“I second that.” Luke made a vague gesture with his hand. “There are no inconsistencies we know of with him.”
“What about Reuben McDonald?” George brought up their latest suspect.
“We don’t really know much about him. Celia was the second victim, and according to Shireen’s report, she was close to TJ. Perhaps these two were close in a way Reuben didn’t like. If we assume killing them was the trigger that sent him on his killing spree, we could also explain the switch from leather belt to rope.” Luke seemed only half convinced.
“In the ranking I would put him in the second spot. Thomas comes last.” Andi’s cell vibrated. He did some swiping, then looked up. “Shireen says she has her new assistant, Timmy, looking into the tips about Izzy’s disappearance. And she says Reuben is currently staying in his apartment in Charleston. He’s waiting for his next load.”
George looked at his watch. “It’s already late. How about we call it a day and visit him first thing tomorrow? Geena, do you want to come along?”
She nodded. “If nothing new comes up regarding the killings, I’d like to be there. Let’s meet here at eight?”
“Eight is fine by us.” George capped his pen. “Luke, thank you for your help today.”
“It was my pleasure.” Luke waved at them. “I still have some work. See you tomorrow, and don’t hesitate to call me if you need help with further profiling.”
Geena packed her things as well, leaving George and Andi alone.
“What do you think?”
Andi swept the remains of the ballpen into the trash can. “That this is getting more complicated by the minute.”
“Accurate. Let’s get home and eat.”
They shrugged on their jackets, ready to leave the precinct, when Chief Norris’s voice bellowed through the bullpen. “Hayes, Donovan. My office.”
George looked at Andi, who rolled his eyes. Exactly George’s sentiment.
“Let’s get it over with.” He put his hand on the small of Andi’s back, taking as much comfort from the touch as he hoped to give.
Chief Norris didn’t waste time on pleasantries. She hadn’t for quite some time. To say the relationship between them was strained was saying it could get a bit nippy in Antarctica.
“Where are you with the investigation?”
“At the beginning.” George could be an asshole with the best of them. Andi chuckled, earning him a dark glare from the chief.
“I’m aware. Any suspects?”
“A few. Nobody’s standing out yet.”
“You’re walking on thin ice, Detective Donovan.”
George shrugged. When it came to the chief, he had no fucks left to give. “What can I say? You reap what you sow. Anything else?”
The chief started tapping her fingers on her desk, a nervous staccato that didn’t help to impress George or Andi. She had to be under a lot of pressure regarding the case, and had their relationship been better, George would have sympathized with her. The way things were, he couldn’t care less if she were eaten alive by the mayor or dragged over hot coals.
“I could bring somebody else in.”
“To mess with your best detectives? Who you brought back from a well-earned holiday to work this case? An unwise move, as you surely know.”
“Don’t think this is over, Donovan.” She was glaring at him. At the moment, she had nothing, and they all knew it. “You can go.”
George and Andi got up, leaving the chief’s office as quickly as they had entered it.
Once they were in the car, Andi huffed, the first verbalized sign of his annoyance since she had summoned them. “I can’t wait till Gelman gets rid of her.”
“Amen to that. How about ratatouille for dinner?”
Andi groaned happily. “I’ll help cutting the vegetables.”
