Reaching the ground floor, Felipe held the door open for Oliver as he carried their breakfast dishes back to the dining room. Even after a relaxing morning spent tangled in Oliver’s arms, they still had fifteen minutes to spare before they had to be on duty. Not that Felipe cared as much, but he understood Oliver’s worries about bodies potentially stacking up in the morgue over the weekend. Felipe had just leaned against the doorway to the stairwell to wait for Oliver when a blur in a brown suit rushed past him.
“Jed?” Felipe called out. A smile crossed his lips as Jed Monroe stopped midstride and slowly turned to face him. Jed was roughly as tall as Oliver but built rangy like a coyote after years in the field chasing criminals. Even without recognizing his familiar brown suit, Felipe would have known him alone from the way he moved. Bending light and shadows made Jed move like something between a cat and a tornado. His green eyes widened upon seeing Felipe, but he quickly caught himself and gave him an easy smile.
“Felipe. Sorry, I didn’t expect to see you here. I thought you were supposed to be taking time off. Seeing your wife and kid.”
“Yeah, well, me too. I got assigned a case the day after we got back. And then another fell into my lap last night. No rest for the wicked, right?”
Jed nodded, though his eyes passed over Felipe’s face and body. Clearing his throat, Jed crossed his arms. “Right, right. Sorry for sticking you with so much case work. I took a few days off to do some things.”
Four steps behind Jed’s shoulder, Oliver froze with a raised brow, but Felipe wordlessly nodded for him to come over. As Oliver stiffly walked around him, Jed tensed, watching Oliver like he might strike at any moment. Felipe bit his tongue as to not say anything in front of Oliver in case he had missed Monroe’s reaction.
“Meet me downstairs when you’re done? I’m going to get started,” Oliver said softly, letting his hand rest on Felipe’s arm a second too long. His gaze flickered warily toward Jed before he disappeared down the stairs.
“You’re friends with him?” Jed asked with a nod toward where Oliver had just been.
“Yeah, why?”
Jed shrugged. “I don’t spend anymore time down there with him than I have to. He cuts up dead bodies and doesn’t even flinch.”
“You literally saw the bone sticking out of my arm two years ago and didn’t so much as wince whileIthrew up.”
“What we do is different. Besides, he only talks to those snobby librarians. You know those library people all think they’re better than field agents.”
“I highly doubt they do, but as a matter of fact, I quite like Miss Jones and Dr. Barlow,” Felipe replied blithely to avoid grinding his teeth further. While suspicion served them well in the field, Felipe forgot how bad Jed could be when he was in a snit. “Look, Barlow is working the Sister Mary Agnes case with me and Newman. He’s been very helpful and thorough.”
Jed looked like he wanted to say something but instead shrugged. “You said you got another case last night?”
“Yeah, my friend’s property was broken into, and the thief made off with a magical book of some kind. I haven’t gotten to speak to the librarians about it yet, so I’m not sure what it does or why anyone would want it.”
“I’m not busy. I could work the case with you if you want.”
Guilt panged in Felipe’s chest. It would be the last chance he had to work with his old partner before he had to say goodbye, but he couldn’t. Talking about the details surrounding the theft of the book would lead to talking about the minutiae of the Sister Mary Agnes case and what happened in the vestry with Father Gareth. Oliver hadn’t told Felipe not to tell anyone about him being reanimated, but the more people who got close to the truth before he died, the more suspicion might fall on Oliver after. He couldn’t have that. Even if there was no way Jed was involved in his murder, he couldn’t know his death was anything but sudden and natural.
Forcing a smile, Felipe said, “Thanks for the offer, Jed, but I already have Dr. Barlow listed as the second investigator. It’s nothing personal; he just happened to be with me when I went out to the scene of the crime.”
“I understand.”
Jed’s eyes narrowed in a way that made Felipe think he understood all too well and had something he would like to say about it. Five years of working together hadn’t helped Felipe to better understand Jed Monroe’s taciturn moods. Unlike Oliver, where Felipe could trace back the anxiety or annoyance to a source, Jed could turn sour with little preamble. He was a good investigator in the field, quick with a gun or on foot but equally quick with his temper. Despite his faults, Felipe would still miss him and hoped Jed would miss him, too, after he was gone.
“Hey, are you going to be around this week? I thought maybe we could get a drink after work one day and catch up.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll let you know when I’m free.”
Watching Jed leave, Felipe replayed all he had said and done since they returned from out west but couldn’t find a reason his partner should be cross with him, yet he felt the distance keenly. Felipe shrugged to himself and trotted down the steps to the basement. Jealousy, maybe? Jed was one of the few male agents who seemed inclined to only find women appealing, but he could have been wrong. Or perhaps the jealousy was simply professional. He and Jed had worked together nearly exclusively when going across the country, but back at the Paranormal Society, cases went to whomever was around regardless of preferences. At the laboratory door, Felipe knocked and heard Oliver call from within. Closing the door behind him, he shivered as a wall of icy air blew in from the back door. As Oliver bent to remove the doorstop, he shot Felipe a warm grin.
“I’m glad I came down when I did. The undertaker finally came for Mr. Henderson’s body. I warned him that I did the best I could to tidy Mr. Henderson up after his autopsy, but there’s only so much one can do with a half-eaten body.”
“His family will probably keep the casket closed. I wouldn’t fret too much.”
“I guess.” Oliver frowned as he skimmed the paperwork in his hand before carefully adding it to a drawer in the bottom of his desk. “Was that your partner upstairs?”
The tone of his voice was flat, but the neutral way Oliver schooled his face felt forced. Leaning against the doorway, Felipe watched him closely. “Yes, why?”
“No reason. I’m just surprised you liked working with him. He isn’t what I imagined when you talked about your partner. It isn’t that I didn’t care. It’s hard to keep track of who everyone upstairs pairs up with.”
“We don’t always get a say in it.”
“I know. I also don’t remember him ever coming down to the necropsies with you when you were here. You always came alone.” Oliver shrugged but kept his eyes on the desk. “He’s more conventionally attractive than I expected, though I can’t imagine he hands his paperwork in on time or with any detail.”
