Archer #3
I settle into my chair and bring my left foot up to rest on my right knee.
Fuck, it’s so hot outside that my jeans stick to my legs and send me nuts.
“That’s why I brought him here first. Give him time to cool off.
” And since I remember, I dig my hand into my pocket and pull out the super-secret swab I don’t ever intend to tell the brass about.
Placing it on the desk between us, I sit back again.
“I’m sending evidence off to the state lab that I think will tie up our current open case. ”
Minka’s too smart for her own good. Too measured to even consider reaching out for my offering. Instead, she crosses her legs and sets her hands in her lap.
“Is there a reason you’ve broken the chain of evidence, Detective, and brought that sample to me?”
“No chain of evidence has been broken.” Mostly . “I sealed my evidence on the scene, documented it, and will log it at the station just as soon as we leave here. This sample was never in my chain of evidence. Thus, no chain has been broken.”
“So it’s not a sample you took from a crime scene?”
“No, it is,” Fletch inserts. And because he’s had such a hard day, he flops onto the leather couch, landing with enough force that the legs scrape a half inch along the tile floor. “That’s our suspect’s DNA. He’s cutting corners because he wants answers sooner.”
Unimpressed, Minka firms her lips and meets my eyes.
“I got two samples. This one technically doesn’t even exist.”
“And yet,” Aubree strolls across the office and leans past me to get a closer look. Though she, too, doesn’t touch. “It’s right here, existing.”
“I just mean, no one outside of us knows about it. I took two swabs. One for the real chain, one for me. The real chain will go through the proper channels so it can be used in court. This one is because I was hoping your lab geeks would test it and get me answers quicker.”
“Or,” Minka counters, “you could get your own rapid test from the station and do it yourself. My lab is not your lab, Detective.”
“But we’re married! What’s mine is yours.”
Amused, she glances to the shadow loitering by her door.
The un affable Miss Fifi. “We can share most things, Malone. I don’t even mind sharing my coffee machine, which is actually the truest symbol of love I possess.
” Knowing Fifi isn’t coming in without a stone-etched invitation, Minka pushes to her feet again and circles her desk.
“Unfortunately for you, my lab geeks are not our lab geeks. Besides, my lab geeks are already overloaded with work, and I’m losing one of them tomorrow to some weird wedding ritual in the middle of nowhere.
” She jerks her door open and snatches the woman’s coffee with viper-fast reflexes.
“Fifi. You don’t work here anymore. Did you forget?
Or did the mayor piss you off, so now you’ve come back to beg for your job? ”
“I never beg, least of all, for a job I don’t want.
” She brushes past her favorite ex-boss and stops in the middle of the office.
She can’t go to the couch because Fletch is there.
And she can’t come to Minka’s desk because there’s only one visitor chair, and my ass is currently using it.
“I need to discuss the New York case with you.”
And just like that, all good humor is gone.
Minka releases her door and wanders back to her desk, frowning now instead of smiling.
Scowling, instead of playful. “Not funny. That’s old news, and if that’s the best you’ve got to fabricate a reason to come here, I suggest you leave and use your imagination for something better. I’m not playing with that subject.”
“The mayor sent me.” She folds her arms, defensive and, dare I say, sorry . And when I turn in my seat to get a clearer view of her, she chews the inside of her lip and bounces ever so subtly. “We received a call from this group of filmmakers this morning.”
“Filmmakers? You’re kidding, right?”
“I wish. They’ve made their intentions clear: they’re creating a documentary surrounding the Body-In-The…” She stops and swallows. “That case. They say they have proper permission or whatever, and we can’t exactly stop them from coming to Copeland.”
“Lawrence is entertaining this? Are you serious, Seraphina?”
“He’s not entertaining anything! In fact, the whole freakin’ reason I’m here is to give you a head’s up, discuss what we all know to be a sensitive subject, and ultimately, help you formulate a plan where we get you through this unfortunate time unscathed.
Mayor Lawrence knew you’d receive this news poorly, and he felt our familiarity and past experience would be a suitable middle ground. ”
“Middle ground for what ? You think you’re strong enough to stop me from shoving a camera down their throats if they come near me?
” She slams the coffee to her desk and shakes her head.
Oh, good. She’s found her new purpose for all that bottled energy .
