Page 56 of Sinful Deception

“Boyfriend?”

“Yes.” He sets his hands in his pockets and leans left, placing most of his weight on one leg. “But they’d been dating since high school. No change there, no issues, and no suspicions from the police.”

“Opened her skull yet?”

“I was heading there next. Any thoughts?”

“Was she sexually active?”

“Yeah, I…” He frowns. “Boyfriend of three years.”

“Considering her age and marital status, I doubt she was ready for babies just yet. Was she on hormonal birth control?”

“Yes, Chief. She?—”

And there it is. His eyes flicker with understanding. “The birth control. Cripe!”

What the hell is a cripe? A type of goldfish?

“Search her for a clot. Travel might’ve set her in fast forward, and then lazy days at home finished her off. I’m led to wonder if she stroked out in her sleep.”

“Terribleluck,” Raquel reiterates. “Having a sex life with someone you’re fond of, and then dying while asleep.” She whistles. “That’s low.”

“Let me know how you go, Doctor Kirk.” I watch as he turns on his heels and strides out of my office, then I bring my focus back to Raquel. “Are you done talking about sex yet? You’re not as cute as you think you are.”

“Says you.” She scoffs. “My multiple orgasms say otherwise. Are you sticking around for much longer, or heading home? You got that thing tomorrow?”

That thing?Yeah. “I’m heading out in a second and having dinner with my friend.” Then I look to Aubree. “What do we bring for dinner?”

She takes out her phone and starts swiping. “I’ll order something.”

So I look back at Raquel and smile. “She’ll order something. After that, my family is flying in for the weekend, and then things should go back to normal next week. You done farting around on work time?”

Snickering, she unfolds her legs and pushes up to stand, smoothing out her coat and side-eyeing Aubree while she orders things from an app and uses Timothy Malone’s money to pay for it.Probably. “You always have the most colorful sayings, Chief. Give Detective Fletcher my best, won’t you?” Finally serious, she holds my gaze with none of the glittering menace she so typically walks around with. “I know things are rough right now, but I’m sending my love and all the weird, gooey feelings, yeah?”

“I’ll let him know.” Maybe. Probably not. “Thanks. If I don’t speak to you between now and then, I’ll see you Monday. Early rounds to get us back into the swing of things. The last week or so has been crazy, but I’m hopeful everything settles and life can go back to normal again.”

“Don’t say that.” She wanders across my office and drags the door open. But she stops and glances back. “You’ll jinx it. Let’s pencil in a time where I can tell you about my dating life some more. I feel I haven’t expressed quite how… pleasant it is.”

I close my eyes and press the pads of my thumbs on top, only to listen to the tinkling laughter of a woman who strides through my door and heads away. “She’s annoying.”

“She wants to be our friend, kind of like how Fifi wants to be our friend. I’m open to expanding our circle, but no one else is getting a matching anklet soldered onto their body. That’s for us.”

“You sound codependent.” I drop my hands and blink my eyes open until the darkness recedes. Stars dance in my vision, and exhaustion reminds me I don’t sleep nearly as often or as well as I should. “What did you order?”

“Thai. I got a bit of everything and made sure to get things Mia would like. What time are Felix and Micah set to land?”

“No clue, but I have a feeling it’ll be between inconvenient o’clock and bedtime. Felix insists on staying at our apartment. But if I promised you an extra week of paid leave and exclusive use of the coffee machine, would you take him with you to Tim’s apartment?”

“I already have exclusive use of the coffee machine, considering ninety-nine percent of the caffeine you consume in this building was made and delivered by me. And I don’t need paid time off. I like my job, and on the off chance I need time away, I have enough savings to pay my rent.”

“Plus, you’re rich adjacent now.” I skitter out of my chair when she lunges forward to pick up my ruler. “Stop being insecure about your newfound status, Doctor Emeri.” I circle my desk and go the long way, ensuring she can’t reach out and stab me. But all I manage is to swap my white lab coat for the brown one I’ll wear outside before I remember my phone and bag…back at my desk. “Your moodiness on this topic is creating an uncomfortable work environment.”

“You’re having way too much fun with this.” She stands too, though slower than me, and stares down at her phone while swiping screens. “I just want to enjoy this for a while without it turning into a seven-bedroom McMansion and official cohabitation. Is that so much to ask for?”

She taps the screen and brings the phone to her ear. So while she’s focusing on that, I sneak back to my desk to collect my things.

“Hey.” As soon as her call connects, her face lights up with pleasure. Pure, unadulterated, not-at-all insecure satisfaction. “Minka and I are heading out now to go to Fletch’s. Are you…”

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