sorry you can't make the shower. It's not this case is it?” Ian sounded concerned and, again, she was struck by how novel it was to work with someone who seemed to care about her, not just her skills.
She shook her head and took a seat. “No, it's a long story I don't want to get into, but I wasn't going to attend anyway. The only thing this case is taking me from is a random journey through the Finger Lakes.”
“Well, glad to hear it. Are you headed down to Riverside now?”
She nodded. “Any hits from the missing persons database?”
He shook his head. “I'm not sure they're running the picture you came up with yesterday through everything they could be running it through. Backlogs, all the time. Anyway, I have a couple of things I need to do this afternoon, and then I'll meet you down at the hospital. Once you're done, there's a good Mexican restaurant in town. We can pop over there and you can fill me in.”
Vivi frowned. He wasn't exactly asking her on a date. In fact he wasn't asking her anything. For a moment, she thought to protest but then realized how petty that would be. She did need to eat.
“Fine, sounds good. Although I may be a while. Why don't you come around six-ish?” she suggested, rising from the chair.
He nodded and stood, following her lead. “Be careful,” he said as she headed toward the door.
His concern reminded her. “Thanks for calling Rob last night,” she said, turning back. “It was nice to have dinner waiting.” Ian shrugged in response but said nothing. She studied him for a moment, acknowledging to herself that the man before her was probably more complex than the average male. And she found that interesting. More interesting than a professional colleague should.
“I'll see you at six,” she reaffirmed before turning and walking away.
* * *
Ian paused at the door to the morgue and watched Vivienne through the small window. She sat, very still, on a stool beside the table that held the bones of their Jane Doe. Vivienne's hands were folded in her lap and she looked to be lost in thought as she gazed at the skeleton. Something about her stillness bothered Ian. He didn't believe in ghosts, but watching Vivienne, it was almost as if she was in deep conversation with someone, if only herself.
He gave the door a soft knock to let her know he was there, then stepped inside. Vivienne's head swung up on his entry, but other than that, nothing about her moved. He paused several feet away from her and tried to read her expression.
“I'm not going to like what you've found today, am I?”
She pursed her lips. “I don't know that I've actually found anything.”
He glanced at a box that looked to be filled with evidence bags, slides, and other objects. “Um, it looks like you found a lot,” he countered.
“I collected a lot of things, but I don't have the equipment here to know if what I collected will tell us anything or is meaningful in any way,” she clarified.
Ian's eyes lingered for a moment on the box before he turned them back to Vivienne and spoke again. “Granger will be by later tonight to pick up the samples and drive them to the lab in Albany.” Ian watched as she nodded. Her own gaze turned to the box and then back to the bones. “But that's not what's bothering you, is it?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It's too early to be bothered by much of anything other than the fact this woman was murdered.”
“Vivienne,” he said, trying out her first name. “Something's on your mind. I can see it in your expression, in your body language. And it has nothing to do with the evidence that may or may not be in that box.”
She gave him a ghost of a smile. “I think you're a better cop than you think you are.”
“I think, after all the time I spent doing the things I did, I got pretty good at reading people,” he responded, careful not to show how close to the target she'd come in her assessment of him and his own self-doubt.
“Fair
She shook her head and took a seat. “No, it's a long story I don't want to get into, but I wasn't going to attend anyway. The only thing this case is taking me from is a random journey through the Finger Lakes.”
“Well, glad to hear it. Are you headed down to Riverside now?”
She nodded. “Any hits from the missing persons database?”
He shook his head. “I'm not sure they're running the picture you came up with yesterday through everything they could be running it through. Backlogs, all the time. Anyway, I have a couple of things I need to do this afternoon, and then I'll meet you down at the hospital. Once you're done, there's a good Mexican restaurant in town. We can pop over there and you can fill me in.”
Vivi frowned. He wasn't exactly asking her on a date. In fact he wasn't asking her anything. For a moment, she thought to protest but then realized how petty that would be. She did need to eat.
“Fine, sounds good. Although I may be a while. Why don't you come around six-ish?” she suggested, rising from the chair.
He nodded and stood, following her lead. “Be careful,” he said as she headed toward the door.
His concern reminded her. “Thanks for calling Rob last night,” she said, turning back. “It was nice to have dinner waiting.” Ian shrugged in response but said nothing. She studied him for a moment, acknowledging to herself that the man before her was probably more complex than the average male. And she found that interesting. More interesting than a professional colleague should.
“I'll see you at six,” she reaffirmed before turning and walking away.
* * *
Ian paused at the door to the morgue and watched Vivienne through the small window. She sat, very still, on a stool beside the table that held the bones of their Jane Doe. Vivienne's hands were folded in her lap and she looked to be lost in thought as she gazed at the skeleton. Something about her stillness bothered Ian. He didn't believe in ghosts, but watching Vivienne, it was almost as if she was in deep conversation with someone, if only herself.
He gave the door a soft knock to let her know he was there, then stepped inside. Vivienne's head swung up on his entry, but other than that, nothing about her moved. He paused several feet away from her and tried to read her expression.
“I'm not going to like what you've found today, am I?”
She pursed her lips. “I don't know that I've actually found anything.”
He glanced at a box that looked to be filled with evidence bags, slides, and other objects. “Um, it looks like you found a lot,” he countered.
“I collected a lot of things, but I don't have the equipment here to know if what I collected will tell us anything or is meaningful in any way,” she clarified.
Ian's eyes lingered for a moment on the box before he turned them back to Vivienne and spoke again. “Granger will be by later tonight to pick up the samples and drive them to the lab in Albany.” Ian watched as she nodded. Her own gaze turned to the box and then back to the bones. “But that's not what's bothering you, is it?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It's too early to be bothered by much of anything other than the fact this woman was murdered.”
“Vivienne,” he said, trying out her first name. “Something's on your mind. I can see it in your expression, in your body language. And it has nothing to do with the evidence that may or may not be in that box.”
She gave him a ghost of a smile. “I think you're a better cop than you think you are.”
“I think, after all the time I spent doing the things I did, I got pretty good at reading people,” he responded, careful not to show how close to the target she'd come in her assessment of him and his own self-doubt.
“Fair
Similar Books
