“Hey!” I growled. Did he even realize what century this was? I made a mental note to make a stack of feminist books for Heathcliff to read.
“Watch yourself, Moriarty,” Wilson said. “That’s not how the law works.”
“The alternative is that our friend Mr. Earnshaw here, expert legal mind that he is, makes a lot of trouble for you in regards to the mistreatment of his client,” Morrie piped up. “And since you’re up for promotion in the next couple of months, I don’t think you want that.”
“We never mistreated her!”
“It’s not about what actually happened,” Morrie said. “It’s about what a court of her peersbelievehappened.”
Wilson paled. The inspector shoved her toward the door. “We’re sorry about arresting you, Ms. Wilde. You understand there was evidence that suggested—”
“It’s cool” I grinned. “We’re good.”
The officers followed. Jo lingered at the doorway, her laughter finally breaking through. “A court of her peers? You really are something, Morrie. I don’t know how you convinced them to let Mina go, but I’m bloody glad you did.”
“Mina was the real hero,” Morrie said. “She’s the one who figured out how Ashley was getting word about the drawings to her buyer, and that led us to Darren.”
“It sounds like she’s just the girl to keep you on your toes, then.” Jo gave me a wave. “It looks like I’ll be working tonight if they remove more evidence from Darren’s room, but how about I call tomorrow and we can grab that coffee?”
“It’s a date,” I beamed.
Jo whistled a Clash song under her breath as she followed the officers out the door. As soon as it slammed shut, Morrie grabbed me around the waist and lifted me off the ground.
“You’re free, Mina!” he beamed. “The English criminal justice system triumphs again!”
“I can’t believe it!” I grinned back, the weight of the last few days lifting from my body.
“It just goes to show,” he said, “as an old colleague of mine always said, ‘when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’ We none of us predicted the true motives of the killer, and yet, the clues were right there. The beer cans in the garden outside, the ring in her pocket, and the fact the killer left behind the images.”
“It’s going to take a mighty scrubbing to get those bloodstains out of my desk,” Heathcliff growled.
“Leave them,” Quoth suggested, transforming out of his bird form. “As a warning to anyone who dares cross you.”
“This calls for celebration. I’ll get the wine,” Morrie bounded up the stairs, Quoth following close behind.
Heathcliff rubbed at the bloodstain. An awkward silence descended.
“Mina…” Heathcliff’s head whipped up, staring at a spot behind my shoulder. “About the other day—”
“You mean when you kissed me? You can say it, you know. I’m not a prude.”
“Yes, well,” he muttered. “I was wrong.”
“The mighty Heathcliff admits he was wrong. Well, what were you wrong about?”
“I was wrong to kiss an employee. Now, you answer me something. If I wasn’t your boss, what would it mean then?”
If I wasn’t your boss…
What is he saying?
The air between us thinned. Heathcliff’s breath hitched. My body thrummed with energy. I stepped toward him, my body pulled by some invisible force.
Heathcliff snarled and yanked himself away. “It is not something we should think of,” he said.
“You seem as though you’re thinking of it right now.”
“Infuriating woman.”
