Page 112 of Not That Complicated

“Did you buy these to bribe me?” he said.

Why lie?

“Yes. I was going to bring them by the station after my meeting.”

He gave me an unimpressed look. “A half-eaten box of donuts isn’t much of a bribe. And I’m deeply offended at the whole cop-and-donut thing. Are you aware that this is Chipping Fairford, not New York?”

“Don’t force yourself,” I said cheerfully, and tugged the box away. “Hello, lunch.”

He hooked a finger over the edge of the box and tugged it back toward him. “I didn’t say I didn’t want one.”

I grinned at him. “Coffee or tea to wash it down?”

“Coffee,” he said.

He polished off three donuts one after the other under my wide-eyed gaze and when I asked him to hold up his end of the deal, the bastard gave me nothing.

“I told you with the first body, Ray,” he said, sitting back and lacing his hands over his flat stomach—how? Three donuts! Three! “—it’s a cold case, and despite what people think about police and crimes and mysteries, it’s not that easy. Sometimes the evidence simply isn’t there to be found. And again, as I’ve told you more than once, I can’t discuss the case in any detail with you.”

“You told me they were dolls.”

“You deduced that on your own.”

I wasn’t that smart. He’d led me to that conclusion. “We discussed it in detail when you had me in the interrogation room,” I said resentfully.

“I never had you in an interrogation room,” Liam replied. “That was my office. As I told you at the time.”

“You should fire your interior designer. It looked like an interrogation room.”

“Right. I’ll let my boss know that the station needs a new decorator. And that was me investigating, not gossiping.”

“I get it,” I said, and leaned my butt against the kitchen counter. “No big deal. Two dead guys in my house. Worse, two human dolls. I get ostracised by the community as a serial killer. My gross ex tries to sell ‘his story’ to the papers. My house needs renovating because of your wrecking crew—I’m sorry, did I mispronounceforensics team?—and I’ll have to live here for the rest of my natural life because I’ll never be able to sell it. I get nothing. It’s fine.”

“I wouldn’t say nothing.” Liam’s eyes took on a teasing light. “You got Adam out of it.”

“Hah,” I barked a hollow laugh.

He blinked at me in surprise. “What does that mean?”

“I’d say Adam gotmeout of it.” I shifted uncomfortably and wrapped my arms around myself. “Then Adam declined to come back for seconds.”

Liam stared. ”Are you sure you’ve got that right? He’s crazy about you, Ray. Any crazier, and I’d be here with a restraining order all filled out and ready for you to sign.”

“He’d have to come near me or at least text me before a restraining order is in order. Wouldn’t he?”

“He’s avoiding you?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting.”

“Embarrassing, actually. I thought...you know what, never mind what I thought.”

Liam opened his mouth to reply.

“I asked him to move in with me,” I blurted.

Liam began to smile. “Ray Underwood. You don’t hang about, do you? Was this before or after you consummated your love?”

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