Page 31 of Second Chance

She also doesn’t take off her shoes.

“I half expected to find Professor Ravel here as well.” She examines the apartment as if Colette will appear from behind the dumb table with a foot like a bird’s. “What a shame. I’ll have to speak to her separately.”

Daniel smiles blandly. “How about I go get her quickly, then you won’t have to.”

Tony interprets that to mean,fuck if I will let you anywhere near Colette alone.

“That would be great.” The detective sounds and looks equally bland. Tony’s positive her feelings on Daniel and Colette are as vitriolic as Daniel’s.

“Do you want some coffee?” Tony asks when Daniel’s gone, the door falling shut behind him.

Detective Taylor smiles at him. “Sure, thank you.”

If Tony takes a small amount of pleasure in spooning out Daniel’s god-awful instant coffee, he won’t say it. Worf trots up at the sound of the kettle boiling; Daniel always feeds him while he’s making tea.

“Hey, boy.”

Purring, Worf squeezes his way between Tony’s legs, rubbing his cold, wet nose along Tony’s calf.

“Gimme a second,” Tony laughs. He fills up Daniel’s strainer with his tea leaves and pours hot water over Daniel’s cup and theone he prepared for the detective. Then, Tony grabs the cat food out of the fridge and puts a spoon and a half in Worf’s dish.

Worf keeps purring while he eats, which is ridiculous and adorable.

Tony sets out both mugs on the coffee table as Daniel returns with Colette in tow.

“Wonderful.” The detective pulls out a notepad. “The gang’s all here.”

Colette’s smile is poisonous.

“So.” Detective Taylor is apparently unphased by the open hostility and the bad coffee. “Professor Amelia Lawrence. Any connection to you three?”

Daniel shrugs. “We work for the same college.”

“Did you know her?”

“Is she dead?” Daniel asks.

Detective Taylor frowns.

“You were speaking in past tense.”

The detective takes another sip of her coffee. “Professor Lawrence passed away in the intensive care unit last night. I can’t share any more information about an active case.”

“Well, what are you here for, then?” Colette asks.

“Just…making sure none of you are involved. Or intending to be involved.”

“Getting involved in an active police investigation sounds like a terrible idea,” Daniel says with an entirely straight face.

Tony meets his eyes and raises an eyebrow.

Almost imperceptibly, Daniel shrugs. Itisa terrible idea, something Tony has told him seventeen times since he did it.Daniel always argues the point that his and Tony’s involvement is what stopped Colette from going to jail.

“It does, doesn’t it.” The detective sets her mug down. “Similarly, I would hereby caution you against interviewing potential witnesses. Or potential murderers.” The last, she says with a pointed glance in Tony’s direction.

It’s Daniel’s turn to give Tony a smug look.

“Gee, ma’am. Sounds pretty dangerous. Who would do something like that?” Tony widens his eyes as far as he can.

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