“No. Not when you’re not ready. You have so much on your plate, Andi, it’s only natural you want to cling to one of the few positive things you had.”
“Now I feel truly miserable.” Andi tried a grin, only to wince and press his thumb and forefinger against his forehead. George rushed to one of the cabinets, getting Andi two Tylenol, which he swallowed with a huge gulp of his tea. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. How about we eat, and once you feel a little better, we can talk about what you’ve seen.”
Andi nodded, then immediately turned to his bowl of soup. They ate in silence, savoring the broth, even though it still wasn’t a proper breakfast dish in George’s opinion.
When he was finished, Andi put the spoon down. “I assume you’ve already pondered what I told you yesterday?”
George took the empty bowl and spoon from Andi, placed it on top of his own. “Yes. And I’m afraid we’re kind of fucked.”
“Your estimation is correct.” Andi furrowed his brows. “I dissected everything I experienced yesterday, and except for that unknown substance, there’s nothing else sticking out. We have two female killers who may or may not have been at the cabin but are otherwise complete strangers to me, and the only way for me to find them would be to open myself up like I did during the Castain case.”
“No. Absolutely no. This here is bad enough, what with yourgeschenkgetting stronger. I remember how you were after you looked for Castain. And if the women really are contract killers, they’re most probably no longer in the area. You could be risking your sanity for nothing.” George shook his head vehemently.
“Unfortunately, you’re right. I won’t be doing it, since I honestly can’t estimate what it will cost me, but we may have to face the possibility of not solving this case.”
With Chief Norris breathing down their necks, just waiting for them to make a mistake or fail, that was an even unhappier thought than just accepting letting a killer go unpunished. “There have to be more clues, things we haven’t considered yet. Shireen is still digging into the victims’ pasts, unraveling their finances. Perhaps she will find something that’ll point us in the right direction. We’re not giving up so easily. We’re detectives, and even without yourgeschenk, we’re damn good.” George hadn’t meant to go into pep talk mode, and he wasn’t sure who needed it more—he or Andi. His partner was staring into his tea mug, his eyelids slightly drooping.
“You know what? You go back to bed and get some more rest. I’ll drive to the precinct to see if Shireen or Evangeline have found something new. If yes, we can follow up on that tomorrow. If not, we concentrate on that substance you sensed. I’m sure there’s ways we can narrow down what it is.”
Andi looked up at him with a weak smile on his lips. “We’ll see. Iamtired, though. Thank you for the soup.”
“I’ll be back later. Let’s see if we can’t get you to eat something more solid then.”
“Sounds tempting.” Andi slowly got up from his stool. Watching him walk toward the stairs with slightly hunched shoulders, George had to quell the urge to run up to him and offer his help. Instead, he put the dishes into the dishwasher, cleaned the kitchen, and went out to his car.
AT THEprecinct, George first went to Shireen, who didn’t have any news for him. Untangling the lives of the three men proved to be more difficult than they had anticipated. Evangeline didn’t have anything either, and after staring at his two whiteboards for another half hour without any kind of inspiration hitting, George decided his time would be best spent back at Andi’s place, where he could contemplate the case as well as look into how to best find out what substance Andi had sensed. If he hurried a bit, he could also cook lunch, because the broth hadn’t filled him the way a real breakfast would. He got his keys, ready to leave, when the door to Chief Norris’s office opened. She beckoned him inside with a barked, “Detective Donovan, in here.”
George mentally braced himself for whatever rant was coming his way, glad that Andi was at home and couldn’t make things worse with his challenging comments.
“I see you’re here without your partner today, Detective Donovan.” Chief Norris didn’t even wait until George was fully seated.
“Detective Hayes is at home with a migraine, as I called in this morning.” He kept his tone very matter-of-fact, determined not to rise to her challenge. George knew there was little chance they wouldn’t clash before he left Charleston, but today was not the day. He had more pressing matters at hand.
“Then let’s hope he gets better soon.” Norris steepled her fingers on her desk. “I trust there is progress with the case?”
“There is. We’re still pursuing different alleys, but we were able to dismiss several suspects already. It’s narrowing down.” There, that was satisfyingly vague while still giving her something that wastrue. She didn’t need to know their new suspects were completely unknown. George started to understand Andi better and better. It was vexing, being able to know and/or identify the killer in a case while at the same timenot knowing them.
“It had better narrow down quickly. So far, the mayor is not impressed.”
And you did nothing to protect us, George thought bitterly. He had worked with hostile superiors before, though never under such difficult circumstances, having to look out not only for himself but also for a partner who neither had a clue about political schemes nor the inclination to take part in the dance. It hardened his resolve to keep a more detailed record of his dealings with the chief. Until now, he had simply made notes of her more aggressive comments, complete with date and witnesses, usually Andi. He was determined to write his first memory protocol today as soon as he was back at Andi’s.
“I’m sure the mayor is aware that solving a crime is not a race.”
“What the mayor is most aware of is that next year is an election year. She needs something to show, especially with the victims being such upstanding members of society.”
What Norris really meant was rich members of society. George was too used to the double standard applied to crimes depending on who the victims were to make this into an argument. “We’re working on it. But we want the case to be airtight before we start pointing fingers.”
Norris nodded. “Just don’t take too long; that’s all I’m saying. You may go now, Detective Donovan.”
George got up with a curt nod. He didn’t enjoy being dismissed like some lowly underling, but he had learned a long time ago to choose his battles wisely. “Goodbye, Chief Norris.” He left before his mouth let something slip he really didn’t want her to hear.
On his way back to Andi’s house, he stopped to get everything for a light chicken stir-fry, one of the few recipes his mother was able to cook. Even though, or perhaps because, they’d had it very often while growing up, it was still a favorite for him and his two brothers. Back on James Island, George checked on Andi, who was sound asleep again, a good sign that made George hope he would be functioning the next day. George was almost done with the stir-fry when Andi came into the kitchen, already looking better than he had in the morning.
“What smells so good in here?” He inhaled deeply.
“Chicken stir-fry. A family recipe. I thought this was something you could stomach.”
