Kill Again by Neal Baer & Jonathan Greene

Author:Neal Baer & Jonathan Greene [Baer, Neal & Greene, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780786027576
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Published: 2015-05-18T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

“No way,” Nick argued. “I don’t care how brilliant your students are. We can’t involve them in an active investigation.”

“They won’t be,” Claire retorted, sitting across from Nick at his worn Formica kitchen table. “At least, as far as they know.”

She reached for her cup of coffee, which was embossed with an NYPD detective’s shield. But instead of displaying Nick’s shield number at the bottom, it sported the letters DEA, an acronym for the union to which Nick and every other city police detective belonged.

Claire took a sip and yawned. It was nearing midnight and Nick’s daughters were long in bed. Yet neither she nor Nick seemed to want to go to sleep. As tired as she was, sitting here arguing with him beat the alternative of her sterile apartment, where she’d get into bed alone with thoughts of Rosa that would render her sleepless anyway.

“It’s too much of a risk,” said Nick.

“What else have we got?” Claire asked. “We’ve had no luck identifying the victim out in Brooklyn. We don’t even know where to start.”

In fact, she was understating their dilemma. All the residents of the fire-gutted building in East New York where the latest skeleton had been found were accounted for.

“We don’t know where the victim lived, where she was taken from, how old she was—anything,” she reminded him. “What have we got to lose?”

Nick said nothing, having already drawn his line in the sand. As he took a swig of coffee, Claire rubbed her right index finger along the tiny, nearly invisible scratches on the table’s surface and thought about all the meals eaten around that table when Nick’s wife and mother were alive.

“So as usual, now the ball’s in my court,” Nick said.

“A flat no isn’t a viable option. We’ve gotta think outside the box,” she replied.

Nick smiled. The two of them knew each other’s tricks.

“Putting it on me isn’t outside the box,” he observed. “It’s business as usual.”

“So’s being stubborn,” Claire retorted.

She couldn’t help but think they sounded like an old married couple. And this stalemate needed to be broken.

“Maybe you’re right,” she said. “Maybe it’s too much of a risk.”

Now it was Nick’s turn to grin. “Don’t do that,” he said.

“Do what?” Claire asked.

“Manipulate me with the guilt trip. You don’t think you’re wrong. Stick to your guns.”

Claire laughed and her hand grazed his. Nick felt drawn to her. He wanted to kiss her. Claire looked away. It wasn’t the first time that had happened and it was getting more and more uncomfortable.

But not because he’s overstepping. Because I want this. At least I think I do....

“Okay,” she now said, sitting up straight. “I wasn’t trying to manipulate you, but I do think we should give my students a shot.”

“You understand that if they come up with something, it would be by accident, right?”

“As long as it leads to the right place,” Claire said, “what difference does it make?”

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