Page 56 of 3rd Tango
“Charlie? How are you? You’d better not be calling me from the hospital.”
At this, I smile. Everyone is watching out for my sister.
Charlie rolls her eyes. “I’m in my office with Meg.”
“Hi, Taylor.” I say. “I filled Charlie in on Evelyn. I also entered the results into GenCo.”
“Damn, you women are fast.”
I can’t argue that. “That’s what happens when you’re willing to pay. Anyway, I got a match. For Evelyn.”
The line goes silent a few long seconds leading me to believe this news has stunned Taylor as much as it did me.
“Come on?” She finally responds. “Really?”
“Yes, ma’am. Appears to be a paternal brother.”
“Taylor,” Charlie says in her all-business voice, “I’m in no mood to piss off the Bureau, but we need to talk to this guy.”
“Not before we do.”
Uh-oh. Charlie and Taylor getting into an alpha smackdown—as much fun as that would be to watch—it isn’t exactly on my day’s wish list. “Both of you, take a breath. We all want the same thing here. Let’s figure out how to get this done. Taylor, any chance you can run interference and be the one to talk to Evelyn’s brother? Itisa cold case.”
More silence meets my request and if I know anything about her, she’s considering the benefits of my suggestion. “Taylor?”
“I’m here. But I’m not sure how I feel about going to my boss with this. I’ll have to explain how I identified Evelyn’s remains.”
Across the desk, I meet my sister’s eye and shrug. “Tell him Matt is working a case that got him to her. If he needs more than that, chuck him our way and Charlie will do her magic.”
In addition to the sigh that wafts through the phone line, this gets me another eyeroll from the already cranky Charlie.
“Let me see what I can do.”
“Fine,” Charlie says. “Thank you. And, you know, optimum would be you taking over Evelyn’s case, making the death notice and then when you leave, we’ll visit her brother.”
“That’s not asking for much, is it?”
Taylor’s sarcasm is not lost on me.
“Not at all.” Charlie grins. “Talk to you later.”
She taps the screen, cutting off any retort Taylor may have.
Once again, she pushes out of her chair, pausing when she reaches her full height. If she looked pale when I entered, she’s downright pasty now.
Her body sways—whoa, there—and I reach across the desk, latching onto her arms.
“Easy. Are you gonna pass out?”
“I’m so damned tired.”
“I know. You need rest.” Still holding on, I peer over my shoulder. “JJ! Charlie is ready to go home. And don’t come in here yelling. She’s had a tough day.”
A second later, he’s rushing in. “Jesus, Charlie. You look like hell.”
“Gee,” she says, “thanks, honey.”
“Don’t start,” I tell my sister. “Let him take you home. I’ll talk to Matt and see what we can do about Taylor.”
