moved since yesterday when he arrived to escort Dr. Bradley.”
“Oh.” That is bad news. “What about Treanor?”
“That was him on the phone.”
“And?”
“Nothing. He hasn’t heard from Wade, either.”
That really was bad news. Chunk had the same sinking feeling in his gut that I had in mine, I could tell. We’d investigated a cop once before, a 20 year veteran who got drunk and ran over his neighbor with his truck, then dumped the truck and tried to call it in stolen. Making that arrest had been one the worst assignments of our careers, almost as bad as the Scar.
“So, what do you want to do now?” I asked him.
“Let’s go to Arsenal first. Then we can go into the GZ and try to find that van.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “But today, you drive.”
On the way to Arsenal Station, Chunk had to steer with one hand and wrestle with his surgical mask with the other. They never made the tie straps long enough for big guys like Chunk, and the thing was always threatening to pop off his face.
Finally, when he got it to where it was comfortable, he said, “Okay, Kenneth Wade.”
It was the opening move in an old game between us, but one that we hadn’t gotten to play much since we started working at the Scar.
“Kenneth Wade and Emma Bradley are lovers,” I said. “But they have to keep it under wraps.”
“Why?”
“Maybe it’s bad for her at work if their relationship gets out. Them being lovers would explain why Bradley called and requested him yesterday morning. Even after the fight.”
“Maybe. But why the fight?”
“Wade doesn’t care if the others know. He’s drunk. He’s horny. He wants to go back to her place for some fun.”
“Why wouldn’t she go? Because she’s not happy with the way she looks naked?”
“Ha ha. She doesn’t go because she thinks that’s going to give them away.”
“So after the fight, Wade storms out.”
“Yeah. When she’s had some time to think it over, Bradley calls him. Says, let’s make up.”
“So they have sex?”
“Chunk, you’ve got a one track mind, you know that?”
He laughed. “I’m being serious, Lily. They’ve got to have sex. Or at least be headed in that general direction.”
“Why?”
“The dirt on the bottom of her feet, remember? How else is she gonna get dirt on the bottom of her feet unless she’s naked?”
I frowned. That was a hard one.
“Maybe,” I concede. “But what’s she doing naked in the middle of ground zero? She would know better than that.”
It was Chunk’s turn to frown. “Danger sex?” he offered.
“Yeah, right.”
“Okay, so they had sex in the WHO van they took out.”
“How? There’s no room in those things.”
“Oh come on,” he said. “You’re a married woman. You ought to know there’s more than one way to have sex.”
I punched him in the shoulder, hard. “That still doesn’t explain the dirt. Somehow, she’s got to be naked outside the van.”
“Hmmm.” Chunk wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel, deep in thought. It looked like a toy in his huge hands.
“Okay,” I said, sensing we’d stalled out. “Doctor John Myers.”
“Mr. Lonelyhearts?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” Chunk said. “Same set up. Wade and Bradley are getting it on. Only, they don’t want the rest of the WHO staff to know.”
“Why?”
“Because if hippo woman finds out, she’ll throw her off the team. Or, if she doesn’t throw her off the team, she’ll demand that Wade be sent to another station for his duty assignment. Either way, she’ll bust them up for the good of her whole staff.”
“Wait a minute, Hippo woman?”
“Yeah, you know. Dr. Laurent.”
“I know who you mean. I just can’t believe you called her hippo woman. Now I’m not going to be able to get that out of my head.” It was a spot on description of her.
He laughed, but it didn’t last long. We were entering the hard scrabble parts of town. We passed a long line of people waiting in line for
“Oh.” That is bad news. “What about Treanor?”
“That was him on the phone.”
“And?”
“Nothing. He hasn’t heard from Wade, either.”
That really was bad news. Chunk had the same sinking feeling in his gut that I had in mine, I could tell. We’d investigated a cop once before, a 20 year veteran who got drunk and ran over his neighbor with his truck, then dumped the truck and tried to call it in stolen. Making that arrest had been one the worst assignments of our careers, almost as bad as the Scar.
“So, what do you want to do now?” I asked him.
“Let’s go to Arsenal first. Then we can go into the GZ and try to find that van.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “But today, you drive.”
On the way to Arsenal Station, Chunk had to steer with one hand and wrestle with his surgical mask with the other. They never made the tie straps long enough for big guys like Chunk, and the thing was always threatening to pop off his face.
Finally, when he got it to where it was comfortable, he said, “Okay, Kenneth Wade.”
It was the opening move in an old game between us, but one that we hadn’t gotten to play much since we started working at the Scar.
“Kenneth Wade and Emma Bradley are lovers,” I said. “But they have to keep it under wraps.”
“Why?”
“Maybe it’s bad for her at work if their relationship gets out. Them being lovers would explain why Bradley called and requested him yesterday morning. Even after the fight.”
“Maybe. But why the fight?”
“Wade doesn’t care if the others know. He’s drunk. He’s horny. He wants to go back to her place for some fun.”
“Why wouldn’t she go? Because she’s not happy with the way she looks naked?”
“Ha ha. She doesn’t go because she thinks that’s going to give them away.”
“So after the fight, Wade storms out.”
“Yeah. When she’s had some time to think it over, Bradley calls him. Says, let’s make up.”
“So they have sex?”
“Chunk, you’ve got a one track mind, you know that?”
He laughed. “I’m being serious, Lily. They’ve got to have sex. Or at least be headed in that general direction.”
“Why?”
“The dirt on the bottom of her feet, remember? How else is she gonna get dirt on the bottom of her feet unless she’s naked?”
I frowned. That was a hard one.
“Maybe,” I concede. “But what’s she doing naked in the middle of ground zero? She would know better than that.”
It was Chunk’s turn to frown. “Danger sex?” he offered.
“Yeah, right.”
“Okay, so they had sex in the WHO van they took out.”
“How? There’s no room in those things.”
“Oh come on,” he said. “You’re a married woman. You ought to know there’s more than one way to have sex.”
I punched him in the shoulder, hard. “That still doesn’t explain the dirt. Somehow, she’s got to be naked outside the van.”
“Hmmm.” Chunk wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel, deep in thought. It looked like a toy in his huge hands.
“Okay,” I said, sensing we’d stalled out. “Doctor John Myers.”
“Mr. Lonelyhearts?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay,” Chunk said. “Same set up. Wade and Bradley are getting it on. Only, they don’t want the rest of the WHO staff to know.”
“Why?”
“Because if hippo woman finds out, she’ll throw her off the team. Or, if she doesn’t throw her off the team, she’ll demand that Wade be sent to another station for his duty assignment. Either way, she’ll bust them up for the good of her whole staff.”
“Wait a minute, Hippo woman?”
“Yeah, you know. Dr. Laurent.”
“I know who you mean. I just can’t believe you called her hippo woman. Now I’m not going to be able to get that out of my head.” It was a spot on description of her.
He laughed, but it didn’t last long. We were entering the hard scrabble parts of town. We passed a long line of people waiting in line for
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