I told myself I was simply checking in. A quick pass-by. Nothing more. Knowing Detective Sawyer, there was a good chance she was still at work. I’d just take a quick look around, make sure nothing was off. Then, I’d go from there.
That had been the plan, anyway.
In hindsight, expecting anything to be simple where one Detective Shay Sawyer was concerned had been laughably naive.
The parking lot was mostly empty when I pulled up, thebuilding looming quiet and dark save for a few scattered lights. Detective Sawyer’s car sat in its usual spot, angled carelessly, one tire nearly touching the curb, like she’d parked in a hurry. Or hadn’t cared. Probably both.
Relief hit first, raw and sudden, flooding through my chest before something else began creeping in at the edges. Doubt—the cold finger of reason pointing out how ridiculous I was being. I knew I was overreacting, letting paranoia get the better of me. But my hands were on the steering wheel, and my car was already rolling into the parking lot.
I just sat there for a moment.
Now what?
I’d come here on impulse, riding a wave of concern I couldn’t quite justify even to myself, and now I was idling near the precinct at night like some kind of stalker. Or a concerned friend. The line between the two felt uncomfortably thin at times.
I could just leave. Should leave, probably, before anyone saw me lurking around like this. I didn’t get the chance to do that, however, as something rapped sharply against my window.
It took all I had not to jump at the sudden noise.
Detective Sawyer waved at me through the glass, seemingly appearing out of thin air.
For the love of…of course it would be her.
I rolled down the window, cold air rushing in. “Good evening, Detective.” I gave her a smile that I hoped wasn’t too frazzled.
“Hayes?” She peered down at me, frowning slightly. ”I thought it was you. What brings you here at this hour?”
My mind, usually great at fabricating cover stories on the fly, came up startlingly blank. “I… was looking for you, actually.”
She seemed surprised. “You were?”
“I was nearby.” I nodded, finally finding my footing again, the lie coming easier now. “And I thought you might want to grab a drink. If you don’t have other plans, that is.”
This was as good an excuse as any. We were on… friendish terms, weren’t we? It wasn’t that odd to ask a friend out for a drink.
The silence continued to stretch, long enough for me to wonder if the detective was able to see right through the bullshit excuse. But as it turned out, I was worrying over nothing as she shrugged and said, “Sure. Why the hell not? Usual place, okay?”
So we were doing this then. Alright.
This wasn’t how I expected my day to go, but in Detective Sawyer’s own words—Sure. Why the hell not?It wasn’t like I had other plans, anyway.
The bar was quiet, which was expected for a Thursday night. We claimed a booth near the back, away from the handful of other regular patrons that were scattered throughout. She ordered a whiskey, neat, while I stuck with my usual club soda with lime.
I was still deciding on the best way to start the conversation as we waited for our drinks to arrive, when Detective Sawyer beat me to it. “God, I needed this,” she said as she shrugged off her jacket, draping it on the seat beside her.
“Long day?” I asked.
“Isn’t it always?” She huffed, shaking her head, a few strands of hair falling loose from where she’d tucked them behind her ear. “But I don’t want to talk about work right now. No work—that’s rule number one when you’re out drinking with me.”
“Any other rules I should know about?”
“We’ll see. So talk to me about something—anything else. Like… tell me something I don’t know about you.”
“Now that’s a broad question.”
“Start small, then. Do you have any hobbies? Interests? Hidden talents?”
“I…” I began, unsure. “I like to read?”
