was something else. Something he couldn't put his finger on. It had something to do with the way she almost flinched when he tried to get specifics of who she'd seen. The way she suddenly stopped talking and had to go when she'd finally broken down and told him how the crime had transpired.
He gritted his teeth and glanced at Jade's cubicle. She was staring off into the distance, her blond hair tucked absently into the back of her blouse from where it had fallen out of its haphazard knot. He shook his head. Damn girl was a mess.
Sliding from his seat, he walked over to her and tapped on her shoulder. She gave a little start, then pressed her hand to her chest and shot him a glare. "Hey, didn't your father teach you better than to scare people?"
"Guess not." Derrick shrugged. "Ready for lunch or are you busy solving something?"
He was teasing her, and she knew as much. She almost never came up with epiphanies when she was sitting by herself. She was one of those weird kind of people that had to be talking to someone, working through it, pushing themselves to keep talking until they stopped and the answer was staring them in the face.
Just last month she'd called him on his weekend off to try to talk through a gang-related murder. He'd fallen asleep while they were on the phone, but she hadn't cared. She just needed to feel like someone was there to listen.
"Okay, fine, you caught me spacing out. But yes, I'm starving. Did you bring anything good today?" She pushed out of her seat to walk with him toward the break room.
"Nope. Peanut butter and jelly. The usual."
"Trade you for my lean cuisine." She batted her eyelashes up at him. "It's sesame chick-en."
"Good as that sounds, I'll have to pass." He crossed the room quickly and grabbed his lunch out of the fridge before settling at one of the round wooden tables in front of the half-stocked vending machines.
Jade was slower, carefully reading the instructions on the back of the box and following them to the letter despite the fact that she brought nearly the same thing every day.
"So, how did your interview go?" He asked between bites, and when she clicked the microwave door shut, she shot him a skeptical glance.
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
"Beat you to it." He swigged his iced tea and Jade leaned back against the soda machine. "I got a young woman. She was...less than helpful."
"Not so unusual."
"No, but once people feel like they're safe and can help, they tend to, you know, help ."
"So what was it? Bad information?" He furrowed his brow, willing her not to answer with what he already knew she'd say.
"She was tight lipped, but she seemed like she actually did want to help. It was almost like..." Jade glanced at the microwave, then tapped her fingers against the ugly green countertop. "It was like someone threatened her."
And there it was. His own suspicions put on the table in front of him.
"Mine too." He rubbed his chin then said, "So, we've got a couple options. Maybe these ladies coincidentally acted odd on the same day in regard to the same crime."
"Which is about as likely as you getting and keeping a girlfriend." Jade cocked an eyebrow.
"What would I need a girlfriend for?" he shot back, then shook his head. "Beside the point. Anyway, so either they were living in bizarro world today or Scaglietti's guys tracked them down and told them not to talk."
"So what do we do? We can't risk their lives."
"No, we can't." Derrick took another bite of his sandwich and willed his mind to work harder. "If they knew these two were coming in, it's likely that they got everyone who witnessed it."
"How is that even possible? They'd have to have access to the security cameras and some serious face recognition software."
"Which they don't have because they short circuited the electric, including the security cameras before they set foot in the restaurant itself." Derrick sighed.
The microwave beeped and Jade slid into the seat opposite him. "It
He gritted his teeth and glanced at Jade's cubicle. She was staring off into the distance, her blond hair tucked absently into the back of her blouse from where it had fallen out of its haphazard knot. He shook his head. Damn girl was a mess.
Sliding from his seat, he walked over to her and tapped on her shoulder. She gave a little start, then pressed her hand to her chest and shot him a glare. "Hey, didn't your father teach you better than to scare people?"
"Guess not." Derrick shrugged. "Ready for lunch or are you busy solving something?"
He was teasing her, and she knew as much. She almost never came up with epiphanies when she was sitting by herself. She was one of those weird kind of people that had to be talking to someone, working through it, pushing themselves to keep talking until they stopped and the answer was staring them in the face.
Just last month she'd called him on his weekend off to try to talk through a gang-related murder. He'd fallen asleep while they were on the phone, but she hadn't cared. She just needed to feel like someone was there to listen.
"Okay, fine, you caught me spacing out. But yes, I'm starving. Did you bring anything good today?" She pushed out of her seat to walk with him toward the break room.
"Nope. Peanut butter and jelly. The usual."
"Trade you for my lean cuisine." She batted her eyelashes up at him. "It's sesame chick-en."
"Good as that sounds, I'll have to pass." He crossed the room quickly and grabbed his lunch out of the fridge before settling at one of the round wooden tables in front of the half-stocked vending machines.
Jade was slower, carefully reading the instructions on the back of the box and following them to the letter despite the fact that she brought nearly the same thing every day.
"So, how did your interview go?" He asked between bites, and when she clicked the microwave door shut, she shot him a skeptical glance.
"I was going to ask you the same thing."
"Beat you to it." He swigged his iced tea and Jade leaned back against the soda machine. "I got a young woman. She was...less than helpful."
"Not so unusual."
"No, but once people feel like they're safe and can help, they tend to, you know, help ."
"So what was it? Bad information?" He furrowed his brow, willing her not to answer with what he already knew she'd say.
"She was tight lipped, but she seemed like she actually did want to help. It was almost like..." Jade glanced at the microwave, then tapped her fingers against the ugly green countertop. "It was like someone threatened her."
And there it was. His own suspicions put on the table in front of him.
"Mine too." He rubbed his chin then said, "So, we've got a couple options. Maybe these ladies coincidentally acted odd on the same day in regard to the same crime."
"Which is about as likely as you getting and keeping a girlfriend." Jade cocked an eyebrow.
"What would I need a girlfriend for?" he shot back, then shook his head. "Beside the point. Anyway, so either they were living in bizarro world today or Scaglietti's guys tracked them down and told them not to talk."
"So what do we do? We can't risk their lives."
"No, we can't." Derrick took another bite of his sandwich and willed his mind to work harder. "If they knew these two were coming in, it's likely that they got everyone who witnessed it."
"How is that even possible? They'd have to have access to the security cameras and some serious face recognition software."
"Which they don't have because they short circuited the electric, including the security cameras before they set foot in the restaurant itself." Derrick sighed.
The microwave beeped and Jade slid into the seat opposite him. "It
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