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“What the hell happened?” Instead of explaining everything on the phone, I wait for the medical examiner squad to arrive at my crime scene and demand answers. “Archer!” Minka stops directly in front of me so I see no one, pay attention to nothing except the light shimmering in her beautiful eyes.
She’s working; white lab coat, medbag so she can collect evidence, and, specially for me, mountains of attitude and sly glances at my shoulder—which just so happens tonotbe supported the way I promised.
“Why is Thomas dead? And why aren’t you wearing your sling?”
“Apparent suicide.” I lean close enough to smell her. To taste her on the air I breathe. “And because it was getting in the way. But don’t fret, Doc.” I smile for her while Aubree defers to Fletch on my left. “Pain is manageable. Life is good.” I stand taller and nod toward the front door. “Willing to be my medical examiner on this one?”
“Yeah.” Exhaling, she shakes her head and turns to Aubree. “You wanna take the lead today?” Minka reaches out and takes the medbag from her surprised second. “I’ll document. You run it.”
“B-because of the water thing?” Aubree stammers. “Really?”
Minka nods once. “Bestest of all the best friends in the whole wide world.”
Opening the bag and fishing for supplies, she takes out gloves; one set, she places in Aubree’s hand, then she slides the second set on herself and snaps the latex with a crack. Next, she takes the camera and hands me the bag.
Finally, she looks to Aubree as though to sayready. “I owe you a solid. So this is me being the assistant to your Head Bitch.”
“Oh my gosh!Deal!” Aubree turns toward the taped door and heads in. “If you could please follow me, Doctor Mayet. Be sure to record our findings.” She peers back with a geeky grin. “And don’t get in my way.”
“Of course.” Smirking, Minka follows her in.
As clueless as I, Fletch looks from the girls to me. Back and forth. His eyes go wide, and his lips curl into an odd smile that screams ‘What the fuck?’
“I don’t know.” I hold the medbag with my good arm as we follow the doctors in. “Why are you two being weird?”
“Not being weird.” Minkasnap, snap, snapscountless images, as though she has a point to prove with her abundance of evidence. “I owe Aubree a chance to run lead. The timing means this is as good a case as any. Where’s the body?”
“Bathroom attached to the main upstairs.”
Changing direction, Aubree starts up first, then the rest of us follow.
“Was there a break-in?” Aubree asks. “Signs of struggle?”
“No. The house was triple-locked from the inside.”
“Triple?” Minka asks. “That’s on the high side.”
“Door lock,” I answer. “Barrel lock. Chain lock. You have just as many on your front door.”
“We’re on the record, Detective Malone.” Pausing at the top landing, Minka turns back to show me her device. “Everything we say can be used in court. Please keep all discussions official.”
“It’s official we got married and semi-officially cohabitate.” I flash a wide grin, and wink when she only purses her lips. “As such, it makes sense that I know the number and type of locks you have securing your private residence.”
“Er, excuse me.” Circling back around, Aubree stands tall and haughty. “A little decorum on the job, please. As acting chief, I expect better behavior from my subordinates.”
“Subordinates?”
Minka wraps her hand around my wrist. “Just go with it.” She turns on her heels and continues to follow. “Aubree needs this. Also, Doctor Emeri, what did you happen to observe while in Doctor Chant’s home today? Anything of interest in the kitchen?”
“Wait…” My stomach dips. “What?”
“She keeps her bills on the fridge like the rest of us peasants,” Aubree says. “Gas. Electricity. Phone and internet. She has an outdated plan on the latter, by the way. It’s twenty-twenty-two, no one should be paying per text anymore.”
“Your opinion is noted.” Minka looks around as we enter the main bedroom at the top of the hall. “Anything else?”
“She keeps a notebook by the phone—thecorded-into-the-wallkind. Messages tend to circle her mother, her friends, the media.”
“The media? Why the hell is she talking to the media?”
