Minka
MINKA
D octor Chase is doing… okay. He’s coming back to work for tonight’s shift and wishes to remain optimistic and within routine.
My kind of guy.
Doctor Patten is worried because that was her team member, on her shift, and that makes it her responsibility. But she’ll be okay, too, because work calms her thoughts, and Chase’s abundance of positivity keeps the whole team centered.
Aubree’s with me, and not Fletch, because she knows I’ll worry for Patten and Chase, so she’s doing what she does. Mothering me, fetching my coffee, and working a shift, because normalcy is something we all crave.
“ The police have not yet made an arrest following Jada Watson’s death. ” Tiffany Hewitt is a much more palatable reporter, as far as I’m concerned, speaking from the front steps of the Midtown police station and flashing Jada’s youthful face—a photograph from her dancing days—on the screen. “ Once an award-winning performer ,” Tiffany continues while I sip my coffee in the lunchroom.
Totally nonchalant.
Completely uninvested in the story that is everything our lives are made up of now.
“I’ve attempted to gather a statement from Detectives Elen and Balladae, but they maintain they cannot, and will not, comment on an ongoing investigation. Those of us down at Channel Nine respect the investigators’ stance on this in the spirit of not hampering what could be a closure in the near future. But we will be here waiting, and we will break this story the moment answers arrive.”
“I could never be a reporter.” Aubree hides behind the lip of her mug. Though she’s too bright—her hair, her eyes, and most noticeably, her rainbow knee-high socks—to hide behind anything. “I enjoy being up in your business. And Tim’s. And even Fifi’s. But to poke my head in on people I don’t even know? To get in faces and demand information I have no right to?” She shakes her head. “It’s not for me.”
“I guess there’s a person for every job. Not everyone could be a medical examiner.” While Tiffany chatters about something else on the news and the weather update is being teased, I think of Archer. My mean-mugging, mafia baby who considers himself pretty bad, but gags at the idea of pulling a man’s tongue down through his jaw. “I couldn’t be a cop. There’s way too much talking to other people.”
“And I doubt Miranda London could survive working in a cubicle, since she feeds on the energy of flashing cameras and professional make-up artists.” She grins and looks up at the TV when the news jumps to New York. Something about a high-profile case. A missing person.
I make a point not to pay attention to the details, because my brain is already full with Doctor Chase, Doctor Patten, and Detective Fletcher.
“Tim keeps sending me realty listings,” she murmurs, looking down at the toes of her platform boots. “He really thinks living together could be a good idea.”
“You’re already living together. He’s just asking for more space now that he’s a kept man.”
“Sleeping over at the bar is not the same as buying a whole ass house! You already have a house, and you haven’t slept in it a single time. So don’t act like you’re any better for preferring the status quo.”
“I’ve pretended nothing.” I glance up when a familiar New York reporter’s face pops onto the screen. But I drop my gaze again. I refuse to watch. I refuse to become invested in a missing person’s case on the other side of the country. “I said all along that I would stay in my apartment. Archer knows this and acted accordingly. At no point have I agreed to move into a house just because we happen to own one.”
“Mmhm.” She digs her beeping phone out of her pocket and reads the screen, only to huff and turn the phone to show me. “See! Seven bedrooms, Mayet. Seven ! A three-story home on the hills with an expansive garden ,” she mocks the words, “an entertainer’s kitchen, a putting green for the golf enthusiast , and space for a pool if a buyer were so inclined.”
“A putting green?” My lips curl into an odd smile. “I don’t see Tim as the golfing type.”
“He’s not! And he doesn’t want a pool either, but he’s showing me this stuff like it’s totally normal to spend,” she checks the screen and gnashes her teeth, “Nearly two million dollars.” She squeezes the phone in her palm. “Two million, ! And you know he’s not getting a mortgage with that. He’s just gonna spend all that cash like it’s no big deal.”
