Page 55 of Sinful Deception

“You’re being intentionally inflammatory. You think I don’t know you do that as a way to avoid what’s really happening in our lives?”

“I’m not avoiding. I helped plan a funeral, my extended family is flying in tonight to haunt my peace, and one of my staff members is currently suffering a serious medical incident. What more is there to face?”

She drags her head up again and pins me with a glare. “Jada’s gone, and Fletch is hurting. Booth is on the loose, Doctor Chase won’t even kiss his wife until tests are done, though weknowthe disease cannot spread via saliva. And you sawNew Yorkandmissing personon the news, so now you’re uptight and anxious about it.”

“I walked away from the news, knowing that I wouldbecomeanxious and uptight if I watched. There’s nothing more to plan for Fletch, so now we wait. And Booth is a non-issue for us. Balladae and Elen seem like decent cops, and Booth isn’t an under-the-radar kind of guy. He ran, but he’ll surface again soon. It’s not even a blip in my mind.”

“And Doctor Chase? You’re at work, even though you’re not supposed to be,andhe’s not even here. Screams anxiety to me.”

“I thinkyou’reanxious and wildly insecure about it, so you project it on me instead. Because Fletch is your friend too, and planning a funeral sucks. Booth is on the loose, and though he was the one who hurt Jada, your open and uncensored thoughts about her make you feel guilty. The sooner he’s behind bars, the sooner you can feel okay about all the mean things you said about her. And Tim wants to buy you a big house with a pool and a golf course.”

“No pool,” she grumbles. “Just the golf thing.”

“And you’re freaking out about it. Also,” I place my phone down again, screen side down, and tilt my head. “Only two mill for seven bedrooms?”

Her eyes spring wide. “Only? Are you serious?”

“I just mean…sevenbedrooms. That’s a lot. And enough land for the added luxuries. Is Copeland City real estate struggling, or…?”

“You haven’t helped at all.” She shoves up from her chair, only to growl when Doctor Raquel strides through my door with a bright red smile and dancing eyes. Her gaze hones in on Aubree’s deserted spot, so like a child, Aubree drops again and demands her place in my office.

“Poo.” Raquel sets her hands in her lab coat pockets and cocks her hip. “Everyone good? Happy? Healthy?”

“Did you need something?” I sit back and cross one leg over the other. “Last I heard, you were so busy, it was unlikely you’d see the sun for years. And yet,” I gesture her way, “here you are, not working.”

Smug, she turns and wanders to my floor-to-ceiling windows. “I have so much work backed up, I won’t escape, ever. In fact, you’ll probably bury it with me, purely to annoy me.”

“So what are you?—”

“I can’t let the Leaning Tower of Prokaryote stop me from living my life. I’ve been hunched over my desk for hours and needed a breather before I put a scalpel in my brain, and it just so happens I found you two, gossiping like a couple of schoolgirls.” She spins and plops onto the couch pushed up against the glass, crossing her legs and resting her chin in her hand. “What’s the goss, Boss? Who’s dating who? Did anyone fumble a D.B.’s testicles today andnottell the family?”

“Gossip? Really?”

“What can I say? I come from a small town where talking about other people is all we have.”

“I’ve spoken to no family members regarding any cases today.” I reach into my drawer and take out my ruler, so I have something to keep my fingers busy. Or to hit people with if needed. “I handled no testicles today, despite performing two autopsies to clear out a little of Patten’s backlog. And I’m still married to Malone, thus my dating life remains stable.”

Satisfied, she looks at Aubree, almost as though intending to ask her the same questions. But when Aubree opens her mouth to speak, Raquel cuts in. “Well, I’m dating someone now. Someone I absolutely couldnottake back to my town and introduce to my family. But I’m just saying,thinkingabout my sex life is slowing down my professional productivity. My bedroom is a happy, happy place, and I felt the need to share that with someone who would join me in celebration.”

“Funny you think I would.” I set the ruler down and interlace my fingers. VeryThe Godfather, I’m certain. “Telling your boss that you’re distracted and underperforming on the job is hardly the smartest thing you did today.”

“Oh, please.” She sits back and twirls a long lock of hair around her finger. “I run the tightest damn lab in the city, and even when I’m distracted, Istillout-pace any other tech you could hope to find. Besides, the sex bliss will wear off soon, and I’ll go back to normal superhuman speed, which is like,onepercent faster than I’m at right now. Furthermore, Doctor Campbell is a wonderful addition to the team, and did you know…” She leans forward, conspiratorially grinning, “he has a brother who holds the exact same degree as he does? I bet I could convince him to work for cheap, since he’d get to spend his days with his brother. And they’re not bad to look at, so?—”

“I think you came here today just to get a rise out of me.” I stare deep into her eyes, waiting, challenging, until she breaks contact first. But all she does is laugh and glance down to fix her skirt.

“I think you’re crabby and mean. Fortunately for us all, I’m so pleasant and funny, I rebalance the scales and break up the monotony.”

“Mmhm. Consider the monotony broken.” My phone vibrates with an incoming text, but although I reach out and grab the device, I don’t turn it over or read the screen yet. “You wanted us to know about this person you’re dating. Consider us informed. Anything else?”

“You didn’t acknowledge the sex stuff at all.” She checks her nails to make sure they’re still perfect. “That was an important piece of information.”

“And you’re having great sex.” I eye my door when Doctor Kirk raps his knuckles against the glass, then I dip my chin to give him the go-ahead to enter. I sure as shitdon’tmention sexin front of the shy medical examiner. “Did you need something, Doctor Kirk?”

“Just a question, Chief Mayet. Nineteen-year-old female D.B. Passed in her sleep and reported the next morning when discovered by her mother.”

Raquel grits her teeth. “Tough break.”

He slides his glasses higher on his nose and nods, as though to agree. “Medical history is clear; no history of seizures. Heart, liver, and lungs are clear. Nonsmoking, non-drinking. No history of drug use and, when I speak to the investigating detectives, they say she was well-liked and what others would describe as agood girl. She did nothing out of the ordinary in the days leading up to death; her diet remained unchanged, no new medications, and she met no one new. However, she traveled interstate approximately three weeks prior to death.”

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