Long hours and too many late-night strategy sessions over takeout had forged an easy friendship between them. More like siblings than anything else.
He’d spoken to her two weeks ago while packing for the move north. They’d made tentative plans to grab dinner while he was still technically on vacation.
That idea felt a long way off now.
The fluorescent lights hummed overhead as he pressed send and leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifting to the victim photos pinned across the board as he waited for her to answer.
The call connected after the third ring. “Hey, hot stuff, what’s up?
Her voice always carried a spark that managed to cut through whatever darkness he happened to be dealing with. Despite the grimness of the morning, Sean smiled. “Aloha, Doc. How ya doing?”
“Great. How’s your vacation going? Have you gone stir-crazy yet?”
“Actually, I’m working.”
“What? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
When he told her he wasn’t, she groaned. “Didn’t anyone teach you the definition of a vacation, Malone? You’re what—not even one week into a four-week break? How the hell did you manage that?”
He gave her the condensed version of how he got pulled into the case, then spent the next several minutes outlining the murders. As he talked, his gaze moved over the timeline he’d written on the board, making sure he didn’t leave out any major details.
“So, that’s it in a nutshell. So I called my favorite shrink to see if she could work up a full profile for me. I’ve only got the basics.”
“Favorite, huh?” Her warm laugh brought a smile back to his face. “Flattery only gets you so far.”
He leaned farther back and propped one ankle over his opposite knee, letting himself relax for the first time all morning. “Uh-oh. What’s it going to cost me this time? A king’s ransom?”
“Nah. Just dinner, maybe dancing.”
“Dinner, yes. Dancing only if you don’t mind getting your feet crushed. I’m a lousy dancer. At least that’s what my prom date told me.”
Suki laughed. “What? A stud-muffin like you doesn’t have rhythm?”
His grin widened. “Oh, I’ve got rhythm, baby. Just not on the dance floor.”
The two shared a laugh, the sound easing some of the tension that had been pressing against Sean’s shoulders since dawn. Their conversations always carried that easy flirtation, playful and harmless, yet it had never crossed into anything more.
He often wondered why he never asked her out.
If Suki had been six or seven inches taller, she could’ve been a supermodel. He wouldn’t deny the woman was gorgeous. But somewhere during those long weeks working side by side, she’d become something far more valuable than a passing attraction—a friend. One he had no interest in losing over a relationship he already knew wouldn’t last. His track record made that painfully clear. Add in the complications of getting involved with someone from the bureau, and the answer had always been simple enough to leave alone.
“Anyway,” she said once her laughter faded, “I’ve got a meeting in the morning at headquarters, but my afternoon is light and can be cleared. I’ll fly down after the meeting, and you can show me what you’ve got. I’ll grab a hotel room somewhere and start on the profile after you treat me to dinner. Sound good?”
Sean’s gaze drifted out the conference room windows to the back employee parking lot. The gray clouds still smothered the sunlight, but they were supposed to pass by mid-afternoon.
“That’d be great, but you don’t need a hotel room. You can stay in the spare bedroom at my uncle’s cottage.”
“You don’t have to put me up. I’ll be fine in a hotel.”
“I don’t mind, and there’s plenty of room. Besides, you haven’t seen the place yet, and I know how much you love the beach. No more arguments.”
A soft huff came through the phone. “Okay, but if I get in your way, feel free to kick me out. Where should I meet you tomorrow?”
He gave her the address to the Dare County Sheriff’s Department. “Call when you’re close, and I’ll meet you here.”
“Perfect. Talk to you then.”
After he ended the call, Deputy Montgomery stepped into the conference room. The younger man looked almost too pleased with himself for someone standing in the middle of a homicide task force.