“Sounds to me like you’re rich adjacent.” Snickering, I push away from the counter when a woman steps in front of the New York cameras and cries for her missing family member. I have no space for that in my life right now, so I stalk out of the lunchroom, pleased when Aubree’s heavy boots thud in follow. “I recall countless days where you were incapable of empathizing with me on this very subject, Doctor Emeri.”
“Don’t you Doctor Emeri me. Your money woes were fodder for a good laugh. How does that make me a bad person?”
“Not a bad person.” I stride into my office and release the door, so Aubree is forced to catch it. “But it sure is humorous. I expressed a dissatisfaction with certain spending habits over this past year, and your contribution to the conversation was to mock me. Now your husband wants to buy you a house, a golf course, and the idea of a pool, with cash, and suddenly we’re no longer allowed to tease?”
“You’re being unhelpful.” She plops into my visitor chair and harrumphs until she creates a double chin. “I’m not ready to move into a house and make all this…” She waves her hand. “Ya know? Official official.”
“It’s already official. The documents have been signed.”
“I know! But they go mostly unspoken, so I can pretend what I want to pretend, and he can pretend what he wants. We get along, and the apartment is fine for now. There’s no need for seven bedrooms and a possible future pool. That’s all I’m saying!”
“Unless he wants to fill those rooms with babies.” I poke a finger into my mouth and faux-gag as I sit and give my computer mouse a little jiggle. Instantly, the screen fires to life. “He wants baaaaaabies, Aubree Grace. And you’re the sucker who has to give them to him.”
“I could go trap more stray cats and give those to him, right? I could get six, so each room is occupied. Besides! You and Archer have been together way longer! Where are your babies?”
I snort and do the gagging thing again. “Must I repeat myself? Archer and I are a long way off from discussing kids. Like, a long way,” I emphasize. “He’s not even asking about it, except for the one time he considered childbirth for a person with hemophilia. We’re only a year into this , and it’s gonna be several more before we slow down and consider adding to what we have.”
“So then I can take a few years.” She rolls her bottom lip. “My answer can always be, ‘ and Archer are a year ahead of us. If they haven’t moved into their house yet, we definitely don’t have to.’ ”
“Sure. If you want to base your entire relationship on what I’m doing in mine.” I scan my emails to make certain none are overwhelmingly in need of attention now . Then I check my phone screen for the same reasons. “You and Tim are you and Tim. You could walk your own journey.”
“You’re just saying that so I can’t use you as a crutch.” She drops her head back and groans. “I’m gonna demand a real wedding first. One where I actually get to say I do . He stole that from me last time.”
“Do that.” I swipe across to my texts and find Archer’s rocks. Because he loves me. Because he’s not working today, and that means he misses me more than usual. “I’ll probably even show up. Ya know, seeing as how he’s my brother-in-law and all that.”
“You’re being intentionally inflammatory. You think I don’t know you do that as a way to avoid what’s really happening in our lives?”
“I’m not avoiding. I helped plan a funeral, my extended family is flying in tonight to haunt my peace, and one of my staff members is currently suffering a serious medical incident. What more is there to face?”
She drags her head up again and pins me with a glare. “Jada’s gone, and Fletch is hurting. Booth is on the loose, Doctor Chase won’t even kiss his wife until tests are done, though we know the disease cannot spread via saliva. And you saw New York and missing person on the news, so now you’re uptight and anxious about it.”
“I walked away from the news, knowing that I would become anxious and uptight if I watched. There’s nothing more to plan for Fletch, so now we wait. And Booth is a non-issue for us. Balladae and Elen seem like decent cops, and Booth isn’t an under-the-radar kind of guy. He ran, but he’ll surface again soon. It’s not even a blip in my mind.”
“And Doctor Chase? You’re at work, even though you’re not supposed to be, and he’s not even here. Screams anxiety to me.”
