“You just said you’d recognize him if you saw him again.”
“I said I’dprobablyrecognize him,” Ivy corrected. Her cheeks had started to turn scarlet. “I guess I didn’t. He was... his eyes and—”
“It’s okay.” Vaughn tried to calm Ivy’s growing agitation. “Here, take my card. If you don’t hear from someone in the PPD in the next few days, give me a call. I’ll see if I can get your laptop back to you.”
“Thanks.”
They left with Ivy even more confused than the last time they’d visited.
“Seriously?” Darnell altered his voice. “Take my card, I’ll get your laptop back to you.”
“You were treating her like a suspect.”
“Isn’t she?”
“How so?”
Darnell ticked items off his fingers as he spoke.
“The gas is taken from her university. Her laptop is stolen by the same guy whose card was probably used to steal said gas. Security guard then ends up dead. She pretends she doesn’t recognize him. And that math shit? She definitely knows that math shit.”
“I don’t think she ‘pretended’ not to know him. She was shaken by that photo.”
“Good actress.”
Vaughn clenched his jaw. He didn’t like the path they were headed down, but he knew that if he didn’t at least entertain his partner, he’d never hear the end of it.
“Fine, I’ll bite. What’s her motive?”
“No clue. But we don’t need a motive.”
They didn’t. It was a common misconception that a motive was necessary for a conviction. It helped the DA form a narrative that the jury could follow, but killers didn’t always need a rhyme or reason. Vaughn had learned early in his career that applying rational logic to irrational actions was pointless.
“Look, Vaughn, I know how you feel about my hunches, but I got a big one right now. Dr.Reeves is holding something back.” Vaughn fought back a sigh, but it slipped out of the corner of his mouth. “Remember Armand Reese? The Princeton Pervert?”
“Yeah.” It wasn’t something you forgot.
Vaughn expected Darnell to continue, but he didn’t. Clearly, the man thought he’d said enough. Vaughn was tempted to repeat something that Darnell liked to say—even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while—but held back.
“Anyway, you wanna go for dinner?” Darnell asked.
Vaughn checked his watch.
“Sure, why not. Maybe we should invite Delaney.”
“Fuck off.”?
?Chapter 33
Despite accepting theinvitation, Vaughn didn’t really feel like going to dinner with his partner. Not after Darnell had been an asshole pretty much all day. But the more time they spent together, the less time his partner had to get shitfaced.
And Darnell behaved during the meal, a middle of the road steak and burger joint. Two beers each.
That being said, Darnell was typically good company. Liked to crack jokes, primarily at Delaney’s expense. Mostly good-natured ribbing.
Puppy dog, dick rider, simp. Beta.
Not today.
