Page 41 of Indiscretion

“How is there entrapment?”

“Well, the informant is a known drug addict, right?”

“Yeah. That’s how the narcotics division flipped him. Rich bastard uses his silver spoon to put drugs up his nose.”

“Did the DA know the building inspector was a recovering addict? I bet they did. They basically dangled temptation in front of the person they were investigating, and when he took the bait, the informant shared drugs and then handed over government funds in the form of a bribe. That’s crossing the line to me.”

“Hmm… Good point. It’s worth looking into. Let’s schedule a deposition with the informant to see what the ADA instructed him to do, or if they told him about the inspector’s drug use.”

A loud gurgling noise came from somewhere. It sounded like water moving through pipes that had air in them. I looked around and realized the heat wouldn’t be on in August. The AC was. I pointed to Naomi. “Was that…your stomach?”

She covered her face. “I was hoping to get away with that. I haven’t eaten since yesterday. I lose my appetite when I’m nervous.”

“What were you nervous about?”

“My first day.”

“You feel any better now?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Let’s get you fed then. If you don’t mind a working lunch, I’ll order us some sandwiches from the deli down the block. I’d like to hear the rest of the thoughts you’ve kept to yourself over the last two hours while I rambled on about these cases.”

She smiled, and my eyes lingered on her lips for a heartbeat too long. I forced them away and cleared my throat, quickly heading for the conference room door.Ten feet at all times, Reed.“What are you in the mood for?” I asked from a safe distance.

“What are you getting?”

“Pastrami on rye and an order of steak fries.”

Her little nose scrunched up. “I don’t eat meat.”

A joke was on the tip of my tongue, but I managed to control myself. “They have salads.”

“That sounds good.”

“What kind do you want?”

“Anything.”

“A cobb without the turkey and bacon?”

“Actually, I don’t eat eggs or cheese either.”

“So…lettuce?”

She laughed. “How about I place the order?”

“Sounds good. There’s a menu for Gem Deli in one of your drawers. They deliver, and we have an account there.”

“Great. So a pastrami on rye and an order of steak fries?”

“On second thought, make that two orders of steak fries.”

“Two?”

“I didn’t eat breakfast either. I went to the gym this morning. They have a protein-shake bar there, and I usually pick one up on my way out, but for some reason it wasn’t open today.”

“You went to the gym today? But you were here at six forty-five?”

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