“I think you’re anxious and wildly insecure about it, so you project it on me instead. Because Fletch is your friend too, and planning a funeral sucks. Booth is on the loose, and though he was the one who hurt Jada, your open and uncensored thoughts about her make you feel guilty. The sooner he’s behind bars, the sooner you can feel okay about all the mean things you said about her. And Tim wants to buy you a big house with a pool and a golf course.”
“No pool,” she grumbles. “Just the golf thing.”
“And you’re freaking out about it. Also,” I place my phone down again, screen side down, and tilt my head. “Only two mill for seven bedrooms?”
Her eyes spring wide. “ Only ? Are you serious?”
“I just mean… seven bedrooms. That’s a lot. And enough land for the added luxuries. Is Copeland City real estate struggling, or…?”
“You haven’t helped at all.” She shoves up from her chair, only to growl when Doctor Raquel strides through my door with a bright red smile and dancing eyes. Her gaze hones in on Aubree’s deserted spot, so like a child, Aubree drops again and demands her place in my office.
“Poo.” Raquel sets her hands in her lab coat pockets and cocks her hip. “Everyone good? Happy? Healthy?”
“Did you need something?” I sit back and cross one leg over the other. “Last I heard, you were so busy, it was unlikely you’d see the sun for years. And yet,” I gesture her way, “here you are, not working.”
Smug, she turns and wanders to my floor-to-ceiling windows. “I have so much work backed up, I won’t escape, ever. In fact, you’ll probably bury it with me, purely to annoy me.”
“So what are you?—”
“I can’t let the Leaning Tower of Prokaryote stop me from living my life. I’ve been hunched over my desk for hours and needed a breather before I put a scalpel in my brain, and it just so happens I found you two, gossiping like a couple of schoolgirls.” She spins and plops onto the couch pushed up against the glass, crossing her legs and resting her chin in her hand. “What’s the goss, Boss? Who’s dating who? Did anyone fumble a D.B.’s testicles today and not tell the family?”
“Gossip? Really?”
“What can I say? I come from a small town where talking about other people is all we have.”
“I’ve spoken to no family members regarding any cases today.” I reach into my drawer and take out my ruler, so I have something to keep my fingers busy. Or to hit people with if needed. “I handled no testicles today, despite performing two autopsies to clear out a little of Patten’s backlog. And I’m still married to Malone, thus my dating life remains stable.”
Satisfied, she looks at Aubree, almost as though intending to ask her the same questions. But when Aubree opens her mouth to speak, Raquel cuts in. “Well, I’m dating someone now. Someone I absolutely could not take back to my town and introduce to my family. But I’m just saying, thinking about my sex life is slowing down my professional productivity. My bedroom is a happy, happy place, and I felt the need to share that with someone who would join me in celebration.”
“Funny you think I would.” I set the ruler down and interlace my fingers. Very The Godfather , I’m certain. “Telling your boss that you’re distracted and underperforming on the job is hardly the smartest thing you did today.”
“Oh, please.” She sits back and twirls a long lock of hair around her finger. “I run the tightest damn lab in the city, and even when I’m distracted, I still out-pace any other tech you could hope to find. Besides, the sex bliss will wear off soon, and I’ll go back to normal superhuman speed, which is like, one percent faster than I’m at right now. Furthermore, Doctor Campbell is a wonderful addition to the team, and did you know…” She leans forward, conspiratorially grinning, “he has a brother who holds the exact same degree as he does? I bet I could convince him to work for cheap, since he’d get to spend his days with his brother. And they’re not bad to look at, so?—”
“I think you came here today just to get a rise out of me.” I stare deep into her eyes, waiting, challenging, until she breaks contact first. But all she does is laugh and glance down to fix her skirt.
“I think you’re crabby and mean. Fortunately for us all, I’m so pleasant and funny, I rebalance the scales and break up the monotony.”
“Mmhm. Consider the monotony broken.” My phone vibrates with an incoming text, but although I reach out and grab the device, I don’t turn it over or read the screen yet. “You wanted us to know about this person you’re dating. Consider us informed. Anything else?”
