He raises both hands. “All right. All right. Captain wants us in his office. He expects a debriefing on the Cruz case.”
Captain’s timing can’t be worse. The last thing I need is a grilling about a case I’ve hit a dead end with. My brain is fried from Alyssa’s claims. “This conversation will go down like a cup of cold sick.”
“Huh?” Eric glances around as if someone can shed some light. “What does that even mean?”
“You’re about to find out,” I say, dragging my feet all the way to the captain’s office, with him hot on my heels.
I’m about eight feet from the door when something in my path trips me. I attempt to right myself and end up slamming into Captain’s door, creating a sound that rivals a brick being tossed at the wood.
“Shit. You okay, West?”
I spin around, searching for whatever caused my fall but find nothing.
“There was something...” My words trail off as I continue to search for an apparently invisible object. “Where did it go?”
“Are you gonna bust down my door or get your asses in here?” Captain yells from the other side.
I share a look with Eric before pushing it open and heading straight into the fire.
“Care to explain that?” Captain says, looking at Eric and then me.
“He tripped over his own feet,” Eric says, smothering a laugh.
Captain grunts, steely gaze trained on me. “Take a seat, boys. What do ya got for me?”
I make to sit and somehow miss completely, falling straight on my ass.
“Jesus Christ, West. What the hell’s the matter with ya?”
I pop up like a jack-in-the-box, looking to Malone with a scowl meant to shake him to his bones. He bites his bottom lip, trying desperately not to burst into laughter in front of Captain, but I know he didn’t do it. He wouldn’t clown around in Captain’s office.
“Try it again,” Captain commands, looking at me like I’ve lost it. “And someone better start talking. I have the feds breathing down my neck, and Silverton all over our ass for info about the missing persons report. I need something to get them to piss off.”
I pat the chair, sitting down slower than a geriatric man, feeling about two feet high in front of my colleague and mentor.
I’m shaken from the confrontation with Alyssa. That has to be it.
“The car was wiped clean and there was no additionalevidence to be found,” Eric starts, and Captain cuts him off before he can continue.
“What about a murder weapon? It had to have been something large based on the crack to her skull.”
“Nothing that matches, and no blood was found at the scene. She was likely killed somewhere else and taken to that location to dump,” I say, rubbing my leg anxiously. Anything to get rid of this pent-up energy coursing through me.
My hairs are sticking up on end, and I swear to god the vent is blowing directly on my neck, giving the sensation of a whispered breath. A very uneasy feeling is creeping over me, and the need to get the hell out of this office before I make a further fool of myself is intense.
Captain’s phone rings, distracting me momentarily from my unease. “Get outta here and find me something useful,” he barks, waving his hand in the air.
He does not have to tell me twice.
I’m out of my chair, going hell for leather to my desk.
“Dude... what is going on with you today?” Eric stares at me like I’ve sprouted a third eye, and maybe I have.
Something is off, and I can’t put my finger on it.
“I’m not feeling right today,” I say, swiping the back of my hand over my forehead, feeling for a high temperature.
Eric looks around and leans in. “Go home, man. I’ll cover for you.”
