“It looks good on you. See ya later.”
My smile disappears as soon as she turns to leave. I continue walking back to my desk, having a hard time keeping my mind from wandering. Me, have babies? Is that even possible?
Not with the way the guys are right now, and that’s assuming they’d want to father children. We never discussed it because it wasn’t possible. We entered this relationship assuming it would continue the way it is, but truth be told, I’d love to have my own family.
But I can’t give up what I have going right now. It’s perfect. I’m happy. The guys are happy. Sighing, I sit at my desk. At least the world isn’t in danger from this issue.
* * *
“Thank you again,”I say, and hang up. I just got off the phone with the police department in Lebanon, and they are sending over the case file for the people found in the woods. The officer I spoke with was a little taken aback that I thought foul play could be at hand. They thought they had a solid case, saying the couple must have fallen in the nearby creek, gotten too cold, and couldn’t make it through the night.
Even though they had plenty of firewood left.
And a tent.
And two sleeping bags.
And were experienced hikers.
I lost count of how many times I rolled my eyes while talking to him on the phone. I get it: people like closure and understanding things around them. People generally don’t believe in monsters, and suggesting something otherworldly having a hand in anything never goes over well.
Trust me. That used to be my job. I used to be the one giving people the “you’re batshit crazy and need to be on medication” eye when they’d say a ghost or demon was responsible for the crimes committed. And until the vampires started killing people and dumping the bodies around town, I never would have given any thought to monsters being real.
But people freezing to death in the summer?
That’s not normal any way you look at it. If they were in the creek or even on the shore…yeah, I might consider it. But that was before the officer said the creek was shallow and a popular swimming spot in the small town because—get this—the water was unseasonably warm for June thanks to an early spring. The autopsies were done yesterday, and it took another phone call to the medical examiner to get the reports sent over.
I tap my fingers on my desk, waiting for the files to pop up on my computer. As soon as they’re there, I’m printing them and hightailing it out of here before I run into someone else I’ll have to lie to. And if anyone sees me printing these files…
The details of my parents’ murder are known to a few people around the station. No one brings it up or anything like that, but when the truth gets out that my parents were murdered and the case is still unsolved, everyone is curious. We’re all cops, after all. It’s sort of our thing.
The files pop up and I quickly print them, waiting by the printer. I pull the first page out while it’s still hot and fold it in half, sticking it in my purse. What I’m doing is wrong. I lied, flat-out lied, to another cop. I think about the cops in fantasy movies and TV shows, balancing both their regular life with their magical life and how things work out to their advantage to have a foot in with the law.
But that’s not how it feels for me. Yeah, I’m accessing these files because of my badge, but it still feels wrong.
“You’re saving people,” I mutter to myself. It makes me feel a little better. I grab the last paper, stash it in my purse, and close down my computer. I hurry back out, finding Hasan standing outside the car.
“Everything okay?” I ask, heart skipping a beat.
“Yeah. I got bored,” he says with a smirk. “I was watching the people on the streets.”
“Still not used to it, are you?” I open the driver’s side door and get in.
“No.” Hasan gets in and pulls his seatbelt over his body. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t like it here.”
“Good. You’re kind of stuck here.”
He playfully nudges my arm. “At least I have good company.”
“I’m pretty much the best,” I shoot right back, and he laughs, resting his hand on my thigh as we start the drive back to the house.
“Did you get what you needed?”
“Yes. Full case files. I haven’t had a chance to look over them yet, but just from the short conversation I had with the officer working the desk tonight, these people didn’t die of natural causes. Well, as natural as freezing to death can be,” I add.
Hasan gives my thigh a reassuring squeeze, and we don’t bring it up again the rest of the way home. Instead, Hasan turns up the radio. He’s a fan of classic rock, which suits him in a way I can’t really explain.
The house smells amazing when we step inside, and Hasan puts his hand on his stomach. Right. We haven’t eaten yet. Becoming obsessed with potential demonic murders should be a diet fad. I’ve forgotten to eat many times over the last few days.