“You didn’t acknowledge the sex stuff at all.” She checks her nails to make sure they’re still perfect. “That was an important piece of information.”
“And you’re having great sex.” I eye my door when Doctor Kirk raps his knuckles against the glass, then I dip my chin to give him the go-ahead to enter. I sure as shit don’t mention sex in front of the shy medical examiner. “Did you need something, Doctor Kirk?”
“Just a question, Chief Mayet. Nineteen-year-old female D.B. Passed in her sleep and reported the next morning when discovered by her mother.”
Raquel grits her teeth. “Tough break.”
He slides his glasses higher on his nose and nods, as though to agree. “Medical history is clear; no history of seizures. Heart, liver, and lungs are clear. Nonsmoking, non-drinking. No history of drug use and, when I speak to the investigating detectives, they say she was well-liked and what others would describe as a good girl . She did nothing out of the ordinary in the days leading up to death; her diet remained unchanged, no new medications, and she met no one new. However, she traveled interstate approximately three weeks prior to death.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Yes.” He sets his hands in his pockets and leans left, placing most of his weight on one leg. “But they’d been dating since high school. No change there, no issues, and no suspicions from the police.”
“Opened her skull yet?”
“I was heading there next. Any thoughts?”
“Was she sexually active?”
“Yeah, I…” He frowns. “Boyfriend of three years.”
“Considering her age and marital status, I doubt she was ready for babies just yet. Was she on hormonal birth control?”
“Yes, Chief. She?—”
And there it is. His eyes flicker with understanding. “The birth control. Cripe!”
What the hell is a cripe? A type of goldfish?
“Search her for a clot. Travel might’ve set her in fast forward, and then lazy days at home finished her off. I’m led to wonder if she stroked out in her sleep.”
“ Terrible luck,” Raquel reiterates. “Having a sex life with someone you’re fond of, and then dying while asleep.” She whistles. “That’s low.”
“Let me know how you go, Doctor Kirk.” I watch as he turns on his heels and strides out of my office, then I bring my focus back to Raquel. “Are you done talking about sex yet? You’re not as cute as you think you are.”
“Says you.” She scoffs. “My multiple orgasms say otherwise. Are you sticking around for much longer, or heading home? You got that thing tomorrow?”
That thing? Yeah. “I’m heading out in a second and having dinner with my friend.” Then I look to Aubree. “What do we bring for dinner?”
She takes out her phone and starts swiping. “I’ll order something.”
So I look back at Raquel and smile. “She’ll order something. After that, my family is flying in for the weekend, and then things should go back to normal next week. You done farting around on work time?”
Snickering, she unfolds her legs and pushes up to stand, smoothing out her coat and side-eyeing Aubree while she orders things from an app and uses Timothy Malone’s money to pay for it. Probably . “You always have the most colorful sayings, Chief. Give Detective Fletcher my best, won’t you?” Finally serious, she holds my gaze with none of the glittering menace she so typically walks around with. “I know things are rough right now, but I’m sending my love and all the weird, gooey feelings, yeah?”
“I’ll let him know.” Maybe. Probably not. “Thanks. If I don’t speak to you between now and then, I’ll see you Monday. Early rounds to get us back into the swing of things. The last week or so has been crazy, but I’m hopeful everything settles and life can go back to normal again.”
“Don’t say that.” She wanders across my office and drags the door open. But she stops and glances back. “You’ll jinx it. Let’s pencil in a time where I can tell you about my dating life some more. I feel I haven’t expressed quite how… pleasant it is.”
I close my eyes and press the pads of my thumbs on top, only to listen to the tinkling laughter of a woman who strides through my door and heads away. “She’s annoying.”
“She wants to be our friend, kind of like how Fifi wants to be our friend. I’m open to expanding our circle, but no one else is getting a matching anklet soldered onto their body. That’s for us.”
“You sound codependent.” I drop my hands and blink my eyes open until the darkness recedes. Stars dance in my vision, and exhaustion reminds me I don’t sleep nearly as often or as well as I should. “What did you order?”
