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Darby
“We need to head out,” Mark said to me close to six.
I sighed as I looked over my work. We weren’t any closer to finding Winifred to bring her in for interrogation, and I was pretty ticked. “Did you call the lab back?”
Mark nodded from his spot at his desk. “They don’t have anything on those flecks of whatever it is yet. They think the testing will be done in the morning.”
I looked back at the autopsy report. Tomorrow could be our cutoff. If we were lucky, we’d have until sometime on Monday, but that wasn’t normal, and given Prairie’s age and the level of her injuries, I’d be lucky to be able to revive her on Sunday.
“We’ll find the answer,” Mark said, as though reading my mind. “We’ll find her killer and Rick’s killer.”
I pressed my lips tightly together and huffed a little breath.
Mark stood and stretched. “Come on, let’s go. You gonna bring the temp cruiser back to my place?”
I shrugged. “I can.”
“Might not be a bad idea. Want to meet me?”
“Sure.”
I shot him a glance. He’d been awfully calm today after his admission that morning. In a way, it felt a lifetime since he’d told me. Maybe the time apart had been something we’d both needed.
Still, something was off.
I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it was.
“I don’t have anything to wear for my date tonight,” I said.
He raised an eyebrow. “Well, you could pilfer my closet, but I don’t think I have anything in your size.”
I smiled despite myself.
He grinned back. “I was hoping to see you smile today. Come on. I’m sure you can help yourself to Melinda’s or Moira’s closet.”
I grimaced. “They’re probably too matronly for me.”
“Holly? Priscilla?”
I was glad he didn’t suggest Genova. “Pris is on the way. I’ll call her. She’s closer to my size.”
“Good. Now, come on. I’ll meet you at my place.”
I sighed, but logged out and gathered my belongings. As we waited on the lifts, I glanced up at him again.
He looked tired. More tired than I’d seen him in a while. Maybe he’d had a rougher time of it in the accident than we’d initially thought.
Or maybe it was the stress of the day. The weight of what he’d told me.
We stepped on the lift, alone. “We need to talk this weekend,” I said quietly.
“We do.”
“I have questions.”
“So do I.”
“Tomorrow, maybe?”
“I’d like that.”
“Can we do coffee? I’ll buy.”
“Only if you let me buy you dinner. Doesn’t have to be tomorrow, maybe Sunday. I’ll take you and Simon out.”
I half-smiled. “Buttering up my dad so he’ll put in a good word for you?”
He shrugged, a twinkle in his eye. “It doesn’t hurt, does it?”
I shook my head. “No, it doesn’t.”
“Look, Darb, I’m not going to get in the way with you and Will tonight. But I do need to ask: are you sure about him?”
The corners of my mouth drew down. “I don’t know him all that well. That’s kind of what a date is about—to get to know someone better.”
The lift dinged, and we got off, heading out the employee exit at the back of the building. “I just want you to be careful. Promise me you’ll be carrying?”
“I might be flattered by his attention, but I’m not stupid. I’d feel naked without at least two weapons on my person.”
He nodded as he walked me to the Flexion. “Okay. I feel better about that.”
“Do you expect something to go wrong?”
He winced. “I just have a gut feeling about this guy. He’s slimy, and I don’t want you taken in.”
I smiled and gently reached up to brush my fingers over his cheek. It hurt again. Not as bad as earlier, but pretty bad. I still pulled back. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that reeks of jealousy, Mark.”
“Maybe that’s what it is,” he agreed. He reached for me, putting a hand on my shoulder. It didn’t hurt this time. Weird. “Maybe I’m just going to have to get used to the idea that you’re going to be seeing other men, and there’s nothing I can do about it, other than to keep asking and telling you what you mean to me.”
I swallowed hard. “I need to go.”
“Right.” He stepped back. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Keep the shower clear. I’m going to want one.”
“You got it.”
* * *
Mark
“SIS, I NEED TO BORROW Reid’s car,” Mark said to his youngest sister, Moira, after he got in his truck.
“What in heaven’s name for?”
“I just need to. Can I come by for it in about an hour and a half?”
“Let me guess. You’ve got a date, and you want to try to impress her.”
“Something like that.”
She sighed. “You’d better tell her you’re just a lowly detective, and that the car is your wealthy brother-in-law’s.”
Mark smiled at his sister. “Sure, Moira.”
“Does this mean I get to meet her?”
“Only if there’s a second date.”
Mark raced home, wanting to beat Darby by quite a bit. He checked through the house and found what he thought he might need for the night. A backpack with snacks and a bottle of water in the front pouch. Flashlight. Handcuffs. Infrared goggles he’d acquired a few years ago when the department had upgraded and let some of their people buy the old ones. Gun and a couple extra clips. Some directional listening equipment. His department-issued stun gun which he rarely carried and even less frequently used.
He tossed in his badge for good measure, then took everything out to his truck and set it on the floor of the passenger seat. The truck was tall enough that Darby probably wouldn’t be able to see the bag if she walked by even quite close to it.
And thus wouldn’t ask questions.
Mark went back inside, grabbed a shower, changing into dark clothes, and waited.