AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just over a year,” Baker answered instead.
“Long enough to get into case files where he could make some very unsavory connections,” Knight added as he tossed the items from the board onto the top of his desk.
“Speaking of unsavory connections...” Anastacia started, looking at Knight for an answer.
Searching for an out, Knight turned to Baker for support; all he found was her face holding the same questioning expression. He groaned in exasperation and focused on Anastacia. “I’m sorry for going a bit overboard. As a detective, we don't make as much as you may think. People could assume I've gone to the dark side for some monetary favors, you know? Getting information from characters like Dominic is per the usual, but there have been other cases where it wasn’t just information changing hands.”
“I get it, but I thought you’d let me know a bit more before I got sucked into the middle of it. Or in this case, into the back of a car.”
“I’ll keep you more in the loop.”
“I’d appreciate it. Thank you.”
“So, next step. Let’s see if Curtis Dubree has any connection with the murder.”
“And it may be smart to look into everything connected to the department. As much as we may like Franz for it, we won’t know until the investigation is done.” Anastacia crossed her arms over her chest, glancing over the board.
“You never know who you can trust,” Knight agreed.
The sound of a door crashing into a wall echoed through the squad room. Franz stormed out of the office with his supervisor right behind him. Franz’s duty belt was empty, his weapon and shield gone. Grindel stood in the doorway of her office with a few items in her hand and a frown creasing her features.
“That doesn’t look good,” Anastacia breathed.
“Inner investigations never are. They’re always messy and this one is just starting.” Baker got up from her chair to speak again with the captain.
“Would he kill Mel?” Anastacia pondered aloud, turning back to the board to search for something they may have missed. “Why would anyone caught up in this want to kill him?”
“The one thing that keeps me up at night,” Mel said at her side.
Anastacia smirked and sneaked a glance at him. Mel snickered at his own joke.
“You have an idea?” Knight pointed to the board.
“No, not yet.” She shook her head, and her smile faded a little. She leaned her hip against his desk. “But that’s what I’m here to help with.”
“The only reason you’re here?” A hopeful expression lifted his eyebrows just enough for her to notice.
Anastacia’s eyes shot to his as she flashed him a confused smile. “Why else would you bring me in?”
He nodded his head and organized more paperwork on his desk. “No, you’re right.”
She leaned over and laid a soft hand over his. He paused, his gaze landing first on her hand and then on her face.She chuckled and patted his hand. “We’ll figure this out, Knight. If I have to dig up every secret inside this station, I will. Trust me. They’re not getting away with this.”
Her hand retreated a little too quickly from the top of his. He flipped his hand, catching hers before she was out of reach. An unsure chuckle fell from his mouth before he cleared his throat.
“You’ve done great so far. Better than I expected, really.”
“Thanks. I was hoping I could be of some help.”
Well, that was awkward. Even the words were painful to pry from her throat. She looked at their linked hands and then bit her lip, trying to figure out what to say without making it worse. He had never reached out to her like this before. The closest touch he had offered was a pat on the back when she was crying into her gumbo from the spice.
“I was thinking, you want to celebrate?” He pulled at her hand to bring her out of her thoughts.
“We haven’t figured this case out yet. Don’t count your eggs too early, Knight.”
“We haven’t figured it out…yet.” He nodded and then sat on his desk across from her, his other hand now covering the top of hers, encasing it between both of his. “But because of you, we’re closer.”
“We have a way to go before we celebrate. It may be a bit of time before anything is—”