“Thai. I got a bit of everything and made sure to get things Mia would like. What time are Felix and Micah set to land?”
“No clue, but I have a feeling it’ll be between inconvenient o’clock and bedtime. Felix insists on staying at our apartment. But if I promised you an extra week of paid leave and exclusive use of the coffee machine, would you take him with you to Tim’s apartment?”
“I already have exclusive use of the coffee machine, considering ninety-nine percent of the caffeine you consume in this building was made and delivered by me. And I don’t need paid time off. I like my job, and on the off chance I need time away, I have enough savings to pay my rent.”
“Plus, you’re rich adjacent now.” I skitter out of my chair when she lunges forward to pick up my ruler. “Stop being insecure about your newfound status, Doctor Emeri.” I circle my desk and go the long way, ensuring she can’t reach out and stab me. But all I manage is to swap my white lab coat for the brown one I’ll wear outside before I remember my phone and bag… back at my desk. “Your moodiness on this topic is creating an uncomfortable work environment.”
“You’re having way too much fun with this.” She stands too, though slower than me, and stares down at her phone while swiping screens. “I just want to enjoy this for a while without it turning into a seven-bedroom McMansion and official cohabitation. Is that so much to ask for?”
She taps the screen and brings the phone to her ear. So while she’s focusing on that, I sneak back to my desk to collect my things.
“Hey.” As soon as her call connects, her face lights up with pleasure. Pure, unadulterated, not-at-all insecure satisfaction. “ and I are heading out now to go to Fletch’s. Are you…”
She pauses to listen to Tim’s response. Because, of course, it’s Tim she called.
“Yeah. I ordered Thai for delivery around six. Nice and early so Mia can eat and relax, and so the rest of us can get home before tomorrow. It’s going to be a big day, so…” Her cheeks burn bright red as Tim speaks. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m working hard on keeping it out… Yeah.” She absentmindedly pushes the visitor chair closer to my desk and wanders to the door so she can get her coat and bag. “Uh-huh. Do you know what time Felix and Micah are flying in?”
“About eight,” I mumble, checking my texts now that I have a second. Felix and Debbie, as well as Micah and Tiia, Archer types. I have no fucking clue where they’ll all sleep, or why either of them thinks it appropriate to force the women to sleep on the floor. But they’re already on the plane and moving. Felix is concerned about Cordoza since the stuff in December, and he wasn’t leaving Christabelle alone in her current condition, so the weekend will be quick in and out. Get ready for the shitshow, Mayet. Please don’t divorce me over this.
I choke on a quiet laugh and quickly tap the bubble at the bottom so I can type up a reply. I don’t intend to divorce you because your brothers annoy the shit out of me. It’s hardly their fault these days. They don’t know how else to act. I seriously don’t know how we’ll fit so many extra people in our apartment, but I’m leaving that in your hands. All I know is I’m not sharing my bed with anyone except you. Aubree and I are leaving the office now and heading toward Fletch’s place. See you in a bit. Oh, and Aubree ordered dinner, so tell Fletch not to worry about that.
I hit send and lock my screen, only to look up and find Aubree doing the same.
“You act like this new commitment is a hardship for you, but then you go and voluntarily check in with the guy.” I slip my bag onto the crook of my arm and grab the door handle. “You’re whipped, Doctor Emeri, and you’re insecure about it.”
“I am a strong, independent woman. Whipped is not in my vocabulary.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” I stride through the door and head for the elevator, tapping the call button and stepping in when it opens almost immediately. “You’re owned . That’s what I meant.” I study the emeralds shimmering around her neck. “Master and his little pet.”
“I’ll hurt you.” She slaps the button for the underground garage and presents a set of keys before I can wonder if she nabbed any. “I’d prefer you didn’t comment on my relationship at all.”
“Sorry, Pet.” I move to the side and cough to drown out the sound of my amusement. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”