“How long have they been dating?” I ask Murrey while making a lap around the table.
“Your old man was smitten with her the day she came to town.” Murrey tilts his head to the side and squints his eyes. “Four months ago. Maybe.”
“I’m assuming the feeling’s mutual?”
“I wasn’t so sure at first. She’s really quiet, and I didn’t see them out much together, but I think they spend most of their time together in private, or maybe she’s just shy,” Murrey answers with a shrug.
“What can you tell me about him?” I redirect the subject to the man lying on the table covered in a white sheet. I don’t want to think about my dad and what he and Belinda do in private. I continue to circle the table slowly while lowering my natural shields.
“Male, two hundred and sixty-three pounds without his noodle. I’m betting he was about six foot five before the trim.”
“Any idea what kind of weapon could have been used if it wasn’t magic?”Please don’t say hands.I’m already envisioning someone even bigger than this guy popping his head like a giant pimple.
I’m still only picking up traces of magic. There is a little more residue near where his head should be, but nothing definitive.
“I’d need more of the other tissues to have a better idea.” With his gloved hands, Murrey picks up a few loose tendrils of skin and matter that dangle from the guy’s neck like fettuccine. I have to force myself not to look away. “I’m going to run some of this material under the scopes and see if I can find anything left behind, but I wanted to do the autopsy first. The guy was in pretty good condition, other than having a fatty liver and a few ulcers.”
“What about his suit, get anything from that?”
“You’d have to ask your dad about that one. I just handle the wet work.” Murrey grins at me. The fact that he’s been a doctor nearly as long as my father has been a cop lends to his demented sense of humor.
I stop searching the body and focus on Murrey to ask about his wife, my old kindergarten teacher. “How’s Mrs. Nevers?”
Murrey peels off his gloves and tosses them into a biohazard bin with a red liner. “She’s good. They talked her into managing the summer program again.” He rolls his eyes affectionately.
“Will you tell her I said hello?”
“Sure will, unless you get the chance to tell her yourself.” Murrey waggles his brows at me.
“Not likely, I’m not sticking around that long. Give me a call if you find anything.”
Chapter 9
I’m kind of a big deal.
Dad still has the phone to his ear when I find him in the long quiet hallway. He’s nodding as if he’s listening intently to whomever is on the line. He looks over his shoulder at the sound of my footfalls. “It’s no problem, Belinda, we’ll meet you there in just a few.” His voice is all soft and sweet.Blah.
Moments later, Dad shoves his phone in his pocket after finishing his call. “Do we have time to stop for coffee before we head back to the station?”
“I told her we would come to her place. She’s understandably upset after yesterday, and I don’t want this to seem too formal.”
I start to tell him it’s not a good idea and formal is exactly what it should be, but he continues before I can interject.
“I know what you’re thinking, but she’s not involved in this, Frankie. You’ll understand when you meet her.”
“If that’s true, it’s all the more reason we should handle this by the book, Pop. You don’t want questions coming up that will bite you in the butt later.”
“If you still think we need to take her to the station after this interview, we can. I’ll even have one of the other guys sit with you while you question her, but let’s give this a shot first, huh?”
“It’s your case.” I lift my hands in surrender. “I’m not an official consultant, but if I were, I would advise you that you’re making a bad decision.”
“Noted.” Dad sighs, and we make our way over to the elevator and then out to the main parking lot. The sun feels good on my skin. Hospitals are always so cold, even more so in the morgue.
“So do you wanna tell me what they did?” Dad asks, tilting his head toward mine. Just the mention of the guys has me looking around, and sure as shit, I find the black SUV parked next to Dad’s work truck. Remy is leaning against the driver’s side door, looking in our direction with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. After a quick search, I find Grayson in the passenger seat, staring straight ahead, as if he would rather be anywhere else but here.Me too, buddy.Felix is perched on the rear seat with the door open and his feet propped up on the running bar, and there’s a laptop open across his knees. He glances up when my eyes are still on him, and a ghost of a smile curls his lips before it quickly melts.
My face falls too. “You mean other than getting me kicked out of Mickey’s and holding me hostage last night? I can’t believe she sold me out.” I shake my head.
Dad’s lips twist in a wry grin. “I find she rarely does anything without a good reason.”
