Page 60 of Petty Deadly Gorgeous

When he opened the door and climbed inside, I shook my head. “What happened? You were supposed to rest.”

“Man.” He sighed and threw his head back against the headrest. “Every time I fell asleep, all I saw were demons and hell and weird shit.”

“Maybe you need to go to confession?” I pulled away from the curb and drove down the street.

He chuckled. “Maybe. Ain’t got nothing to confess, though.”

I can’t wait to cut out your lying tongue.

Sean reclined the seat. “Hey man, don’t forget to get coffee.”

“Don’t worry, Sean, I won’t, I can tell you really need it.” I turned at the end of the road and drove towards the place I’d been stopping.

He had his phone out and hid the screen from my peripheral, which added fuel to the fire already burning in my mind.

How long has he been preying on young girls? How has he not been caught?

His phone pinged with a new message, and I couldn’t resist asking. “Who ya talking to?”

“What? Are you my wife now?” He laughed. “Look, we’ve been partners for five years, but we’ve never really pried into each other’s personal life.”

My thumbs tapped on the steering wheel.

He’s right, we never have. It’s been all petty details and talk. He’d always been closed off, and I never pressed the issue. I figured that’s why we made an excellent team. No personal feelings to contend with.

I nodded my head towards the restaurant. “That’s where I’ve been going.”

“I always forget that place is there. It’s just such a rinky dink place.” He nodded and set his phone face down on his leg and closed his eyes.

How could I get the potion into his coffee today?

Lost in my own thoughts, I drove around the building and ordered two coffees. One with cream and sugar and the other black. The woman had me pull around and gave me the coffees, wishing me a good day.

“Wait.” Sean squinted at me. “She didn’t charge you.”

“She said she give the police a freebie on coffee.” I took a sip of the bitter brew and then put it in my drink holder to continue to the station.

Sean sipped his and played on his phone until I parked. I appreciated the quiet, but I hated thinking he was up to no good on his phone.

We exited the car and walked side by side into the station, and my skin crawled the entire way. Waiting twenty-seven more days felt unbearable.

The bullpen seemed back to normal today, loud shouts, drawers slamming and some vagrant informing the one female officer we had that he needed to piss assaulted my ears and I decided that after we took care of dumb nuts, I would find a different place to work.

Once we got to our office, he put his coffee down and excused himself, which gave me the ideal opportunity to dose his coffee. I peered out the window to make sure he wasn’t in sight and that nobody else was coming, then I poured it in and swished it around.

On my desk sat a pink note.

To: Detective Moody

From: Liz Callahan

I’d like to talk to you about my daughter.

“What’s that?” Sean asked, walking back into the office and sitting at his desk.

“It’s from the Callahan woman. She wants to talk to me about her daughter.”

Sean’s head snapped up. “What?”

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