Page 29 of Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters
“You all right?”
“More or less.” Vikash pulled up a document template and started typing. “I was a normal cop about a month ago. With as normal a life as a cop can have. Pardon the delayed shellshock.”
“I’m sorry. It kinda hits at unexpected moments. You want me to give you a few minutes?”
“Unexpected moments,” Vikash muttered. “Ancient evil god and it’s anunexpected moment.”
“Sorry.” Kyle gestured toward the break room. “Maybe I’ll just, um, wander away for a minute? Get you something from the machines?”
“Sit down, Monroe.” Vikash’s voice didn’t change in inflection or tone, but a little tremor ran through his hands as he typed. “We have work to do.”
Translation—I’m trying not to freak out. You abandon me now and my head will explode.“See Kyle sit.” He plunked down and pulled up his system. “Sit, Kyle, sit.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I know. S’okay. My snark is on automatic sometimes.”
The next few hours were spent quietly texting back and forth across the desk as they formulated a battle plan.
Chapter Seven
Wednesday, with their proposed plan of attack submitted and no new cases on their desks, Vikash suggested a walkthrough of the area around the last attack. They parked in the lot by the Waterworks and began a stroll down Boathouse Row. The timid breeze wasn’t enough to cut through sun-warmed clothes, and Kyle had to fight to keep his mind on business since their reconnaissance felt more like a date than police work.
Even if Kash would take his hand in public, Kyle wasn’t stupid enough to try it on duty. Still, it was a nice scenario. The two of them out on a day off, just wandering together, stopping for lunch. Maybe a little making out on a secluded bench. Kash sent the fantasy scattering by making it clear his thoughts were all business.
“Fences. Can it climb?”
A bit of a smug, satisfied warmth nestled in Kyle’s chest that he was beginning to follow his partner’s mental leaps. “Maybe. But if our witnesses are right about the size, something that heavy should be bending chain-link fencing if it goes over. I’m not seeing any of that.”
“No.” After they walked past several more clubs, Vikash continued. “The non-fenced ones.”
“Probably. Think we should check for turtle prints? Maybe this thing has regular spots where it likes to come ashore?”
They’d finally reached Sedgely Club, the beautiful boathouse on the far end with its big bow window and its lighthouse, when Kash finally answered. “Turtle Rock.”
Kyle shook his head sideways as if he had water in his ear. “Nope. Sorry. You lost me.”
With one hand, Vikash traced the outline of the lighthouse in the air. “The Light on Turtle Rock. Don’t they call it that?”
“Oh. Yeah. They do.”
One corner of Vikash’s mouth tipped up and damn it, Kyle wanted to kiss him there, on that half a smile. “Oddly appropriate.”
“Heh. Guess it is.”
A goofy smile of his own threatened and Kyle chewed on his bottom lip to keep it at bay. The way Kash’s mind continually spun in silence amazed him, impressed him, sometimes even intimidated him a little. It was a gorgeous thing, to watch the process, and being able to without distractions on a sunny, quiet morning made him want more private hours than he had a right to. Dinners out, drinks after work—they didn’t have to call it dating, right? What would it hurt?
“Hey, Kash, what would you say to—”
Vikash cut Kyle off by smacking the back of his hand against Kyle’s biceps and pointing toward an isolated car parked farther down along the river trail. A figure moved furtively beside the car, using a flat piece of metal to try to jimmy the door open. Kyle squinted at the bit of black leather he could make out.
“Oh, hell no. Really?”
“Are we stepping on toes?” Kash asked, already moving forward with purpose.
“Since this is Carr and Amanda’s beat? None of us care about that.”
“Good.”
