Niyah laughed. She’d almost forgotten that Xander was white. After a while, it just didn’t seem to matter. Truth be told, she liked having him around. But it had taken every bit of self-control for her not to creep into his room and finish what he’d started the night he gave her the tongue-lashing of a lifetime.
“Sooo, did you fu-.”
“Dr. Reed?” the interruption came from the doorway. Dr. Katima Leer had peeped inside. “A Jane Doe just arrived. She’s in exam room 2.”
“Thank you, Dr. Leer.”
“Do you want me to get her prepped?” asked the intern.
“Yes, please. And, when you’re done, come back and tuck this guy in.
With an eager smile, the new doctor nodded. “Will do, Dr. Reed.”
“Thank you. I’ll be right in.” Niyah walked over to the sink and washed her hands. “Duty calls, Detective. You’ll have to go mind somebody else's business now.”
“Um-hm. I’ll see you later.”
The sound of the door closing ushered the release of a ton of weight off her shoulders. Niyah wasn’t a good liar, and constantly performing was beginning to take its toll. She pulled her phone from the back pocket of her scrubs and dialed.
Niyah smiled when the rich baritone that could only come from a black man answered the call with a sexy, “Hello.”
“Leo, hello.”
“Dr. Reed.” he responded melodiously.
Niyah chuckled and cleared her voice. “I know it’s short notice, but are you free tonight?”
“If I need to be free, foryou, I’ll be free.”
“How about dinner? Would seven work?”
“Sure.”
Niyah sighed. “Great. We can meet downtown. Maple & Ash is a few doors from your office, right?”
“Yes, ma’am. Maple & Ash is perfect. I’ll see you there.”
“Thanks, Leo.”
“No problem. I’m looking forward to seeing you.”
“Me too. See you soon.”
Niyah disconnected the call and closed her eyes, nearly dizzy from the out-of-control spin her life had taken as of late. She looked back at the victim on the table and realized that he was at the highest level of peace; a level, of course, that she did not covet. So, she shook off the bullshit and resolved to get her life back on track.
CHAPTER 39
BELLA
Bella pushed through the revolving doors and entered the 5thpolice district. She waved at the desk crew and took the stairs, two at a time, to the detective division.
“Hey, Deveraux!” the on-duty sergeant shouted. “Check your mail!”
Bella nodded and walked over to the wall of mail slots. Since she’d been off for a while, her box was filled with unopened mail. Clearly, it hadn’t dawned on her sister to check the mail when she was impersonating her. Looking at it, Bella didn’t much blame her. She grabbed the mail, tossed it in a plastic bag, and walked over to her desk. She tossed the bag along with her backpack on the side of her desk.
Bella sat down and flipped through her FOP directory until he found the number for the Illinois State Police Crime Lab. She scooted up in her chair and dialed.
“Illinois State Police, Division of Forensics,” announced a woman on the other end of the call.
