Page 20 of Trigger

Thenhis phone rang, and the moment was lost. The old Carter was back, and his wallswere up again. And I started to hate those walls because I liked the otherCarter—the one who talked to me.

“I’mat work, Vic,” he said into the phone. “Can I call you back later?”

Silence.

“Idon’t think so. I’m working this weekend.”

Judgingby his expression, she wasn’t happy with the news.

“Yeah,well, it’s the job,” he murmured, glancing at me while I pretended not tolisten to him. “Sunday afternoon might be doable.”

Itossed a piece of gum into my mouth, scanning the area around Bob’s building.

“So,how is this thing with Vic going?” I asked Carter after he hung up. “A cop anda fashion designer? A strange match, if you ask me.”

“Noone is asking you. And how do you know she’s a designer?”

“Igoogled her.”

“Why?”

Ishrugged. “I was curious. If the three of us start to hang out together, Ishould know more about her, don’t you think?”

“Don’tworry, we will never hang out together.”

“Afraidof competition?” I teased him.

Carterlaughed, looking at me incredulously. “Are you serious? Me?”

“No,”I replied with a grin. “Her.”

Goddamnme and my big mouth.

Hefrowned in confusion when his phone rang.

Savedby the bell.

“John?”he said, putting the call on speaker. “What do you have for us?”

“Isent you the forensic report, and it confirms my initial assumptions. The cutsand lacerations on the victim’s body were applied with a sharp object. My guessis a Bowie knife. Blunt force trauma to the head contributed to her death, butshe died of asphyxiation. And there are traces of alcohol in her system.”

“Nodrugs?”

“No.Also, the perp left no evidence. No fingerprints, no hair, no DNA. He's eithera professional killer or a ghost.”

“Thankyou, John,” Carter said. “Keep us in the loop.”

“Willdo.”

“Okay,so this wasn’t as random as we thought?” I said after Carter hung up. “Someoneplanned this. Someone meticulous and smart, yet the way she was treated… allthat anger… It doesn’t make any sense.”

Carternodded. “No, it doesn’t. The cuts on the victim’s body were pure rage, and youdon’t plan pure rage.”

“So,what do we do next?”

“Wecheck out Bob and hope that John Smith gives us something to work with.”

Hisreply made me smile. “See, partner? We can get along just fine. Like Bonnie andClyde.”

---