connect some detail of the man she’d known with the body that had been so abused. Other than basic size, there was none.
‘Hey, kid.’ Ruby poked her head in the door. ‘You free for lunch?’ She came into the room, her brows furrowed. ‘You don’t look so good. What happened?’
Lucy swallowed hard, then dropped her eyes back to the dead man. He didn’t look back. He had no eyes. Whoever killed him had taken his eyes. Why? ‘I knew him.’
‘You knew Christopher Jones? How?’
‘I was wrong,’ Lucy said numbly. ‘Christopher Jones is alive.’
Ruby came around the table and grasped Lucy’s chin, tilting her head so that their eyes met. ‘You’re whiter than he is, girl. Sit down.’
‘I’m fine,’ Lucy said, but found herself pushed down to the stool.
‘I said, sit down.’ Ruby sat on the other stool. ‘Now tell me what this is about.’
Lucy told her what Fitzpatrick had said about the cheek implants and Ruby blinked.
‘Wow. Who could have predicted that? But you don’t know this body is the surgeon, this Russell Bennett character. You just know he did Jones’s implant.’
Lucy shook her head. ‘I knew him. There’s a connection now.’
Ruby’s eyes widened. ‘Knew, or knew ?’
‘Just knew. I didn’t know him.’ But I might have. Eventually . ‘I know his parents. The Bennetts are good people.’ This will break their hearts .
‘So what are you gonna do?’
‘Nothing. I’m going to sit here until Stevie and Fitzpatrick get here. If you wouldn’t mind, take . . .’ Russ . No, it wasn’t Russ Bennett anymore. She drew a shaky breath. ‘Take the deceased back to the cold room. I shouldn’t have any more contact with this case. I found him, I knew him.’ And we had words . She wanted to wince. She’d had a lot more than words with him. ‘I might be a suspect.’
Ruby scoffed. ‘You were set up to find him. The cops will see that.’
When everything was known, Lucy imagined they would. But everything would have to be known . She struggled to keep her voice calm because every muscle in her body had clenched. ‘I’m sure you’re right. But for now, remove the deceased. Please.’
Ruby stood up and yanked on a pair of gloves. ‘Fine.’ She wagged a finger at Lucy’s face. ‘But don’t you say one word to those detectives, I don’t care how hot that Fitzpatrick is. You say nothing without Dr Mulhauser here. Or your lawyer.’
Lucy’s gut churned painfully. Lawyer. I might need a lawyer . Luckily she knew one. ‘You might be right.’
‘I’m usually right,’ Ruby stated. She covered the body with a sheet, then looked back at Lucy. ‘I’m sorry, kid. This has to be rough. He was your friend.’
He was never my friend. He lied to me to try to get me to sleep with him . But that she wouldn’t tell Ruby. ‘Thanks.’
‘Well, when this is over, we’ll go out and have martinis for lunch, okay?’
Lucy forced her lips to curve. ‘It’s a date. Except you can have my martini.’
Ruby’s sigh could have launched a ship. ‘Let me guess. You just autopsied a pickled liver.’
‘Not “just”. I get a steady stream of diseased livers. Booze’ll kill you.’
‘Honey, something’s gonna kill us all. I’d rather it was something fun.’ Not waiting for a reply, Ruby rolled the body back to the cold room, leaving Lucy alone.
For a moment Lucy simply sat, wondering what to do next.
I should call a lawyer. I should tell Craig. Someone should tell the Bennetts that Russ is gone . But the last one would be the detectives’ job.
They’d be here soon, to do their job. It wouldn’t be personal and they’d ask her a lot of questions she wouldn’t want to answer. Terrific . Well, at least it would get Fitzpatrick to stop looking at her the way he had earlier. The man was too intense.
And she’d learned long ago that intense men were way too much trouble. But then again, calm, seemingly sedate men were a hell of a lot of trouble, too. Exhibit one,
‘Hey, kid.’ Ruby poked her head in the door. ‘You free for lunch?’ She came into the room, her brows furrowed. ‘You don’t look so good. What happened?’
Lucy swallowed hard, then dropped her eyes back to the dead man. He didn’t look back. He had no eyes. Whoever killed him had taken his eyes. Why? ‘I knew him.’
‘You knew Christopher Jones? How?’
‘I was wrong,’ Lucy said numbly. ‘Christopher Jones is alive.’
Ruby came around the table and grasped Lucy’s chin, tilting her head so that their eyes met. ‘You’re whiter than he is, girl. Sit down.’
‘I’m fine,’ Lucy said, but found herself pushed down to the stool.
‘I said, sit down.’ Ruby sat on the other stool. ‘Now tell me what this is about.’
Lucy told her what Fitzpatrick had said about the cheek implants and Ruby blinked.
‘Wow. Who could have predicted that? But you don’t know this body is the surgeon, this Russell Bennett character. You just know he did Jones’s implant.’
Lucy shook her head. ‘I knew him. There’s a connection now.’
Ruby’s eyes widened. ‘Knew, or knew ?’
‘Just knew. I didn’t know him.’ But I might have. Eventually . ‘I know his parents. The Bennetts are good people.’ This will break their hearts .
‘So what are you gonna do?’
‘Nothing. I’m going to sit here until Stevie and Fitzpatrick get here. If you wouldn’t mind, take . . .’ Russ . No, it wasn’t Russ Bennett anymore. She drew a shaky breath. ‘Take the deceased back to the cold room. I shouldn’t have any more contact with this case. I found him, I knew him.’ And we had words . She wanted to wince. She’d had a lot more than words with him. ‘I might be a suspect.’
Ruby scoffed. ‘You were set up to find him. The cops will see that.’
When everything was known, Lucy imagined they would. But everything would have to be known . She struggled to keep her voice calm because every muscle in her body had clenched. ‘I’m sure you’re right. But for now, remove the deceased. Please.’
Ruby stood up and yanked on a pair of gloves. ‘Fine.’ She wagged a finger at Lucy’s face. ‘But don’t you say one word to those detectives, I don’t care how hot that Fitzpatrick is. You say nothing without Dr Mulhauser here. Or your lawyer.’
Lucy’s gut churned painfully. Lawyer. I might need a lawyer . Luckily she knew one. ‘You might be right.’
‘I’m usually right,’ Ruby stated. She covered the body with a sheet, then looked back at Lucy. ‘I’m sorry, kid. This has to be rough. He was your friend.’
He was never my friend. He lied to me to try to get me to sleep with him . But that she wouldn’t tell Ruby. ‘Thanks.’
‘Well, when this is over, we’ll go out and have martinis for lunch, okay?’
Lucy forced her lips to curve. ‘It’s a date. Except you can have my martini.’
Ruby’s sigh could have launched a ship. ‘Let me guess. You just autopsied a pickled liver.’
‘Not “just”. I get a steady stream of diseased livers. Booze’ll kill you.’
‘Honey, something’s gonna kill us all. I’d rather it was something fun.’ Not waiting for a reply, Ruby rolled the body back to the cold room, leaving Lucy alone.
For a moment Lucy simply sat, wondering what to do next.
I should call a lawyer. I should tell Craig. Someone should tell the Bennetts that Russ is gone . But the last one would be the detectives’ job.
They’d be here soon, to do their job. It wouldn’t be personal and they’d ask her a lot of questions she wouldn’t want to answer. Terrific . Well, at least it would get Fitzpatrick to stop looking at her the way he had earlier. The man was too intense.
And she’d learned long ago that intense men were way too much trouble. But then again, calm, seemingly sedate men were a hell of a lot of trouble, too. Exhibit one,
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