“Am I your next victim? Is this the ‘disappearing’ part of the PR strategy?”
She frowns. “What?”
I nod toward the bag. “Is that Fred?”
“Fred?” She follows my line of sight. “Fred from the ground floor?”
“Yes. Fred.”
She studies the bag for a beat. “Fred would never fit in this bag.”
I stare at her, waiting for the punchline.
“No offense to Fred,” she adds, waving a hand, “but he’s a big guy. I’d need to chop him up to get him in here.”
My mouth opens before my professional filter can intervene. “That’s not actually that easy. To do it right, I mean.”
“Oh? Enlighten me, Doctor.”
“There are bones,” I explain, because apparently this is the conversation we’re having at 10 p.m. in a parking garage. “You’d need the right tools. Specialized saws and at least a very solid understanding of joint anatomy. You’d be at it for hours.”
She lifts her chin, her green eyes flashing. “Are you saying I couldn’t do it?”
“I’m saying you’d need a plan and probably a better bag.”
We just stand there under the flickering fluorescent lights, the absurdity of the moment hanging between us.
“Anyway.” She grabs the bag again and tries to haul it forward, but the plastic catches on the concrete. I rake a hand through my hair and step up beside her.
“Let me get that.”
“I’ve got it.”
“You’re going to blow out a disc and end up back in my ER. Let go.”
“My back is fine. That was a one-off.”
“Let’s keep it that way.”
Before she can argue again, I take the bag from her and dump it.
“Thanks,” she mutters.
“You’re welcome.” I give her a slow smile, just to see if I can get a rise out of her.
It works.
She turns on her heel and stalks toward the stairs. Unfortunately for her, we’re going the same way.
I should wait. I should let her have a thirty-second head start. Instead, I follow. The choice no longer feels like a choice, which is how I know I’m in trouble.
I fall into step beside her. “What did you mean when you said I was home early?”
“What?”
“You said I was early. How exactly did you know that?”
She keeps walking, her pace quickening. “No reason. Just a guess.”
