Page 79 of Three for a Girl

“What does her biography say?”

Josh hummed, closing the photograph. “Here we are. Scottdale forever. Cat lover, and there’s a Lionshare emoji.”

“I need you to find out who she is.”

“I’m on it, boss.”

Faye left the office, and walked over to him with her face to the floor.

“What is it?” The DI asked.

Her eyes were wide, and she clutched her neck she spoke. “A package has been sent to St Johns.”

“A package?” The DI asked.

“Containing a heart.”

Chad could feel Ally’s gaze pressing into him. He glanced at her and out of the DI’s view made a heart sign with her fingers.

“Ally, Chad—”

“We’re going.” Ally said, marching over to her desk and grabbing her jacket. Fortunately, her purple one, not the one with the cracked headstone and the corpse escaping.

Chad grabbed his jacket off his chair, and slung it over his arm. He had no desire to put it on. As soon as they left the incident room the first wave of heat hit him. The numbers covering his body burned, igniting with the heat in the air.

****

A doctor led them into the office, and immediately fled when Ally asked the flavor of the ice cream on the desk.

“No sense of humor.” She sighed, snapping on her gloves.

Chad crowded closer as she opened the lid. He scrunched his nose at the smell, staring down at the heart. All the sick sights he’d seen, and it was his first heart, the same size as a closed fist, dark red, with white fatty tissue cutting through it.

“I think we’ve looked at it long enough.” Chad said.

“Sorry, got carried away.”

“Carried away?”

“Yeah, makes mine feel all funny, how about you?”

“Nothing.”

“And you say I’m heartless.”

“I never said that. I just think it.”

Ally laughed, pressing the lid back down. The smell lingered in the small room. “Do you know what it reminds me of?”

“What?”

“A cheap cut of steak that’s been left out in the sun.”

Something slapped on the floor behind them. They turned around to see a woman in green scrubs scrambling to pick up the papers she’d dropped.

“Where’s your manners, Chad?” Ally said.

He hurried over to the woman and helped her to gather her things. He paused, frowning at her before handing her papers over.

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