“I have a right to privacy, no? And those girls do, too. I won’t participate in their dumb movie, and if I find out anyone in this room does, I’ll wring your necks. ”
“Good lord.” Groaning, Fifi presses the pads of her fingers to the outside of her eyelids. “This is going exactly how I expected it to.”
“Your mayor is a coward,” Minka spits out. “He knew I’d receive this poorly ? So he sent you?”
“He knew he was busy this afternoon with other, unavoidable engagements and that news of this documentary would spread quickly. For those reasons, he took the steps he could to ensure that he, or one of his representatives, got to you before the film crews did. He was less afraid of your poor reaction than he was that you’d be ambushed.
He’s doing the best he can in a crappy situation. ”
“He’s a coward.” Petulant, Minka sits back and grabs her coffee, sipping at the piping hot liquid. “And a scoundrel. And if you insist on having your job back, I promise to match your salary.”
“Chief Mayet?—”
“Your George Stanley salary,” she clarifies quickly. “I can’t afford what the mayor is paying, which is ironic, really, since our budget comes from that scoundrel directly.”
Exasperated, the woman drops her hands. “That scoundrel cares very much about your mental well-being, Chief Mayet. He aged a decade this morning alone since finding out about this dumb movie because he wanted to protect you as best he could. Additionally, he knew protecting you would come at a cost since you’re hardly an appreciative recipient. He was doomed, no matter what he did.”
“He’d be less doomed if he refrained from head-hunting my staff.
” She purses her lips behind the steaming mug.
“This thing you’re currently experiencing is called Stockholm Syndrome, Ms. Lewis.
It’s not your fault. This is a common psychological condition many victims suffer, where they consider their abusers in a positive light.
If you’re open to receiving help, I’m willing to hire you back as a first step in regaining a sense of independence.
The fact he’s your employer and, ultimately, in control of your financial freedom means he’s financially abusing you, too.
There are resources out there for people in your situation. ”
Ready to blow, Fifi exhales a heaving, explosive breath and locks eyes with me. Begging. Pleading. “Detective? Help me.”
I choke out a laugh and bring my gaze back to Minka’s.
Though I swear, beneath her hard stare is a woman having genuine fun at the expense of this person I know she considers a friend.
“Chief Mayet?” I keep my tone serious. Measured.
“Could you please play nice? Ms. Lewis is attempting a civil conversation with you. You’re frustrating her. ”
“Which is literally the worst possible way to convince me to leave a dream job so I can work with corpses again!” Fifi throws her hands up.
“You expect me to leave my higher paying job, at a less stressful office, with a better boss, with job prospects that outstrip those I have here, by a thousand, in a building where I never have to see dead people, all to come back and become your underpaid, overworked, verbal punching bag?” She snorts, piggish and cute enough to steal another chunk of Fletch’s heart.
Fuck, I see it in his eyes. “You’re dreaming, Chief.
It’s like you expect me to trade a brick of gold for a piece of paper, and then you can’t understand why asking such a dumb question makes you look ridiculous. ”
“This place isn’t so bad,” Aubree inserts.
“We have nice new chairs now. And no one is naming names, but we got upgrades on our computer screens, too, so we get fewer headaches after a long day of catching up on paperwork. Also , we snagged an unpaid intern, and she’s dating a cop that isn’t—” She gesticulates from me to Fletch.
“Them. So that’s cool since more connections are always a good thing. ”
“You act like you’re too good for us now.” Minka looks down her nose, taunting the woman who is so easily baited. “You forget where you came from. And now that you have a connection with the mayor, you think you’re too fancy for the dead.”
“I swear to God, I lose the will to live every time I enter this building.” She turns on her heels and stalks toward the door.
“Are you leaving?”
“No! I’m making coffee since my last one was stolen. It’s obvious I need caffeine to get through this dumb meeting. Headbutting brick walls is exhausting.”
“Can you make me one, too?” Aubree shouts. “Please?”
“I should help her.” Oh, so helpful Fletch jumps to his feet and runs his hands through his hair.
He wants to look good for his highly strung Ms. Fifi.
Never mind the fact he looks like he took a fucking cannonball to the stomach today.
He dashes to the door and yanks it open.
“I’m gonna help her. Two coffees are a lot to carry. ”