“Excellent.” He beams at Finch like a proud father. I’d like to snicker, but that’s unprofessional. I’ll wait until I get home.
The three of us make a couple trips down to the car to bring up the items we took from Kara’s bedroom. It’s doubtful we’ll find anything worthwhile in this mess, but we’ve got to try.
“I guess we’re gonna be spending the next few days in the office,” I say glumly. I hate the desk part of this job. I’d prefer to be moving. But this is as much a part of an investigation as anything.
I look at the clock. “It’s getting late.” Plus, I’m fucking starving. “Why don’t we get a fresh start in the morning?”
“I agree,” says Finch. “I need to eat and get home to my girl.”
Dan’s face says everything. He doesn’t have a girl to get home to. Not anymore. “I’m gonna order in some food and get started. You two head home. I need some alone time. Spending eight fucking hours with you two in one day is more than I can take.”
I don’t think he really feels that way. I suspect it’s his way of letting us get out of here. But he’s right. I’ve had enough male bonding to last me a while. “I’ll be here first thing to pick up where you left off.”
“Sounds good.”
On the way out, Finch catches up to me. “I think he just doesn’t want to go home.”
I nod. What else can I say to that? “See you at seven?” I ask with an arched brow.
“Sure. I’ll be here,” he practically chirps.
I’m a little surprised by how eager he sounds.
You know, I think I may have been wrong about Lance Finch.
At home, I shower and change into a pair of sweats and a tee. My food should be delivered any minute, and I can’t wait. My stomach has been growling for a couple of hours now. Tonight, I opted for some pizza from Great Plains Sauce and Dough Company. I asked for extra honey for my whole wheat crust. Just the thought of it makes my stomach growl in anticipation.
Pulling out my one and only TV tray, I grab a beer and settle onto my sofa. My cat, Pepper Anderson, takes the opportunity to jump up for a little scratch behind her ear. She loves when I do that. Leaning back, I sip my beer and pet the cat. She must like it because she crawls onto my lap, curls up into a ball, and begins purring. No doubt she’s as tired as I am with my new schedule. We had sort of an ideal thing going since we’re both essentially nocturnal, but now that I’m working days, things are a little screwed up. I know I’m exhausted, so maybe she is too.
“You miss me today, Pep?” Of course she doesn’t respond. I sigh and close my eyes. I’m home, I’m comfortable, and my stomach is about to be filled to the brim with pizza. What’s better than that?
When the doorbell rings, I practically launch off the couch, startling the cat and causing her to jump off my lap and skitter out of the room. Food! As soon as I open the door, I can already smell the scent of sauce and cheese. Since I paid online, I take the pizza and hand the delivery guy a few bucks. “Thanks.”
“No problem-o, dude.”
Shutting the door, I don’t bother with plates or napkins or silverware. “It’s just me and you,” I say to the pizza box. Placing it on the tray, I pop open the box. Just as I’m reaching for my first slice, my phone rings.
“No,” I whine.
I make eye contact with what would have been my first slice, then glance at the phone. I see the name and forget the pizza.
“Daisy. What’s wrong?”
Yes, I’ve added her to my contacts.
“Oh, um.” She sounds hesitant. “I’m sorry to call you so late, but…,”
“But what? Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Well, no.”
Jesus. I need her to spit it out. “Are you in danger?”
“Well, no. I don’t think so.”
I’m this close to pulling my hair out. “Tell me what you need.” Now, please.
“It’s just… I remembered something.”
“Remembered something?”
“About that night.”
The night Kara was murdered. “Okay. What’d you remember.”
“Well, it was earlier, you know, when I went to put my clothes in the wash.”
There’s a long pause. “Uh-huh.”
“I was searching for coins because those machines eat money.”
I remain silent.
“Anyway, when I was heading down, I saw Kara. She must’ve just been getting home.”
“What time was this?”
“I’d say around eight or so.”
“And was there something significant about seeing Kara?”
“Well, no.” She hesitates. “Well, sort of. She was all dressed up, you know, like she was going to a job interview or something.”
Interesting. Where would she have been going at that time dressed up?
“That’s not it, though. It was the thing she was holding.”
“Which was?”
“A big pink envelope.”
“Pink?”
“Yeah, like hot pink… magenta.”
I do my best to remember the list of items we took from her apartment. No pink envelope that I recall.
“And you said big? Like nine by twelve?”
“Yeah, like one of those bigger ones that holds a full sheet of paper.”
“Okay. That’s good information.”
“It is?” She sounds sincerely surprised.
“It is. I’ll check tomorrow to see if we recovered a large pink envelope. You may have cracked this case wide open.” I chuckle.
“Oh.” Silence, then, “You’re teasing me.” Her voice changes in that instant to something that sounds distinctly hurt.
“No. I mean it. It’s a line from every old cop show ever made. I’ve always wanted to say it.” But now I don’t plan to say it ever again.
“Oh.” She sounds unsure. “Okay. Well, thanks. Good night.”
“Wait,” I say too loudly. “I really mean it. That’s very helpful, and it could be a key to all of this.”
“Really?”
“Really… Daisy.” I almost called her sweetheart. Thank god I didn’t. That’d be very inappropriate. “Any and all information
