“Maybe he just hasn’t sold it yet,” I said.
But that didn’t track. A guy who was confident enough to see a dead body, realize what it was, and then have the balls to steal it wouldn’t be in this place for more than a hot minute.
“So, what’s the plan?” Nick said.
“I say we go shake some trees,” I said.
With a shove to get my door open, I got out of the car. Nick was on the sidewalk, and his hand hovered near his waist as though he was about to check for his gun and badge. He dropped it when I raised an eyebrow.
“You missing something, officer?” I asked.
“Lead the way, detective,” Nick said.
Crossing the street, I unhooked the gate and stepped into the yard. My eyes searched for the dog that was implied by the doghouse, but it looked like we were on our own. The lawn ornaments were even more creepy up close.
Keeping to the driveway and then a cracked concrete path, I made my way to the front door. There was a metal security gate in place, and when I pressed the doorbell, I didn’t hear anything inside.
With a sharp rap on the metal door, I said, “Damon Griffith, you here?”
There was no response, although I thought I might’ve seen a shade move in a nearby window. For about ten minutes, we waited. Normally, I would reach out to some spirits nearby to see if any of them had any information for me. With Nick present, I felt awkward and like I was on display.
Not the good sort of display either. This wasn’t me, naked on a bed, with Nick stretched over me. He was about to see all my methods up close. I couldn’t help but feel like I’d lose some of the allure if he knew that most of my job was hurry up and wait.
When I was sure no one was going to answer the door, I jerked my head and Nick followed me back to the car. Once inside, I rolled down the windows and reclined my seat a bit.
“And now?” Nick said, although given his expression he knew exactly what was coming.
“And now we’re on a stakeout,” I said. I reached into the backseat and pulled out a bag of Cheetos. Gesturing with my hand, I pointed to the glove box. Nick reached in and pulled out a handful of fast-food napkins that I kept for just this purpose.
“Cheetos already?” Nick said. “Aren’t you blowing your good snack foods too early?”
“Oh, grasshopper,” I said. “You have so much to learn.”
Reaching into the back again, I pulled out a reusable bag and handed it to Nick. Both of his eyebrows went up as he pawed through the food inside.
“At least now I know why your grocery bill is always ridiculous,” Nick said. “I’m taking these.”
He pulled out a bag of healthy veggie crisps, and I grinned.
“I got those especially for you,” I said. “I knew you’d like them.”
“You knew I’d go on a stakeout with you?” Nick asked. He looked surprised, a soft, sweet smile on his face.
“I had hopes,” I said. “Dreams that one day you would give up on your lucrative job for the SAPD and join me down here in the gutter where we at least have good snack foods on our stakeouts.”
“I don’t know,” Nick said. He opened the snack bag and put one of the puffy crisps in his mouth. “You have the good snacks, but the SAPD has air conditioning.”
“I could get air conditioning,” I offered. I wasn’t sure what made me say it because it sounded like I was more serious than I actually was about Nick joining me at my job.
There was no chance that Nick, who had invested more of his personal self-worth in being a cop then I had invested in anything in my entire life, would want to leave the job he’d worked so hard for to work with me. Even knowing that, even with all the realities clattering around in my head, I still had a vision of the two of us as partners.
When I got up the courage to look at him, Nick’s expression was fond. He opened his mouth, but there was sudden movement across the street.
The door to Griffith’s house flew open as though someone had kicked it. A woman was framed in the doorway, the house behind her dark. She pointed at us and said something I couldn’t hear from across the street.
Frowning, I opened my door. She raised her voice to a near scream. The rest of the houses on the block stayed silent.
No one was going to get involved with whatever this was.
