Page 23 of A Breath of Life
Diem sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face before taking back the paper and crumpling it. The wad landed in the garbage pail beside the desk. Motioning for Echo to precede him to the office, he said, “Check your inbox. I emailed you with details for a new case. That attorney we worked for last month, Oliver Hill. He has more work for us. He needs sources verified, research validated, and evidence organized in a clear and concise manner. You can start by calling him tomorrow. I’m still tracking those two teens and finalizing the infidelity case. Gimme ten minutes, and I’ll be ready to go.”
“Diem, what about the—”
“I’m done talking about the fucking card, Tallus. Drop it.”
No amount of convincing changed his mind. The subject was dead and buried. Sometimes, his stubbornness infuriated me. Why did he get to be in charge of the card? Why couldn’t I be the one to deal with it?
Frustrated, I reviewed the case he’d assigned me for the following day and made a few notes, but even that pissed me off. Why did I always get the shit jobs? The research crap. The screenings. The evidence verifying for lawyers. It was all tedious stuff he didn’t like. If surveillance jobs came in or we were asked to track suspected cheatingspouses, Diem scooped those up and raced out the door without a second glance. He hogged all the fun. I was a qualified investigator. I’d finished the course, but for what? To work on a goddamn computer for the rest of my life?
“It’s so unfair,” I said to the empty reception area. “I always get the boring crap.”
When Diem still wasn’t ready to go, and I’d finished reviewing my notes, I checked the work email attached to our website, where requests for jobs sometimes came in. I sat up straighter as I read the latest inquiry from a man who had been arrested for fraud against his company. His court date was pending, but he wasn’t impressed with the legal counsel he’d been appointed. He had suspicions and wanted help finding proof that his company was lying.
“Hey, D?” I called. “Did you see this new job that came through the website?”
“No.”
I gave him a brief rundown. “Can I take it?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“I gave you Oliver Hill.”
I scowled at the handwritten notes I’d made on the pad beside me. “I can do both.”
“You’re here two days a week, Tallus.”
“Then take the lawyer and let me have this one.”
“No.”
“Why do you get to have all the fun ones, and I always get stuck behind a computer? Don’t you trust me out in the community?”
No response.
My jaw hit the ground. “That’s it, isn’t it? You don’t think I can handle surveillance or tracking or investigative work.”
Nothing.
“Don’t ignore me, Diem Krause. I did not go down to part-time at the department to be stuck behind a desk here too. I passed my test. Put me in, Coach. I can do it.”
Diem appeared at the mouth of the hallway, Echo by his side. He pinned me with a hard look. “No.”
“You’re mean.”
“Let’s go home. I’m done for the day.”
“Why can’t I take this job?”
“You’re not ready.”
“What the hell does that mean? I’ll never be ready if you don’t—”
“I said no, Tallus, and I’m not discussing it anymore.”
“You suck.” I slammed the lid of the laptop and shoved my notepad in a drawer for the following day. A wave of petulance hit me, and I couldn’t quell my sarcastic tone. “I can’t talk about the card. I can’t talk about juicy cases and my ability to work them. What can I talk about, Mister I’m in Charge of Everything?”
