Page 42 of Shadow Sabotage
I whistled. “Wide, but steep. I wouldn’t want to do that.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Claire grinned and started walking down the path. I followed her until she stopped at the spot where the trail narrowed.
“In March, this would have been covered in at least two feet of snow,” she mused. “The stones and saplings would all have been buried. If the killer drove here, he could have just pushed her off the snowmobile. It’s a straight shot to the bottom. One smooth slide.”
I pictured it, realizing she was right. “Easy for the killer. Very little physical effort. And the snowpack would have reduced additional trauma to the body. The ME ruled out a fall, but a slide would explain why she didn’t have any additional broken bones.”
“Yeah.” Claire blew out a breath. “No way to prove it, but… It works.”
“It does,” I agreed. “I’ve got to admit, it’s a great theory.”
She looked up at me with a playful grin. “You’ve ‘got to admit’? What, is it killing you that I might actually be better than you at this?”
“Better thanme?” I smirked. “I wouldn’t go that far. But you’re better than I thought you’d be.”
She rolled her eyes, and I realized I owed her more than that. Because the truth was that I’d judged her unfairly.
The smile dropped from my face. “I’m sorry, Claire.”
“For what?” She looked puzzled.
I stuck my hands into my pockets, struggling to find the right words. “You and I are different. We come from different worlds, and we’ve had very different experiences, both in life and in work. I assumed your lack of investigative experience meant that you’d be worthless as a partner on this case.”
Her eyebrows shot up. I wasn’t sure if she was shocked or offended—or both.
“But”—I looked her in the eye, hoping she could see my sincerity—“I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong, and I was. I was wrong to judge you before even giving you a chance. You’re good at this. And I’m honored to have you as a partner.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I–I appreciate you saying that.”
Seeing how much my apology meant to her made me angry that she’d worked so long with someone who would never admit how valuable she was on the team. “Collins is an ass. Don’t let him get to you.”
A little smile played on her lips. “Yes, he is. And he’s going to be pissed that you didn’t take my badge after all. He was so excited to see me get dressed down.”
I snorted. “Just wait until we solve this case and I publicly commend you for your invaluable assistance. He’ll have steam coming out of his ears.”
She grinned. “Probably. But I do feel kind of sorry for him.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “Working for DCI is his dream. He got turned down due to lack of experience. This kind of thing doesn’thappen often in Sage County. It might be his only chance to do something that would get him a shot at DCI.”
Understanding dawned. “So that’s why he kept trying to get me to ask Sheriff McGrath for a change.”
Her jaw dropped. “Did he really?”
“Yep,” I said, nodding. “Texted me directly. I told him no, that you and I had it handled.”
She blushed again. “Thank you. Again.”
“Probably shouldn’t thank me for that one, since I was still planning on cutting you out of the case at that point,” I admitted.
“So you were just using me as an excuse to not have to work with Collins?”
“Basically.”
