Page 37 of Deadly Designs

“We’ll take care of that at the station.”

Soon, they were pulling into a lot scattered withpolice vehicles, regular cars, and trucks. Detective Herbert parkednext to an identical sedan.

When they entered the building, a woman said, “Thecaptain is waiting for you in his office.”

“Thanks, Janet.”

Aja Blue took in the surroundings. There was a loudbuzz of chatter and ringing phones. It smelled of coffee and sweat.People were coming and going; a woman was sobbing, and a man wasgetting sick in a trash can. She averted her eyes. It was chaos.This kind of environment would give her an ulcer.

Detective Herbert knocked on a closed door, and wheninstructed to come in, she twisted the knob.

“Christian!”

Aja Blue ran to him and hugged him, not caring thatthey had an audience. She was so happy to see him. “How are youdoing?”

“Better now that I know you’re okay.”

She pulled back and looked at his face. His eyes werestill red, but there was an added scrape on his cheek.

“You must be Ms. LaLonde. I’m Captain Parsa.”

Suddenly embarrassed at her display, she stepped backand turned toward the man before shaking his outstretched hand.

“Captain, we have a problem,” Detective Herbert toldhim. “Can I use your screen?”

At his nod, she turned on the television hanging onthe wall, paired her phone, and then played Darius’s video. AjaBlue noticed Christian’s jaw clench when it showed the man draggingher away. When the cop tased him, she couldn’t watch. Livingthrough it had been bad enough.

After it played through once, the detective rewoundto where the nurse leaned close to the man on the ground.

Christian’s back stiffened. “She injected him withsomething.”

“She sure did. I’ll ensure the medical examinerchecks for toxins,” the captain said, picking up his desk phone. Assoon as he hung up, another knock sounded.

“Captain? Officer Cranny returned his car, but he’snot here, nor is he answering his phone.”

“Thanks. Keep trying.”

“Will do.”

“Cranny didn’t call in that he was at the crimescene,” Captain Parsa informed them.

“He arrived right after the nurse announced the manwas dead,” Christian recalled. “At the time, I thought it was toosoon for anyone to have called it in, but then I assumed he’d beenclose.”

Captain Parsa’s mouth firmed. “He was in on it.”

The next few hours were a blur of questions, officialstatements, and Aja Blue filing a missing person report on Jay. Shehated to do it if he was off regrouping, but it was his fault. Heshould’ve stayed in touch. She only hoped he was recognized whilelounging on a beach in Barbados or some similar islandparadise.

When they were finally allowed to leave, Aja Blue wasexhausted. Christian guided her out of the station and toward ablack SUV.

She stopped in her tracks. “How did that gethere?”

Christian wagged his brows, which looked strange withhis bloodshot eyes and the butterfly bandage one of the cops hadapplied to his cut. “I whistled, and my trusty steed followed.”

She gave him a droll look. If she weren’t exhausted,she probably would’ve laughed.

He chuckled. “Okay, so I don’t have any idea. I got atext from the office saying it was waiting for us.” He shrugged. “Idon’t know how they do it.”

“What about my Land Rover? It’s still in the parkinglot.”

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