Andi didn’t dignify this statement with an answer. He simply shot George a look that had him raising his hands defensively. “Whoa, man. I was just trying to manage your expectations!”
“There’s nothing to manage, thank you very much. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck….”
“Yeah, yeah, then we get the potato dumplings.”
Andi couldn’t suppress his pleased smile. “You remembered.”
“I do listen to you, you know.” George winked. “Though sometimes I don’t know why.”
“Oh, shut up and start digging into his childhood. I’ll take his time in the Academy.”
George saluted. “Aye, aye, boss.”
Andi snorted and flipped George off before he pulled up Detective Clayton Harris’s file and started plowing through his past. It quickly became apparent that the man was most definitely not a model citizen, let alone an exemplary cop. His grades at the police academy were mediocre, and how he made it to detective would remain a secret between Harris and the chief who promoted him, though Andi suspected foul play. It certainly wasn’t because of the man’s shining rap sheet. Tainted as it was, there was no glaring neon sign pointing at any crass wrongdoings on Harris’s part. It was more like his entire vita within the force was a muddy gray, certainly nothing worth praising but also not warranting a closer look. Which made Andi suspicious as all hell. Nobody was that prone to illegality without ever tipping over the edge. Andi was tempted to ask Shireen to do some digging into Harris’s finances when George let out a whoop of victory.
“Gotcha!”
Andi got up from his own chair and went over to George to look over his shoulder. There was a high school reunion picture on the screen. It readPalmetto Catholic Academy, Reunion 2010. George had found it on a Facebook account, using face recognition. It showed Clayton Harris in a rather nice suit, standing next to Jake Castain. Both of them were holding beers, toasting each other. Andi whistled.
“Great job, George. So they went to school together?”
George’s hands flew over the keyboard, pulling up the website of Palmetto Catholic Academy. There were no yearbook pictures of past classes available due to privacy measures, but after a few failed attempts, George managed to enter the closed off section for students, parents, and teachers, where he also found an album with pictures of classes dating as far back as the 1960s, when the school was founded. A few clicks later they were looking at the yearbook pictures in the late 1990s and found what they’d been looking for in the section from 1999. Castain and Harris had not only been in the same year but had also participated in the same extracurricular activities. The usual snapshots showed them playing lacrosse, with their arms around each other’s shoulders, laughing into the camera, dancing at a party, and sitting on the lawn in front of what Andi assumed to be the school building.
“They sure seem cozy. Though I do wonder how Harris got into that school. From what I’ve seen so far, he doesn’t strike me as the wealthy type.” Andi furrowed his brows.
“Me neither, but hacking a school website is pretty much the height of what I can do computer-wise. I think we need Shireen to take a look at Harris’s finances. Something’s definitely fishy here.” George sent an order to the printer in the corner. These pictures were another small brick in the case they were building against Jake Castain and now Detective Harris as well.
“Let’s see what Shireen can find before we include IA. These guys can be quite blunt, and I don’t want them to alert Castain.” Andi knew IA was a necessary evil to keep the police in check—quis custodiet ipsos custodesand all that—but they could also be a giant pain in the ass with the tact of a train wreck, something they so didn’t need in a case as precarious as the one they were currently dealing with.
“You know we can’t not tell them about Harris. We’re required to report all suspicions regarding colleagues.” George didn’t sound overly fond of the idea.
“Well, we could just say we didn’t realizehowimportant Harris was to the case until we’ve solved it?” Andi waggled his eyebrows exaggeratedly.
All he got for his antics was a look. “If this is part of your ‘infinite wisdom,’ I pass. Going toe to toe with IA is so not on my bucket list. Though the two of them going to the same school is hardly damning evidence. This could work. Perhaps. I’m doubting it.”
“No risk, no fun.” Andi leaned back in his chair when he got the death glare from George. “Fine, let’s contact them, play it safe. Perhaps we can convince them to either work with us or leave Harris alone until we’re finished with our investigation. Here’s to hoping, though. You know how they can be.”
George raised one eyebrow. “You’re giving in way too fast. Are you still tired? Have they replaced you with a pod person? Where’s my stubborn, grumpy partner who doesn’t give an inch?”
“Stubborn and grumpy? Surely you’re not referring to me. I’m wounded!” Andi put the back of his left hand against his forehead, giving a dramatic sigh.
George stared at him. And a little more when Andi didn’t react. Before Andi knew it, they were locked in a staring contest that was surprisingly fun in an alarmingly normal kind of way. So this was what easy camaraderie felt like. Andi prodded the feeling with his inner bony forefinger and found he liked it. He also found that George wouldn’t budge. The man seemed intent on not giving an inch and prepared to stay in his chair, pinning Andi with his gaze for the remainder of the day. Andi realized he would have to up his game in the future if he wanted to stand a chance against George, and wasn’t that a dangerous thought? George had made it clear this was just a station on his way to greater things, which would leave Andi alone again in the foreseeable future. While exactly this thought had helped Andi in the beginning to put up with George, it now tasted sour on his lips. Loneliness had always been his friend, his safeguard against a world that would destroy him if he let it in. So why was the prospect of reuniting with his trusted companion so bleak all of a sudden?
“Woolgathering won’t get you out of this, you know.” George’s even tone pried Andi from musings that were becoming more depressing by the minute. He shoved thoughts of how nice it was to have a bagel and tea delivered to him every morning firmly to the back of his mind. Now was not the time to get lost in fruitless thinking. Andi was well aware George would win this round eventually, so he decided to spoil the victory for his partner.
“I know. And I’m giving in because you, my cheerful, patient, and kind partner, will be talking to IA. I’m sure somebody with your charm can easily convince them to hold their horses until we’re done. Me, on the other hand, I’m so grumpy and stubborn, I can’t be trusted with such an important task.” Andi tried an innocent smile and knew he had failed horribly when George shook his head.
“You’re sneaky, I give you that. Though I do remember being the new guy here. Shouldn’t the more senior detective take over this oh so important task?”
“Touché. Though as the senior detective I delegate this task to you as a learning experience. If you want to become chief one day, you need to be able to play nice with all kinds of annoying, irritating, or difficult people.”
“You mean like your charming self? I think I’m doing not too bad on that front.” George was definitely trying to suppress a smile, which made Andi strangely happy. While he usually found it extremely tedious to put up with most people, interacting with George felt almost natural.
“You are, and now it’s time to put your newfound skills to the test with IA.”
“I can’t win this, can I?” George threw his arms in the air.
“No, you can’t. Though you may take solace from knowing that you won the staring contest. Seriously, man, do you have cats in your ancestry?”
