Page 11 of The Burnt
“Well, he is with me, but that’s not the point.”
“So, what is the point?”
Charlie shook his head. “I’m having trouble figuring out if I can be with him and work with him at the same time.”
Carrie took a deep breath. “Okay. So which is more important to you?”
“Both.”
“That’s not helpful,” she replied. “You want my honest opinion?”
Charlie sat back in his chair. “Maybe. All right. Go ahead.”
“I think you should keep your job. Has he ever said that he’s unhappy with your work?”
“No. In fact, he offered to hire someone to take on the admin work so I could focus more on cases.”
Carrie raised her glass. “Good! So that’s settled then.” She took a swig of wine.
Charlie drummed his fingers on the table. “But what about the relationship stuff?”
Carrie stared him directly in the eyes. “I’m not the one to answer that. You need to find a quiet time with Declan and tell him how you’re feeling. And if he cares about you, you can work it out together. Do you think you can do that?”
Charlie looked down.
“Charlie. The problem isn’t going to go away by itself. Text him. Text him right now and tell him you want to set up a time to talk.”
“Okay, I’ll do it.” Charlie reached for his phone, then put it down. “I just can’t do it now.”
Carrie sighed. “Okay, maybe I’m pushing too hard. I know you’ll do it when the time’s right. You always know when to say the right thing. That’s why I love you so much. That’s why you’re my best friend. And if things don’t go the way you want, don’t worry, there’s plenty of fish in the sea.”
As if on cue, Ariel and the man Charlie assumed was Frank arrived with their meal. Ariel set up a folding table which the man placed a covered silver platter on. She removed the cover with a dramatic flourish. “Your Salposar!”
Charlie stared at the three-headed monster on the platter. He wasn’t prepared for a sardine head emerging from the mouth of the pollock which was peering out of the mouth of the salmon. Itwas straight out of a cartoon…or a horror film. Frank brandished his culinary weapons and in a flash had decapitated the meal, stripped it of its skin and bones, and offered up its flesh to them.
“Some of each?” he asked.
“Yes, please,” Carrie squeaked out.
Once Frank had left with the remains of the seafood slaughter, Charlie looked down at his plate of neatly laid out fish resting on a bed of green mush, with a single potato artfully placed at the side. Charlie’s stomach lurched. “This is…too much. Do you mind if we get the bill and head over to the Black Bean Eatery for something edible?”
Carrie nodded. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Six
Declan was about to get out of his van, but changed his mind when he saw a woman heading toward Archie’s place. She had come from the property next door and based on the light coat she was wearing, it didn’t look like she expected to be outside for long. She pulled down all of the yellow police tape surrounding the scene, rolled it into a bundle then stuffed it into Archie’s garbage can. She brushed off her hands, then headed back to her house and went inside.
She’s got balls.She probably thinks that the police tape reflects poorly on her house. Maybe she’s thinking of selling.
If there were any police watching, they certainly didn’t seem concerned about the neighbour’s actions.
Declan smiled.
Well, if it’s not easily identifiable as a crime scene, no reason not to go in.
He drove halfway down the block and parked the van, then reached behind his seat and grabbed a box of printer paper he’d accidentally left in the back. Declan opened it, and removed a couple of packs of paper. He replaced them with a few items he pulled from the glove compartment, then carried the box back toward Archie’s place. If anyone asked what he was doing, he’d tell them it was an evening delivery for Mr Whitcher.
Declan checked to see if any other neighbours were out, but there was no sign of anyone. He carefully made his way up the icy driveway then followed the walkway to the side door of the house. He tried the handle of the outer screen door withhis gloved hand and was relieved to find that it was unlocked. Declan took another quick look around to make sure no one was watching, then tried his luck with the wooden inner door. The wood around the lock was slightly splintered as if the door had been forced open at one time.
