AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What are you going to do when you leave here?”
“Go home,” she said dutifully. “And sleep.”
He rolled his eyes. “Right. And here I was thinking we might have made a little progress. My bad.”
“I will go home and sleep,” she insisted. Eventually.
“This is a hard time for you,” he said, sober once more. “This time of year. It’s a pattern and it keeps continuing. Spring rolls around, the daffodils come up, and you start working yourself into the ground again. It was the same last year and the year before, which was why Navarro asked you to see me this year. To cut it off at the pass.”
“Sorry.”
“No, you’re not. That’s the problem.”
“I know my body. I know what it can do. I know how much sleep I need.” Which came out sounding defensive, like the teenagers she’d been talking to for the past few days.
“Now, yes. You’re what, thirty-five?”
She scowled. “Thirty-one.”
“A veritable child.” His sarcasm game was strong. “I bet Baz said that he knew his body, too. Right up until he had a heart attack.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Leave Baz out of this.”
“Okay, fine. What about Snickerdoodle?”
She blinked again. “What about her?”
“When was the last time you spent a full day with your dog?”
She opened her mouth and closed it again. A while. Too long. “My sister takes care of her when I’m working.”
“That wasn’t an answer. Maybe it’s been so long that you can’t remember.”
She lifted her chin at the deliberate taunt. “A week and a half ago. We went to Mom and Pop’s for Sunday dinner.”
“That’s good. Did you work while you were there?”
“No.” She had talked about the case to Harlan and she had talked to Rita about her mother’s murder, but that didn’t really count.
“Uh-huh.” He clearly didn’t believe her. “How about when you got home?”
“Not much. Some light reading.” It had been everything she could find online about Rita’s mother’s boss. So not very light at all. But, ultimately, it had been worthwhile.
“Uh-huh,” he said again. “Light reading.” He sighed. “What—”
Kit startled where she sat when her phone rang in her pocket.
He frowned, seriously displeased. “Detective, you know the protocol. Phones silenced when you’re in my office.”
“I know.” She pulled her phone from her pocket, showing him the screen. “But I have my dad on a special ringtone.”
Scott waved his hand. “Answer it, then. We’re nearly done anyway. I’ll work on my notes.”
She answered, putting the phone to her ear. “Pop? Everything okay?”
“I think so,” Harlan said warily. “Two men stopped by to see you. Seemed to think you were here. They say that Baz told them so.”
Damn. The one time she told a lie, she got caught.“I was planning to come out to see you,” she added a little lamely. “I left Snick there, after all.”
