Page 49 of Water's Edge

She leaves, the line doesn’t ring, and I don’t get the usual sappy Muzak, so I think she’s disconnected me. Finally a click.

“Yang here,” a familiar voice says. “Detective Carpenter. Put me through to the sheriff.”

“The sheriff said I should talk to you,” I lie. “He wants to know if you got the rape kit from yesterday morning. The body found on Marrowstone.”

Marley is the lab supervisor at the crime lab. I’ve seen him only once in person. He’s short, compact, with longish black hair and a wannabe goatee. He is of the generation that believes CSI is all racing around in cars or foot chases, carrying guns, shooting up the bad guys, and going to a bar to celebrate.

It’s not like that. Except for the bars, of course.

“You meanyouwant to know. Is that it, Detective Carpenter?”

He sounds a little cross. “You got me, Marley. If it makes it a better trade, you can call me Megan from now on.”

Marley laughs, really more of a snort.

“Yes, I got the rape kit,” he says. “I know it’s a priority, along with thirty or forty other requests. I’m sorry, but you know how backed up we are.”

Here we go. I really don’t give one whit if you’re taking work home to finish it.

“I totally understand,” I say. “I get the same thing here. Can you believe a woman came in yesterday demanding that I have her car fingerprinted to prove her boyfriend had been driving it around with some other girl? She wanted the fingerprints tested for DNA. I told her no way. You guys are way too busy with major crimes.”

“Seriously?” he asks.

“I went out and threw some fingerprint powder around just to make her happy. Told her I’d get to the bottom of it.” I’m lying but he will think he owes me for not dumping something inane like that on him. Also, it sounds cool. Like I did something he’d never get away with because he’s part of the administration.

He laughs in earnest now.

“I thought you’d get a kick out of that.”

“I have no opinion,” he says, chuckling. “In fact, I didn’t even hear that. Good for you.”

I plead. But only a little. I never beg.

“Can you help me out here, Marley?”

“You said the sheriff wants this done posthaste?”

“He said to call him with the results, and he’ll relay them to me. I’m going to be all over the place interviewing people today. Maybe I could stop by later and check with you if I’m out your way?”

“I’ll be swamped, Megan.”

He’s calling me Megan, so my job kissing his ass is done here.

“Just a thought,” I say. “I’ve got a trainee with me anyway. Ronnie Marsh. Know her?”

“Ronnie?”

It wasn’t a question.

It wasexcitement.

If I checked his sperm count it would have doubled.

“She was here for a rotation. Smart girl.”

Evidently, Ronnie makes an impression wherever she goes.

“Yeah,” he says. “If you come by, I’ll show you what we’ve got on your kit.”

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