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“I think all the emotions about it are kind of… taking a backseat to the plans.”
“That makes sense. Have you talked to your work?”
“Other than a text saying I wasn’t going to be in for a few days, no. I’m sure they’ve heard the news by now. I, ah, I have all my sick days available, so they can’t really say anything about it.”
“What is work like? Do you work with other people?”
“Yeah. There are several people around at all times. And not anyone can just walk in. I think I will likely feel safer there than at home when I go back.”
“That’s good. It will be nice to have a place that feels normal during this whole situation.”
“I’m assuming, since we’re talking about protecting me moving forward, that he never showed up at a hospital. Or a morgue,” I added as an afterthought.
“Unfortunately, no,” he said, shaking his head. “We didn’t get that lucky.”
Maybe it was morbid for him to think that a guy being dead was ‘lucky,’ or that I agreed with him. But I’d think that society would all agree that one less sex murderer was not a bad thing.
The waitress came back to take our order, and there was a moment of strained silence before Detective Vaughn spoke again.
“What made you move to Navesink Bank?” he asked.
“Oh, ah, happenstance, really. I was in school in Florida. My family is in New York State. Jersey felt… close enough to them,” I said with a small smile that he returned.
“My folks moved us here when I was in high school. They eventually made their way to South Carolina. Which also feels… close enough,” he said. “Not a bad relationship, just not the stuff of Hallmark movies either.”
“Yeah, I can relate,” I agreed.
“So, you don’t have any family around?”
“No. And I haven’t really had much luck in making friends, either,” I admitted. “I don’t really have much in common with my coworkers, and if you’re not making friends at work, I honestly don’t know how you’re supposed to make them as an adult.”
“I get that. The buddies I have were from high school, or ones I met on the force. Can’t think of a single friend I’ve made outside of that.”
The conversation was easy and casual then, discussing our various childhoods, and what it was like for him to move to Navesink Bank and learn about all the children of the criminal organizations he went to school with.
Our food was cleared, and we were waiting for a check when a set of teenage girls, all glossy hair and mischievous smiles, came in. Likely playing hooky from school, given the time.
It wasn’t long after they sat that some older dude who’d been sitting at the counter decided to saunter over toward them, his beady eyes moving over their young bodies.
“Hey, absolutely-fucking-not,” a voice called out, making my head jerk to the side to find one of the bikers pointing at the guy. “Get the fuck away from them,” he added, making the man sheepishly pretend like he was heading to the bathroom all along, just taking the long way around.
“Told you,” the detective said when I glanced back at him. “They’re objectively bad guys, but they’re good too,” he said, shrugging, slipping the waitress his card before she could even put the book down on the table.
“No, I should—“
“Not to quote the biker over there, but absolutely-fucking-not,” he said, smirking.
It was completely inappropriate, but there was a little shiver coursing through me at that smile.
“If you need to get back to work,” I said as we slid out of our booths, “I can hail a ride from here,” I said.
“I have time. Let me drop you back at the hotel,” he offered in a way that said arguing about it would be useless and silly.
And, honestly, I was glad not to be shelling out more money on rides if I didn’t have to. It sounded like there’d be a lot of spending coming up. Flood lights, security system, adoption fees, pet supplies, vet stipend.
I would make it work.
But cutting back on the unnecessary stuff would be smart for the time being.
