Page 61 of Water's Edge

“You should have given me a call, Megan,” Marley says. He’s angry and he’s right.

Lonigan made out an evidence collection form signed by Cass as giving it to Lonigan and he made Marley sign it. Marley wasn’t happy about being forced to sign a form for evidence with no proof it was collected properly. It wasn’t an official request from the Sheriff’s Department and there was no other record giving him permission to even have it, much less test it.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” he asks, still fuming.

I don’t blame him for being angry. That’s fine. On the other hand, I don’t really care. I only care about the case.

“I’m truly sorry,” I say, feebly trying to soothe him. “You’re right, Marley. It’ll never happen again.”

I don’t know for sure, but I suspect that’s a lie.

My words do little to placate him, but I keep going.

“You’re doing so much for me already, I feel bad about asking you to run the new samples against what you have from Leann Truitt, Margie Benton, and Dina Knowles.”

I sound thoroughly chastened.

I think.

Marley lets out a little puff of a sigh. “Megan, you only asked if I would see if there was DNA in Truitt’s rape kit. That’s all.”

He’s weakening. Good. All I need is one more thing.

“Ronnie said to tell you hello,” I say. “She’s the one who told me you would help out.”

A slight pause on the other end of the line.

“I know what you’re doing, Megan.”

Maybe I’ve overdone my act. It’s happened a time or two.

“You’re trying to fix me and Ronnie up.”

I relax. He isn’t as smart as he thinks.

“Caught me. She really does think you’re cute.”

Now all I have to do is convince Ronnie that she thinks Marley is cute. Might not be so hard. Marley is attractive, fit, and not completely geeky. That’s rare in a crime lab.

“I’ll do it this one time, Megan,” he says, “but you need to send a report to me as quick as possible. I can’t just run tests on a whim of yours. If I did that, do you know how many people would want me to do it?”

I want to say no. “A gazillion, I imagine. I won’t say a word. Promise.”

“I’ll call you, but don’t expect me to drop everything else to do this.”

“I don’t.”

“The samples are markedBandT. Is that all you have? No names?”

“Not yet, but I’m working on it.”

“Okay,” he says. “As long as you know where they came from and put it in the report you’ve just promised me.”

“I do.”

“Tell Ronnie hello for me.”

I smile to myself. “I will.”

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