Page 15 of Ghosted in Arkadia
“Fine by me,” he says, with no resistance.
Once he sees the Hellcat, his tune will change.
“Alright, Killian,” I say, sliding off the desk, and he steps back. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Ghosting is Foreplay
Ihead back to my desk but don’t take a seat. I lean over and grab the folder left in my top basket. The Captain promised to have something lined up for me to focus on when I returned. I open the folder and feel Rex lean against my leg.
I don’t know how Cathy could have enjoyed him being so close all the time.
As I gaze at the worn, dusty folder, a heavy sigh escapes my lips. It could be worse; Captain could have given me one of the cold cases. The Shepperd case isn’t something I expect to solve. There is always something with the Roman family.
“Did you read up on the Shepperd case yet?” I ask Killian, turning to face him at Cathy’s desk.
Guess it’s his desk now.
“Not yet.”
I roll my eyes toward James. “Please tell me ‘training’ means more than just riding around town and shooting at the range.”
“He knows how to write reports at the end of the shift,” James says with a wink before kissing the air.
I sigh, but my smile widens in a nod of appreciation. I fucking hate writing reports.
“Bring money for snacks,” I say, turning back toward Killian. “Stakeouts are boring.”
Killian stands, and I hold up the keys to the cruiser.
“I drive,” I reaffirm, ensuring this line is well-established.
“Whatever makes you happy, princess,” Killian laughs, but I know his tune will change once he sees her.
If Killian regretted his proclamation to let me drive once he saw the Hellcat, he didn’t show it. Then again, I couldn’t see anything past his glasses. He opens the passenger door and slides inside like this is our millionth trip together, rather than our first.
I open the back door for Rex before getting into the driver’s seat.
“You’re on navigation,” I say once the screen powers on while the car purrs in idle. “It’s just like using a smart ride.”
“I know,” Killian says. “Tommy showed me.”
“Oh, right.” I return to the screen and select the convenience store across the street from Bill Roman’s warehouse. Then I hit the self-driving button and allow the Hellcat to back out of the parking space.
I can take back manual control, but I have to admit it is nice to sit back and enjoy the ride sometimes.
Killian doesn’t comment about my trust in allowing the computer to drive, but not him.
The car pulls into an empty parking spot in front of the store’s glass window. Charles sits behind the counter, and I raise my hand and wave. After the first hour, he knows I will be in for a candy bar and a soda.
There isn’t any point in trying for discretion in this case.
Bill Roman knows precisely what we are doing. The same as we know he is the head of a whole plague of criminal activity inArkadia. The problem is catching him and getting it to stick. Bill Roman isn’t mateless, and he owns half of the city.
“Here.” I grab the Shepperd folder and toss it into Killian’s lap. “Read this.”
Killian’s eyebrow rises above his glasses before he takes the folder between his hands and opens it. A blood-filled picture is clipped to the front, the last image of Victoria Shepperd.
“Fuck,” Killian breathes.
