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“Are you also sorry for not believing us all the times we came to you and tried to convince you about all the crazy, shitty cases we’ve been involved in before this?”
Lucia’s voice was low and steady. “Yes.”
Cody cupped a hand to his ear. “I didn’t hear an actual apology in there.”
Her jaw tightened, and she said through clenched teeth, “I apologize.”
His smile looked feral. “Thank you. Now, you were saying?”
She drew in a breath and straightened her shoulders. “I’m requesting your assistance with this case.” Oliver opened his mouth, but Lucia held up a finger and quickly added, “Off the record. I’d like to consult with you about this with an understanding that things might be more than a little unusual.”
“Yes!” Oliver said, and pumped his fist.
Lucia rolled her eyes. “Goddammit, Berridge. I’m including you, yes, but you’ve got to keep this quiet.”
“Until it’s all over?” Oliver said.
“We’ll talk about that after the fact.” Lucia looked between Demetrius and Cody. “Well?”
Cody looked at Demetrius, who gave a quick shrug and said, “It’s your call, babe. What do you think?”
The sigh was long and seemed to come from deep inside Cody. Demetrius thought it looked as if he was releasing years of pent up frustration from all the resistance they’d encountered. Finally, Cody said, “Hell, if we’re going to lose everything to the Woleks, we might as well go out swinging.”
“Fuck, yeah!” Oliver said.
Lucia gave a grim nod, and Demetrius felt a chill as well as relief. Maybe their involvement in this case would prevent any other drownings and, possibly, give them some leverage in the Wolek’s case.
Or get them both killed.
He reached into the bag and pulled out another muffin. This might be a double muffin bag weekend.
Blueberry. Goddammit.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“They haven’t partnered you up with anyone yet?” Cody asked, wiping his sweaty palms on his shorts a third time. Being in a cop car, even in the front seat, made him nervous. And going off with Lucia, just the two of them, didn’t make things any better.
“Not yet,” Lucia said as she slowed to turn a corner. “Not officially.” She shifted a bit and looked away. “I’ve been training Deputy Walsh here and there, but we’re short staffed. For some strange reason, we haven’t had many applicants to the sheriff’s department lately.” She looked over at him and shrugged. “Can’t imagine why. Can you?”
Cody snorted a humorless laugh. “Not at all.” He looked around the car, even turning to peer through the metal screen into the backseat. “Is this… Was this, um, his patrol car?”
Lucia’s face tightened. “No. They scrapped Deputy Zellmer’s patrol car. There was too much… It was too much to clean up. And, honestly, no one wanted to drive it. It felt cursed.”
“I get that.” Cody faced forward and rode in silence a bit longer. “I hope Demmy and Ollie find out something at the library.”
“Why didn’t you want to go along?” Lucia smirked. “You scared of Tracey?”
“No,” Cody said, a little too quickly it sounded to him, and he mentally cursed himself. “I’m not scared of her or her weird boyfriend.”
“Heath is a bit unusual.”
“That’s putting it nicely. He’s weird.”
“Maybe. But he makes her happy.”
“Amazing that anyone could,” Cody said. “Anyway, I hope they can dig up something in that windowless room filled with funky smelling books you’re not allowed to touch.”
“So do I. But until we hear from them, we’re also going to work this like an actual case, which means doing the leg work.”
