Page 93 of Skeletons in the Closet

“He’s not my partner.”

“Interesting.” Doyle smirked. “Does he know that?”

Tallus propped his hands on his hips in the cocksure way he had, scoffing. “I’m in training, and what’s it to you?”

“You’re not in—” I bit my tongue, unwilling to argue the issue when we should be taking a united stance in front of Doyle. “What do you want?” I asked the detective with no less growl in my voice.

“I have a few questions.”

“Ask them.”

“I’m curious what you’re investigating.”

“None of your business.”

“Except, I think it is my business since you were nosing around the university today, asking questions about David Shore. I saw you both, and I strongly suspect you were in places you shouldn’t have been, tampering with things you shouldn’t have been tampering with. There are laws against breaking and entering, Krause. You know that.”

I held Doyle’s glare. He was no longer smirking, but he also wasn’t backing down. A schoolyard pissing contest neither of us was willing to lose.

“I also suspect,” he added, “that if I was so inclined to check prints in Mr. Shore’s office, I might find yours.”

Tallus tried to catch my eye, but I refused to tear my gaze from Doyle. I didn’t intimidate him any more than I intimidated Tallus.

“Talk to me right now, or I’ll drag you both into an interview room under the pretense of tampering with an investigation.”

I ground my teeth and flexed my hands. “My cases are confidential. You’ll need a warrant.”

Aslan huffed, and that time, it was he who rested his hands on his hips. “Oh, do I?”

Tallus appeared beside me and touched my arm. A feverish chill rolled over my skin with the contact. Instinct wanted me to pull away, but his touch did something different than I expected. It settled me. It made me want to step closer and steal whatever recipe he had that made it possible for him to be calm and cool in the face of animosity.

Tallus lifted his chin. “What are the charges against David Shore?”

When Doyle didn’t answer, Tallus stood his ground, tightening his hold on my bicep, warning me to stay quiet. “It’s public information,Detective.” The snark was back. “You read him his rights. Therefore, I assume he’s officially been charged. He isn’t a suspect anymore. What are the charges?”

“Feisty little thing, aren’t you?”

I growled and moved to step forward, but Tallus stopped me with a quiet, “Down boy.”

Aslan chuckled. “You’re in over your head, Tallus. Be careful who you associate with.”

“I’m a big boy.”

Aslan’s gaze traveled from me to Tallus and back. “If I answer your questions, then you answer some of mine.”

“Provided it doesn’t break confidentiality for our case,” Tallus said.

My case, I wanted to retort but didn’t.

Doyle considered and shifted his weight, crossing his arms over his chest. “Vehicular homicide.”

I frowned, and Tallus vocalized my thought with a “huh?”

It was not what we were expecting. Not drugs. Not rape or having sex with minors. Not Beth’s murder.Vehicular homicide?

Doyle noticed our confusion, flicking his attention between us for a second. “I take it that isn’t what you expected.”

“We’re way off base, D,” Tallus muttered.

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