Page 70 of Swerve
“You want me to get you written up too?” she asks without cracking a smile.
“No, ma’am,” Healy says.
“Afraid I’ll have to let the chief know about your shopping excursion, Helmer.”
“Sure thing,” he says. “Might want to let her know about the sale too.”
Rutgers turns around and strides back to the black sedan.
“You see the smoke coming out of her ears?” Healy asks with a grin.
“Yeah. She can’t stand me.”
“I think she has a crush on you, actually.”
“Right. I think she has a crush on the chief.”
“No way.”
“Way.”
“I didn’t see that one coming.”
“What are you, blind?”
Healy shakes his head. “I’ll see if I can get her to cut you a break.”
“Would appreciate it. You learn anything at all in there?”
“Seriously, no. No one knew anything about the guy except he was a rich Colombian who paid in cash.”
“Mind if I give it a try?”
“Not if you share what you get.”
“Will do.”
“Hey.”
Knox turns to find Emory standing beside him. “Hey,” he says. “Emory Benson, Detective Dawson Healy.”
“Nice to meet you,” she says, sticking out her hand.
Healy gives her a look that Knox recognizes. “You too,” he says. “All right then, better get going. Already got an irate partner.”
“Later,” Knox says, taking Emory’s elbow and heading toward the store. They’re at the door when his phone dings with a text notification. He glances at the screen and sees the one word message from Healy.
Snack.
He shoves the phone in his pocket and opens the door, waiting for Emory to step inside.
“Something wrong?” she asks, giving him a look of concern.
He wonders what she would say about Healy’s assessment even as he knows he would never tell her. Something about it doesn’t sit right with him, even though it is typical of something Healy would have said to him about other women they’ve encountered.
Besides, that’s not what he needs to be thinking about right now anyway.
“No,” he says, heading for the register. “Everything’s fine.”
