Page 185 of Nocere

Chapter Twenty-Two

My office door opened, without a single knock, and Caroline entered like she owned the place. I set my pen and glasses on the desk, and tossed her a frown.

"What's up, buttercup?" She dropped down to sit in the chair across from me, a cocky smirk on her face.

"It's rude to just walk in here, Caroline. You don't have jurisdiction over my space," I shot back.

"Feisty little brat, just like my Nora." She tapped her boot against the desk and I folded my arms across my middle.

"Stop it."

"All right." She sat forward now, her demeanor shifting immediately. "I didn't mean to upset you, Rosie. I was only teasing."

"I don't like to be teased like that. I know what brat means," I said, calming down when she acted normal again.

"I'm sorry. I can see you're upset. I really came in to see how you were." She leaned forward with her elbows on the desk, and her deep brown eyes bore into me. Her apology seemed genuine and her usually sarcastic expression softened.

"Were you really?"

"Yes. Honest." She held her hand out to me, palm up. "I'm sorry, Rosie."

It took me a moment to calm down enough to accept her gesture. With caution, I placed my hand on top of hers and she gave me a gentle squeeze. When she didn't tug me or pull a prank, my shoulders relaxed.

"Thank you."

"I didn't mean to scare you. I recognize that I do sometimes," she said.

I nodded and we released each other. "I'm used to only Sam…"

"I make you feel uncomfortable because I come on strong in a similar way?" Her inquiry got me thinking and I nodded.

"Yes. But I don't...I don't know how to explain it."

"You don't trust me in the same way. I understand what you mean."

"I'm still learning," I said, finally meeting her gaze again. "About myself and why I love Sam and how we are together."

"It takes time, but it's a lovely thing to learn. I'm used to Nora. Even though she's mine, in my absence, she looks to Sam for comfort or guidance. Or Marita or Sali or anyone who is a stronger personality."

"I noticed she does that with Sam. Does it bother you?"

"No." Caroline smiled rather thoughtfully. "It comforts me knowing that someone is looking after her if I can't be there. As long as it's not sexual. For the most part."

I nodded and glanced toward the open door. "It's weird talking about this at work."

"Well, we'll have to get together soon to talk about it more. But first… I want to show you something." She hopped up and gestured to the door. "Come with?"

"Where are we going?" I stood up and, with caution, trailed behind her a step.

"Down the hall."

She led me through the winding space toward the interrogation rooms closer to the entrance to lockup. We entered one of the rooms to find Walsh, Ben, and Eve standing with a man I didn't know and Billie. She smiled at me and offered me a small wave.

"This room is the lesbianest room in the building right now," announced Caroline. "Perhaps even the city."

"Shut up, Donovan," everyone said at the same time.

I stifled a laugh when Caroline flipped them off. Her demeanor softened again and she placed her hand behind me, ushering me to the two-way mirror that looked into one of the interrogation rooms. A man sat there, his handcuffed hands folded on the table, while he stared straight ahead. As a clean-cut, neatly put together white guy in his forties, there wasn't anything remarkable about him except his ugly slicked back hair.

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