“Good morning to you too, sunshine.” George could hear Danny suppressing a chuckle, and it had his hackles rising.
“Don’t, Danny. I’m recovering from an all-nighter that turned into an almost forty-eight-hour shift with more insights into the hell that is man’s mind than one person should ever have to endure, and I haven’t had any coffee yet.”
Danny whistled through the phone, causing George to hold his cell at arm’s length for a moment. “That’s hard, man. Did anything come of it?”
George hesitated. Not because he was pondering how much to tell his brother, because the rules were pretty clear on that and Danny fully understood. The question reminded him of the things he had learned about Andi and of the doubts that had been creeping back into his thoughts.
“We’re not sure yet. There’s some leads, though nothing solid so far.” Which was true for both the case and Andi.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me the whole story?”
“Because I can’t reveal details about an ongoing investigation?”
“Har-di-har-har, little brother. If you want to out-sass me, you need more than just one sarcastic comment. Now spill. Does it have to do with a certain partner you’ve been told to watch?”
George gave up. Without coffee, he stood no chance against Danny, and he didn’t really want to. What he wanted was to talk to somebody who could give him advice.
“I did what you told me. I operated on the assumption that he’s simply good at his job.”
“Aaand?”
“Heisgood at his job. He also has a secret he won’t tell me about, but he says he’s glad I know he has a secret because now he can use me to cover it up.”
Something spluttered on the other end of the line. Apparently, Danny had parted with a mouthful of his daily dose of caffeine. “He’s got balls.”
“Yeah. Big hairy ones, I can tell you.”
“No, don’t. I’ll take your word for it. Though if he so freely admits to having a secret, how bad can it be?”
George sighed and got out of bed. He felt the need to pace. “My thoughts exactly. He swore it was nothing illegal, and frankly, I would be very surprised if Andi was capable of doing anything unlawful. He’s too straightforward for that, even though he’s a grumpy asshole most of the time.”
“So you believe him?”
“I do and I don’t. I’m torn. It’s the way he knows things he shouldn’t know. When we questioned some witnesses, I felt left out because he was asking about things that sounded like pure speculation. I got angry, and we had a fight. We talked it out, and then later I drove him home because he was so exhausted, and I find out he lives in a little villa in one of the most expensive areas of Charleston.”
“And now you suspect there might be dirt on him, and you question your own judgment of him.”
“Yes and no. If the house was in any way linked to something illegal, I’m pretty sure Chief Norris would have sunk her claws into Andi already. I’m still convinced he’s clean, I just don’t know what annoys me more—the fact he’s keeping a secret from me or that I want him to trust me enough to reveal it.”
This time, Danny’s whistle was low enough for George to keep his phone at his ear. “You want to keep him as your partner!”
“I do. And isn’t that funny? You know me; I’ve never been too eager about my partners. I got along and there was a certain companionship, but I never felt the wish to get to know them better.”
“But you want to get to know Andi better?”
“Yes. At the same time, I’m supposed to spy on him and we’re working on a huge, disgusting case we absolutely have to solve. It’s driving me nuts.”
“Oh, brother, you do have a talent for ending up in the most interesting situations.” Danny made atskingsound.
“I know that, Danny. What I don’t know is what I should do. Any suggestions?”
Danny started humming “Singing in the Rain” so terribly off-tune it made George’s ears ring. When he was done, his voice sounded entirely too cheerful. “This is a tough one, I give you that. My advice is just buckle up and enjoy the ride. The situation hasn’t changed as much as you might think. You’ve only known this Andi guy for what, a week? Even if he were an ordinary partner, it’d take time to get closer to him. You simply use that time to also decide whether he’s a criminal, and to solve a difficult case. Piece of cake, really.”
“Thank you so much for nothing. That I would have worked out on my own after some coffee.”
“But now you don’t have to, because your beloved older brother in his great wisdom has taken this burden from you. You’re so welcome, George.”
“Tell me again, why did you call?” George wasn’t sure if he should laugh or scream.
