“Just checking on you. We were due to leave ten minutes ago.”
“I’m coming.”
“Everything all right?”
“Yeah, just sluggish this morning. Be right there.” She slapped the phone closed and jammed it into her back pocket, determined to shake off the weirdness and get to work where things usually made sense. Maybe it would help to be in her element with her people.
After putting the secure BlackBerry that linked her to Nick in her other back pocket, she went downstairs to meet Vernon and Agent Quigley, who was filling in for Jimmy while he continued to recover from taking a bullet that was meant for her. Add that to the list of insane things that’d happened recently. No wonder she was a quivering disaster area on the inside. As long as no one could tell that, she’d be fine.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said to Vernon as he held the back door to the black SUV. As always, he wore dark sunglasses and an immaculate suit. Today’s was gray with a burgundy tie.
“I’m on your schedule, my friend. No worries.” Vernon took a closer look at her. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“All good.”
Vernon navigated the morning rush-hour traffic with great aplomb and had her at HQ fifteen minutes later.
“Anything special on the agenda for today?” Vernon asked.
“Not that I know of, but you’ll be the first to know if that changes.”
“Sounds good. Have a good day at the office, dear.”
Smiling, she said, “Thank you.”
“Sam.”
She turned back to him.
“I know you well enough by now that I can tell something is off. If I can help, you know where to find me.”
He’d become very dear to her in the months he’d been running her detail. “I do, and I appreciate that very much.”
“You got it.”
Sometimes she yearned for the old days when there were a lot fewer people who knew her well enough to see that something was off. But most of the time, she was thankful to be surrounded by such a supportive community. Speaking of her community, she stopped at the morgue to say good morning to her friend Dr. Lindsey McNamara, the department’s chief medical examiner.
Lindsey looked up from her computer when she heard Sam come in. “Morning.” As usual when she was working, her long red hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
“Morning, Doc. How’s tricks?”
“Not too bad for once.”
“Glad to hear.” Neither of them dared to use the word slow, lest they bring down the universe’s wrath upon themselves and their colleagues. “How was your weekend?”
“It was good. We had a final meeting with the caterer and spent some time at the farm nailing down the remaining details there. I can’t believe it’s only two more months until the wedding.”
“Exciting times.”
“My sisters are planning a bachelorette party. I told them to leave you out of that.”
“I’ll go if you want me there.”
“I do not want you there, because it’s the last place on earth you’d want to be.”
“I’d do it for you.”
Lindsey laughed. “Thank you, but you’re more than fine to sit it out. You’re already having to deal with dress fittings and bridal showers. That’s more than enough.”
