Maladaptation by Adan Ramie

Author:Adan Ramie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller, suspense, LGBT, LGBTQ, queer, lesbian, lesfic, dark romance, PTSD, psychological, multiple POV, crime, female detective, detective, criminal, antihero, csi, cop, female cop, powerful women
Publisher: Atypical Deviance Press
Published: 2015-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Harry stretched out across the threadbare sheets of her queen-sized bed. It was too big for her; even in the most fitful of sleeps, Harry barely moved an inch. But it came in handy when she had company, as she did a few times a month. Tonight’s flavor laid across half of the bed, asleep and covered to the chin with the old, faded quilt she had requested after their romp. One leg the color of wet beach sand poked from beneath it.

She grinned at the purple-painted toenails as she slipped off the bed and into her slacks. She pulled on a t-shirt, tugged her hair back into a ponytail, and walked across her tidy apartment to the massive windows. The windows were the reason she picked the small, fourth-floor apartment the year before. They almost made her feel like she wasn’t alone in the world.

The detective fished through her pockets and pulled out her phone. The notification light blinked, and she swiped the face of the phone to read her messages. A few she easily ignored; conquests past their expiration date, pharmacy reminders, and bills posted online. Two messages caught her eye, both from Cal.

The first was a reply to an earlier request she had made of him: "Put out a BOLO on Barsten. Also found the sister. She’ll meet us when we’re ready, but says she doesn’t know anything about her."

The second was less hopeful: “Briggs is ready to move on.”

Harry reached in her pocket with her free hand for the cigarettes that weren’t there. She swore out loud and the woman in the bed shifted.

“You okay?” her date asked through a haze of sleep.

“I’m fine,” Harry answered. “Go back to sleep. I’m just going to step outside and make a call.”

Her lover groaned as she turned over and pulled the quilt over her head. Harry waited for her soft snoring to start up again, then slipped out the door onto the balcony. She dialed the number with one hand still in her trouser pocket; not finding what it was looking for, she brought it back out with a sigh. Somehow, she always forgot that she had stopped smoking over a year before.

“Detective Thresher.” The voice on the line was quizzical to the point of suspicion, but it wasn’t as much a question as it was a statement.

“Busy,” Harry answered, trying to put a smile in her voice.

“This is CSS Biznicki." A pregnant pause. "I didn’t expect a call from you, especially this late at night. Aren’t you off duty?”

Harry knew better than to expect much; she hadn’t done much to endear herself to the young analyst since her arrival, and despite the rookie’s admiration, she knew she hadn’t earned her respect back after that last snub. She made a mental note to be nicer to her.

“I’m sorry to call so late, but I just got a message about the case I’m on, and I can’t come in to check myself.”

Busy sighed. Harry heard the strikes on

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