Dexter's Final Cut Read Free Page B

a little flourish of his hand to indicate the beautiful woman. “Jackie is playing a hard-as-nails woman detective. Like your Sergeant Morgan.” He smiled at Deborah, but she didn’t smile back. “And Robert is playing the part of a forensics whiz. Which we hear is what you are. So Robert would like to follow you around at your job for a few days and see what you do, and how you do it.”
    I have always heard it said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I did not recall anyone ever adding that flattery was actually a good thing, and I admit that I was not terribly pleased. It’s not that I have anything to hide—I’ve already hidden all of it—but I do like my privacy, and the idea of having somebody following me around and taking notes on my behavior was a bit unsettling.
    “Um,” I said, and it was good to hear that my customary eloquence had leaped to the fore, “that’s going to be, um, kind of difficult—”
    “Doesn’t matter,” Captain Matthews said.
    “I can handle it,” Robert said.
    “I can’t,” Deborah said, and everyone looked at her. She looked even more surly than she had when I came in, which was quite an achievement.
    “What’s the problem?” Eissen said.
    Debs shook her head. “I’m a cop, not a fucking nanny,” she said through clenched teeth.
    “Morgan,” Captain Matthews said, and he cleared his throat and looked around to see if anyone had noticed the bad word.
    “I don’t have time for this shit,” Debs went on, using yet another bad word. “Brand-new this morning I got a drive-by shooting in Liberty City, an overdose at the U, and a beheading in the Grove.”
    “Wow,” said Jackie, with breathy wonder.
    Matthews waved a hand dismissively. “Not important,” he said.
    “The hell it isn’t,” my sister said.
    Matthews shook his head at her. “Pass it off to Anderson or somebody. This,” he said, rapping a knuckle on the table, “has priority.” And he gave Jackie his most dazzling thoughtful-but-macho smile. She smiled back, apparently paralyzing Matthews for several seconds, until once more Deborah broke the spell.
    “It’s not my job,” she insisted. “My job is taking down perps—not babysitting a model.”
    I looked at Jackie to see how she would take that; she just looked at Debs with awe and shook her head slowly. “Perfect,” she said softly.
    “Your job,” Matthews said sternly, “is to follow orders. My orders,” he added, glancing again at Jackie to see if she was impressed. But Jackie hadn’t taken her eyes off Deborah.
    “Goddamn it, Captain,” Debs said, but Matthews held up a hand and cut her off.
    “That’s enough,” he snapped. “I am assigning you to be technical adviser to these people. Period. Until further notice.” Debs opened her mouth to say something, but Matthews plowed right over her. “You’ll do it and do it right, and that’s it, all of it, end of discussion.” He leaned toward my sister slightly. “And, Morgan—watch your language, all right?” He stared at her, and she stared back, and for a moment that was all that happened, until Eissen finally broke the spell.
    “Good, that’s settled,” he said, and he put on a fake smile to indicate that everyone was happy now. “Thank you for your cooperation, Captain. The network is very grateful.”
    Matthews nodded. “Well, that’s, ahem. And I’m sure this is agood thing.” He looked at me and then at Deborah. “For all of us,” he said, glaring at my sister.
    “I’m sure you’re right,” Eissen said.
    “This is going to be
awesome
,” Jackie gurgled.
    Deborah did not appear to agree.

TWO
    “L ISTEN ,” R OBERT C HASE SAID TO ME AS WE WALKED DOWN THE hall together toward my lab. “We need to get a few ground rules straight, all right?”
    I looked at him, seeing only his profile, since he was staring straight ahead through his sunglasses. “Rules?” I said. “What do you mean?”
    He stopped walking and turned to face me.