‘And you took issue with that,’ I said levelly.
‘You’re damned right I did!’ She surged to her feet. ‘He was a fucking arsehole. A waste of space and oxygen, and sending him to Wraithmore would have been a drain on our taxpayers. Hewasn’t going to be rehabilitated. There was no saving his soul. He was damned. And I sent him for his final judgement.’
‘And Bland?’
She sat ramrod straight. ‘Bland wasn’t involved. He had already clocked off when our friend did the slinky impression and wasn’t there. I said I’d do the paperwork.’
I studied Elvira, her dark eyes lined with eyeliner, dark hair falling in envious bouncy waves. She had a figure to die for, and she’d yet to work out that Bland would happily worship at her altar whenever she wanted.
‘The body?’
‘In the trunk of my car.’
‘Of course it is. Take it to the ME and see it disposed of properly.’ The ME had an incinerator in her basement for this sort of Other emergency. ‘Go,’ I said curtly. ‘Dispose of the body yourself, then clock off and unwind. I’ll see you in the office tomorrow at 8am. sharp.’
‘The paperwork …’
‘I’ll do it. Get.’
Relief coloured her features. ‘Thanks, boss.’
‘Ugh. Don’t call me that, Garcia. Just go.’
‘Arsehole dead,’ Loki squawked approvingly at Elvira. ‘Good work.’
El saluted me cheekily, winked at Loki, and left me to type out the email to Thackeray asking for a retrospective kill order. Then I’d have to see Ji-ho about wiping our internal CCTV. The Common police didn’t understand our particular brand of justice, and the last thing I needed was for Elvira to be fired for killing a suspect.
No doubt if Elvira had bothered to ask Thackeray for a kill order, he would have granted it. He liked to keep Wraithmore’s budget down – it meant more money for the Connection.
I wondered if I’d been in the job too long when I felt Elvira’s call was the right one. Maybe my heart truly was dead. Then I thought of Robbie, and that cold organ swelled to life. No, not dead, not yet at any rate. Hardened, definitely. Would that change if I formally bonded with Robbie? Would anything change?
I addedlearn about ogre bondsto my mental to-do list. I’d told Robbie I was game, and I was, but I needed to go in with eyes wide open.
My stomach gurgled and I checked the time. It was just before 7pm. On impulse, I pulled my phone out and dialled Robbie.
‘Inspector,’ he answered warmly. ‘How are you?’
‘It’s been a day. I’m heading to my mum’s for dinner. You want to meet me there?’
‘Are you still at the office?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I’ll swing by and pick you up in ten.’
I smiled. ‘Thanks. I’d appreciate that.’
‘See you soon, Stacy.’ He hung up.
I texted Mum to give her the heads up that I was bringing Robbie with me, and I received a party emoji back. Mum liked Robbie.
I had some non-work clothes squirrelled away in my office, so I grabbed them and went to the toilets to change. As I stepped out of the cubicle in jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket, Laura was there, looking upset.
‘What’s up?’ I asked.
She forced a smile. ‘It’s nothing. It’s a silly thing to be upset about.’
‘What is it?’ I asked.
