Page 26 of Red Boar's Baby

“Diana filled me in on your sniper problem. Did you find anything?”

“Not really,” Caine said, cracking an eye open. “I found the vantage point that our sniper had been using to observe us across the valley, but there was no one there. I don’t know where he went. There’s a cave system back in there, and I spent some time exploring it. I should have been even more capable of finding him in there than outside. No signs, though.”

“Think he shifted?”

“I’d guess so, and given the situation with the kid, I’m also guessing an unusual shift form. I just don’t know what. I have a lot of talents, but tracking isn’t one of them, especially in sunlight.”

There was a tap at the door, and Cat Delgado came in with a tray. “I heard you’re back,” she said to Caine, setting it down on the table by the couch. “I also suspected the boss hadn’t eaten lunch either, and absolutely no one in the building is able to give me a straight answer about why you’re walking around with a baby, Chief.”

“By design,” Costa said dryly.

“So I figured I’d volunteer to bring up some food and hang around until answers drop out of one of you.” Delgado straddled a chair backward and crossed her arms over the back of it. She was in her casual hanging-around-the-office look, with her unusual physical features on full display, the scales across the side of her head and one slit-pupiled lizard eye. She could hide it in public, but generally chose not to bother in the office.

“I could order you out,” Costa remarked. “Does anyone around here remember that I’m in charge?”

Delgado looked expectant. Caine raised an eyebrow and reached for a sandwich from the tray. Costa sighed, picked up a sandwich, and filled her in briefly.

For some reason, Delgado seemed to get stuck on the whole situation last night, specifically the Diana elements. “She brought you a baby?”

“Well, where else was she gonna take her, the laundromat?”

“Boss, not that it’s any of my business, but you guys have been datinghowlong now?”

Refreshed with painkillers and food, Caine was now observing Costa intently; Costa could feel it through the dark glasses. Abruptly Caine said, “Are you two actually seeing each other?”

“What?” Costa said.

“What?” Delgado echoed. “She’s his plus-one to, like, everything.”

“You need to spend more time thinking about your jobs and less time thinking about my love life,” Costa said pointedly.

But Caine was still looking at him in that peculiar, pointed way. “They go to functions together, it’s true. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen them together otherwise.”

“Youavoid every group function if you can help it,” Costa said.

“You don’t have any pictures of her on your desk.”

“You don’t have any pictures of Gilly on your desk.”

“That’s for security purposes,” Caine said stiffly.

“Game, set, match. Every relationship is different.”

“Yes, but—” Delgado protested. “Maybe she wants to take it to the next level.”

“Maybe there isn’t a next level to take it to,” Caine muttered.

“If you’re done gossiping, can we work now?” Costa said shortly. “Di said—that is, I understand you found a business card on the scene.”

“Or something.” Caine reached into an inner pocket of his jacket and retrieved a small plastic bag, which he passed to Costa. “It had slipped into a recess in the floor. Looked like the crash investigators either didn’t see it, or considered it too insignificant to keep.”

Costa turned it over to look at both sides, then shrugged and handed it to Delgado. “Any ideas?”

“I don’t know. Could be a promotional coupon or a game piece. Just about anything.”

“I know it’s a long shot, but take it down to the lab and see if they can pull anything off it.”

Delgado nodded and rose.

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