George hummed. “You know, I think I could get used to working with you. You certainly make the job look easier than it truly is.”
“I’m so glad you approve of my weirdness.” Andi knew he sounded sarcastic, but it was too late in the night to try and rein it in.
George just shrugged. “You’re not weird as such. I’ve seen worse, believe me. The more time I spend with you, the more curious I become and the less suspicious I get. I don’t know if that’s good, though.”
“Believe me, it is. Makes it easier for both of us. Just keep trusting me and everything will be fine.” Andi tried to sound dismissive to not show how George’s growing interest in him as a person was affecting him.
“I’m usually not a trusting man, Andi. But just to see how this goes, I think I’ll take a chance with you.”
“You do know curiosity killed the cat, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I’m no cat but a cop, and I do have a capable partner to have my back.” George grinned broadly.
“You’re a fool. Luckily for you, I kind of tolerate you more than anybody else I know.”
Andi made sure to keep his tone light. George simply laughed.
“Lucky me.”
Chapter 15—Parts of a Puzzle
THE INTERROGATIONof the four traffickers was a bust. It was six in the morning, and after two hours of fruitless questioning, George wanted nothing more than go to bed. As it turned out, the four men weren’t part of the human trafficking ring but, just like Ronald Wallace, outside contractors who got their information via burner phones from an unknown person. Whoever was behind this was so careful it bordered on paranoia, which made it impossible for George and Andi to get useful information. The whole setup had apparently been going for two years and had started with an ad on the darknet. Shireen was trying to find out who had posted the ad, which took time George and Andi didn’t have. So far, each person involved in the trafficking had led them to the next one in a short amount of time, which had been in their favor. Like stitches on a sweater, one after the other had given. Now they seemed to have reached a knot, and if they couldn’t untangle it in time, their investigation would be halted. Although they had caught the murderer of Lilly Cordon and the other two girls and had even saved four other innocent young people, George didn’t want to think about how many more they had missed and would never know of because their bodies were rotting away in some unmarked grave somewhere.
From his desk, George stared at their whiteboard, where a huge red question mark now marked the mysterious head of the trafficking ring. So far, all the lines connecting to it had turned from green—promising lead, to black—dead end. Behind him there was rustling and soft cursing. Andi looked even worse than the day before, the dark circles now accentuated by a red tinge to his eyes. His movements had an almost robotic quality, as if he were operating on his last shreds of energy.
“Should I get us some breakfast?” George reached for his wallet.
Andi stared at him as if he hadn’t understood the meaning of his words. “Breakfast?”
“Yeah, you know, something hot and liquid to wake us up again and something solid with sugar to refuel. Lots of sugar in your case. You look like you want to audition for a part inThe Walking Dead. And not as one of the living persons. No offense.”
Andi stared at him some more. “Why would I want to audition for anything?”
“Okay, buddy, that’s it. We’re getting breakfast.” George took his keys, reached for Andi’s arm, and dragged him from his chair. “We won’t be able to catch some sleep before we talk to the four victims. I just hope they’re up to it.”
“Greg seemed to be quite capable. Kathy too. Rose and Mia, I’m not so sure about. We’ll have to see.”
“Wow, man, that was actually a coherent contribution to the topic at hand. I don’t dare imagine what you’ll be capable of once I’ve fed you.” George glanced at Andi to see if his attempts at joking had even been registered. A faint smile on Andi’s lips confirmed the man wasn’t dead yet.
“As soon as my blood sugar is up again, I’m getting back at you.”
“Promises, promises.”
They left the precinct and drove to the Starbucks, where George was by now greeted with his first name. As it had been the last few days, the same barista nodded at him from behind the counter. “Good morning, George. You’re early today. The usual?”
“Good morning, Chrissy. The usual beverages, but we need some real food today. Something with an extra sugar punch. Any recommendations?”
The young woman with the neon green hair looked them over. She didn’t seem impressed. “I’d say two chocolate chip muffins, two croissants, and our special rye sandwiches with smoked salmon and farmer cheese to provide some real sustenance.”
A gagging sound made George turn to his partner. Andi was shaking his head vigorously. “Yes to the sugar, no to the salmon. Not in the morning.”
“Would you like something else? Perhaps a plain bagel? You know, Chrissy is right. You need something with actual nutritional value.”
“A bagel sounds good.” Andi shuddered. “I think I’ll go and secure us a table.”
George looked around in the almost empty place. Andi really was running on his last reserves.
“Tough night?” Chrissy was placing plates with the muffins and the croissants in front of him. The sweet and buttery smell woke at least a dozen of George’s brain cells.
