I exhaled through my nose in what was half a laugh, half surrender. Fair enough. I nodded, offering her a polite smile before turning toward the door.
So it seemed that there was a link between Linda Fell and Alfred Thorne. I ran through the specifics of Fell’s case in my mind, trying to see what had prompted her to draw a line between the two. Knowing the detective, she must have caught on to something, even though I couldn’t see it yet.
It looked like I had my work cut out for me, as well.
5
Tom
Once December rolled around, the police department hosted its annual holiday party. Most of the ME’s staff had been invited to join in as well, considering our jobs overlapped more often than not.
Someone had outdone themselves with the decorations this year. Twinkling fairy lights were strung across the ceiling, wreaths hung on every door, garlands wrapped around the staircases in spirals of green, dotted with tiny bells that jingled whenever someone brushed past.A towering Christmas tree stood proudly in the corner, its branches heavy with shimmering ornaments, a gold star perched at the top.
From the speakers flowed a steady stream of Christmas music, classics blending into pop renditions. The department’s unofficial mascot, a grumpy German shepherd named Max, had been reluctantly crowned with a pair of reindeer antlers. He didn’t move much these days, but he still liked to be where the people were, especially when ham was involved.
A few people had taken to the makeshift dance floor, while others crowded around the buffet table. Even thehigher-upshad loosened up, thanks to the steady rotation of drinks in their hands. The only one seemingly immune to the holiday cheer was Detective Sawyer.
She stood off to the side, her simple black dress making her fade into the background. Her hair was down tonight, softening the sharp edges of her cheekbones and jaw. The only pop of color was her lipstick, a deep ruby shade that matched the wine swirling lazily in her glass.
I hadn’t planned on approaching her. Not really. But something about the way she stood there, like the eye of a storm as chaos whirled around her, pulled me in anyway.
“Detective,” I greeted, moving into her orbit. “You look nice tonight.”
Her gaze cut to me, flat and cold. The temperature in our little corner of the room dropped ten degrees in an instant.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
I blinked, caught off guard by her tone. “Nothing? I just meant you look… nice?”
“So I don’t usually look nice? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
I wasn’t sure what I’d done, but judging by her expression, it fell somewhere between felony and personal insult. I wasn’t sure which one was worse.
“What? No, I—”
One minute in, and I was already crashing and burning. This had to be some new kind of personal record.
Detective Sawyer continued to watch me flounder for a few more moments. Then, her lips twitched and the whole serious facade dissolved like smoke. “Relax, Hayes,” she said, a full grin breaking across her face now. “I’m just messing with you.”
Of course, she was.I huffed through my nose.
“And here I thought you might take the day off with the holidays.”
“Nah. I’d never do that to you. And besides, all of this—” she said, gesturing vaguely around us—“is wildly overrated.”
“Now, now, Detective. Where’s your holiday spirit?”
“Lost it somewhere between my third homicide this month. I swear, this time of the year never fails to bring out the murderous streak in people.”
Well, wasn’t that the truth…
Detective Sawyer sighed.“Tell me, Hayes, how much longer do I have to endure this torture before it’s socially acceptable for me to leave?”
“Another hour. Give or take.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
To say Detective Sawyer looked less than thrilled would be an understatement. Her fingers kept flirting with the stem of her glass, gliding the wine in slow circles, the deep burgundy catching the light like silk in motion.
