Flawless(20)

He smiled. “Educated opinion, though, right?”

She shrugged. “Honestly, if you asked one of my bosses to—”

“Your bosses weren’t in the van with me,” he said, and walked back to take his seat.

She’d been about to stand; her work here was done.

But the way he sat, leaning forward expectantly, his eyes probing...

No, she wasn’t leaving yet.

“So what were you doing at the store yesterday?” he asked.

She immediately felt defensive, but she tried not to do any of the things that would betray her nervousness. Blinking, wetting her lips...

“A friend works there,” she said. “I went to see if he was there. Well, all right. He’s not really a friend. He was a friend. Not anymore.”

He looked down a moment, a slight smile curving his lips. “Care to explain?”

She shrugged uncomfortably and looked away, but she told herself that was okay. Explaining an awkward divorce would make anyone uneasy.

“Gary Benton was—is—married to a close friend of mine. They’re going through a very nasty divorce. I went to see him to remind him that they were adults and that...” She felt herself stiffen, but she was so angry at Gary that she couldn’t help it. “She went out of town to give him space, and he locked her dogs in a crate and didn’t feed them or let them out the whole time.”

“She should have called animal control,” he said.

“The logical answer, of course, but she was too upset to think straight, and—” She paused and looked away again. “She went to the store and said some pretty awful things. I went to ask him to stop being so nasty and trying to upset her. But he wasn’t there and, well, you know what happened next.”

He seemed to believe that. “Well, thank you again for your help,” he told her. “I’ll get you back to work.”

“Thanks,” she said.

He rose. She kept sitting.

He smiled at her. “I meant that literally. I’ll get you back to work.”

“Oh! Okay, thank you.”

She stood quickly, dismayed to feel herself blushing.

She felt his hand at the small of her back as he politely ushered her out.

She told Millie goodbye and passed another half dozen men and women in well-tailored suits as they left the building, walking past the line where people were still lined up, chatting as they waited to pass through security.

She noticed an interesting group waiting their turn. They weren’t in suits and didn’t look at all like members of the FBI.

“Who are they?” she asked.

“A teachers’ group,” he told her.

“Oh?”

“They’re going to take a class in keeping schools safe.”

“I didn’t know the FBI offered anything like that.”

He flashed her a smile. “We’re a friendly crowd, not the enemy,” he said.

“I wasn’t suggesting that. I just never thought of the FBI as being so...open-door,” she told him. “Practically warm and cuddly.”

“Well, that depends on who you are and what you’re up to,” he told her.

A car was waiting for them. Double-parked again, she noticed. Craig Frasier seated her before walking around to slide into the driver’s seat himself.

“In a city full of very different crimes, I find this to be an especially interesting case,” he said as he drove.

“I think it’s a terrifying case,” she said. “Men holding up jewelry stores and killing people, but making it look as if other people are the killers.”

She realized from his expression, which had hardened as she spoke, that he was accustomed to dealing with people killing people. That had to be difficult. Then again, she had known when she took her job that she would be dealing with criminals whose behavior made her brothers’ previous escapades look like child’s play.

“Actually, I was referring to you,” he said.

“Me?” She prayed there was no fear—or guilt—in her voice.

“Bartender by night, assistant crime fighter by day.”

“I’m a psychologist, not a crime fighter.”

“A therapist.”

“Yes.”

“What sort of cases have you handled?”

She took a breath and shrugged. “I haven’t been in the role that long—I’m pretty fresh out of school. But so far I’ve spoken with a woman regarding a competency hearing. And I was asked to speak separately with a husband and wife suspected in the death of their newborn. That one was very sad.”

“Life can be sad,” he said wearily. “And you’re a bartender on top of all that?”

“It’s a family business,” she said. She winced. Did that make her family sound like the Mafia?

They’d reached her office, she realized. He had the car in Park and was ready to hop out and open her door for her. Professional courtesy? Was he always like that?

“Thank you,” she said quickly, opening her door. “I appreciate the ride back.”

“Thanks for your help,” he told her.

“Of course,” she said quickly as she stepped out of the car, then bent to look back in at him. “Um, goodbye.”