. Those are the times I used to take for granted but not anymore. It warms my heart to hear she wants to plan this because honestly, I wasn’t making a big deal out of it. This just shows how caring she is because lately, we’ve been staying home. It’s her safe space here, so it’s a big step for her to want to go out with the gang, and it makes me really happy.
I meticulously sort through the cases Jerad gave me for the rest of my shift. The guy who had this position before me retired, which means I’ve had to pick up right where he left off. While everyone knew he’d be leaving, there wasn’t really a handoff period, so I’ve been playing catch-up since the moment I accepted the position, but I can’t complain.
Before I head over to the Coliseum, I get a text from Serena asking to hang out since she’s in the area. I explain where I’m going and invite her to come out with us to celebrate my promotion. It’ll be just like old times.
It doesn’t take me long to get there, and when I walk inside and see everyone sitting together, a smile hits my lips. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed this until now.
When I get closer, I hear Sophie and Lennon laughing about something. Sophie instantly stops talking when her eyes meet mine, and she gets up and gives me an unexpected hug. She wraps her arms around me, and I do the same, inhaling the scent of her sweet shampoo before she pulls away.
“Congratulations, officially!” she squeals, and they all chime in after her.
“About damn time! They should’ve given you that position forever ago.” Liam lifts his beer, then chugs it. “Tab is on you tonight since you’re rich now.”
