another one?”
She nodded her head. “That about covers it, except that my insurance will pay for the Konica so I need a written receipt that shows the value.”
Gus shook his head. “I must be crazy.” He wrote the receipt and gave her a Leica nestled in an aluminum camera case to use. It was only a few years older than hers. “Please be careful, Micki. Don’t let anyone steal any more cameras.” He gestured to her eye. “And learn to duck.”
“Thanks, Gus.” She was glad to have a camera that she was familiar with to shoot Zondra’s wedding. It wouldn’t do to be fumbling when so much would be happening fast.
She returned to Oz’ apartment thinking she would beat him there, but when she unlocked the door, the look on his face made her rethink her choices.
“Micki,” he roared. “Where the hell have you been?” He hauled her into the apartment, slamming the door closed behind her.
“I had to get another camera.” She gestured with the camera case in her hand. “I have a wedding to shoot on Saturday.”
“I swear if you pull something like this again I’m going to handcuff you to the headboard.” He glowered down at her.
“Is that so?” Micki started laughing, his expression too much for her to bear straight-faced. She giggled uncontrollably.
“Micki, it’s not a joke.”
“I know,” she said, wiping her eyes, “but the image of you handcuffing me...I would so get back at you. I mean, you’d have to sleep sometime.”
“Very funny, but you know what I mean.” He had a firm grip on his fierce composure. “I was afraid for you.”
She sobered, nodding at him, solemnly. “I tried to call you.”
He frowned and checked his cell phone. He listened for a moment and snapped it shut. “I’m going out! That’s your message? Honestly, Micki.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
His expression softened. “You did.” He reached out to touch her cheek. “I can’t let anything else happen to you.”
Micki felt herself melting under his gaze. “I...I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
He blew out a long breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “Now, where is the flash drive? Your hard drive will take too long to restore and we need the information now. We’ve already lost half a day.”
“Oh, all right.” She pretended to pout as she handed him the store bag. “This is your copy of the pictures. My flash drive is safe and secure from all dippy lab rats.”
“Atta girl.” He reverently lifted the CD from the bag. “Michael Bolton?”
“Camouflage,” she said.
“Now, come with me to the lab and you can help identify the places where you were taking your pictures.”
She smiled at him. “I can’t wait. Do I get to meet the geek who put fingerprint dust in my cameras?”
Oz grinned at her. “You’re still pissed.”
“I could bite a hole in this guy’s neck for screwing with my equipment.”
#
“Micki, this is Aida Bounds, the head of the crime lab.” Oz stood grinning as he gestured to the woman extending her hand.
She was forty-something, short with broad shoulders and thick, dark eyebrows, almost meeting in the center. Her full, straight-cut bangs and the Mary Jane shoes with white crew socks enhanced her childlike appearance.
“Great to meet you, Micki.” She clasped Micki’s hand in her stubby, very strong fingers.
“Hi Aida,” Micki gasped. She had to remember to torture Oz later because his eyes were watering with stifled mirth.
Oz cleared his throat and handed the CD to Aida. “This is the back up file of the photos Micki took in the park. Let’s see what could cause someone to want to kill her.”
Aida inserted the CD in her computer and the first image appeared on a huge wall-mounted screen. She ran through the pictures once and when nothing of significance emerged she sighed. “Okay, let’s go through them again and take a closer look.”
For the next two hours, Aida magnified, enhanced and printed various parts of Micki’s
She nodded her head. “That about covers it, except that my insurance will pay for the Konica so I need a written receipt that shows the value.”
Gus shook his head. “I must be crazy.” He wrote the receipt and gave her a Leica nestled in an aluminum camera case to use. It was only a few years older than hers. “Please be careful, Micki. Don’t let anyone steal any more cameras.” He gestured to her eye. “And learn to duck.”
“Thanks, Gus.” She was glad to have a camera that she was familiar with to shoot Zondra’s wedding. It wouldn’t do to be fumbling when so much would be happening fast.
She returned to Oz’ apartment thinking she would beat him there, but when she unlocked the door, the look on his face made her rethink her choices.
“Micki,” he roared. “Where the hell have you been?” He hauled her into the apartment, slamming the door closed behind her.
“I had to get another camera.” She gestured with the camera case in her hand. “I have a wedding to shoot on Saturday.”
“I swear if you pull something like this again I’m going to handcuff you to the headboard.” He glowered down at her.
“Is that so?” Micki started laughing, his expression too much for her to bear straight-faced. She giggled uncontrollably.
“Micki, it’s not a joke.”
“I know,” she said, wiping her eyes, “but the image of you handcuffing me...I would so get back at you. I mean, you’d have to sleep sometime.”
“Very funny, but you know what I mean.” He had a firm grip on his fierce composure. “I was afraid for you.”
She sobered, nodding at him, solemnly. “I tried to call you.”
He frowned and checked his cell phone. He listened for a moment and snapped it shut. “I’m going out! That’s your message? Honestly, Micki.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”
His expression softened. “You did.” He reached out to touch her cheek. “I can’t let anything else happen to you.”
Micki felt herself melting under his gaze. “I...I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
He blew out a long breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “Now, where is the flash drive? Your hard drive will take too long to restore and we need the information now. We’ve already lost half a day.”
“Oh, all right.” She pretended to pout as she handed him the store bag. “This is your copy of the pictures. My flash drive is safe and secure from all dippy lab rats.”
“Atta girl.” He reverently lifted the CD from the bag. “Michael Bolton?”
“Camouflage,” she said.
“Now, come with me to the lab and you can help identify the places where you were taking your pictures.”
She smiled at him. “I can’t wait. Do I get to meet the geek who put fingerprint dust in my cameras?”
Oz grinned at her. “You’re still pissed.”
“I could bite a hole in this guy’s neck for screwing with my equipment.”
#
“Micki, this is Aida Bounds, the head of the crime lab.” Oz stood grinning as he gestured to the woman extending her hand.
She was forty-something, short with broad shoulders and thick, dark eyebrows, almost meeting in the center. Her full, straight-cut bangs and the Mary Jane shoes with white crew socks enhanced her childlike appearance.
“Great to meet you, Micki.” She clasped Micki’s hand in her stubby, very strong fingers.
“Hi Aida,” Micki gasped. She had to remember to torture Oz later because his eyes were watering with stifled mirth.
Oz cleared his throat and handed the CD to Aida. “This is the back up file of the photos Micki took in the park. Let’s see what could cause someone to want to kill her.”
Aida inserted the CD in her computer and the first image appeared on a huge wall-mounted screen. She ran through the pictures once and when nothing of significance emerged she sighed. “Okay, let’s go through them again and take a closer look.”
For the next two hours, Aida magnified, enhanced and printed various parts of Micki’s
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