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He looks hurt. “I didn’t mean to-”
“No, you do not get to say that. You meant it, and I bet you would want to do it again. What is wrong with you?” I look at him with such distaste that my lip curls upward.
“I’m sorry, Daph. I mean Daphne.” Archer tries to reach for my hand, but I pull away.
“You better be. I mean it; never try that again, or I will call HR. It was unwarranted, and unless I’m asking for it, do not touch me.”
I leave in a hurry, wondering what the hell just happened.
***
Once I’m back in my lab, I look at the bones on my table. “Okay, well, that was weird. Let’s just focus on you, shall we? We can just ignore that kiss and act like it never happened.”
About an hour passes, and I have about a thousand more pieces of this guy’s head to glue together. Not even counting his other bones. By the pattern that the pieces are forming, this guy suffered from blunt force trauma. Once I develop the hole in the skull, I can suspect what might have been the cause of his downfall.
There were no other marks on his bones. I can tell that he has never broken a bone up until what happened to his skull. I set the goal of finishing at least 20 more pieces before I leave. I’m off tomorrow, but will probably still come in later to finish the skull. We need to figure out who this is and how this trauma happened. Hopefully, it will be an easy case to finish for the detectives. Ugh, detectives.Archer. The kiss. These thoughts race through my mind. I just have to focus on this, and then I can go home and take a much-needed nap.
After finishing the following couple of pieces, I give up. I am
way too tired to be trying to figure out what part of the skull this belongs to. “Don’t worry, Mr. Skull, I will find your identity tomorrow, and then our best detectives will be on the case to find out who did this to you.”
I go wash my hands in my attached bathroom. A perk to this job, if I say so myself. I pack up my belongings and head out, turning off the lights and whispering goodbye to the person on my table.
Chapter Two
Archer
I fucked up. I didn’t know what I thought, kissing Daphne without her permission. She just looked so good. She’s never going to want to go to my sister’s wedding now. “Fuck.” I look at myself in the mirror in the men’s bathroom. I had to get out of the conference room. It’s stained now with what I did. I splash a bit of water on my face and think about how I’m will make this up. She’s the only one that I thought I could get to pity me and go to the wedding.
I walk out of the bathroom, and I’m finally getting to go home. I wonder if Daphne gets to leave, too, or if she’s going to be peering over the body all night. The body looked horrible when we found it in a bag in an abandoned parking lot. It wasn’t there at first; somebody wanted it to be found. Only bones and the skull shattered into little pieces. She already figured out that the person was a male and about 5’6”. Once she finishes the head, we will be able to use the markers she makes and put a face on it.
By the looks of the pieces that lay on her table, it’s going to take a couple weeks. I still need to find a way to make this up to her. What does she enjoy doing in the outside world when she isn’t cooped up in her lab? My phone starts to ring, and I look at the caller I.D., Liam. My best friend from high school, a German exchange student who, fell in love with D.C. and decided to stay. Fifteen years later, he is still as annoying as ever. I press ‘answer’ before he gives up on me answering. I usually don’t answer him.
“Liam, how’s it going. What’s new with you?”
“Archer, I need to go out. I just need to find a girl that will be a one-night stand. I am getting desperate in this dry spell of mine.”
I shake my head as if he can see. “Liam, you do realize it’s like five in the morning, and I haven’t gone to sleep since like two nights ago.”
“Well, you’re the one who chose to become a detective. Don’t blame your bestie. We all told you that you would get no sleep.”
“Okay, fine. We will go out tonight. I’m off unless called in. But I need at least twelve hours of sleep.”
“Archer, you’re the best. I’ll even give you seventeen hours of sleep. We can meet at the new bar that opened up on 7th Street. What was it called again?”
“Blaires.” I roll my eyes, knowing that he has a horrible memory.
“Ahh, yes. Blaires. Well, I’ll see you at ten tonight. Get some well-needed rest.”
“Yep, will do.” Or try to do. My mind is still wired from the situation in the conference room. I hang up the phone and walk out of the FBI building to my house.
Daphne
I turn the lock on my apartment door and step in. Kicking my shoes off, I look at the clock that’s on my hallway table; it’s 5:30 a.m. I don’t even change; I just go straight to my bedroom and pass out on the bed. I’m dreaming about grey eyes and soft lips when I am startled by a rapid knock on my door. Who the hell could that be? I get out of bed and begrudgingly go to the door to look in the peephole. A familiar blonde stands at the door and lifts her hand to start pounding again. I swing open the door to my sister.
“Cordelia, what do you want. I am overtired and have not had nearly enough sleep.”
“Daph, it’s three in the afternoon.”
