“Interesting.” She supposed the same had been at play in La Junta, but there also weren’t jobs to work around the clock there besides Sheriff and maybe a few others that had night shifts. Most of the town closed by eight in the evenings most days, besides the two bars. And considering it was a town with a population of only seven thousand, she was surprised it had two bars in the first place.
“Well either way, it’s changed the way the precinct functions. Where they used to employ four detectives, now there’s six of us. And where they used to have four or five crime scene techs, now I think there’s ten.”
“Hasn’t the city grown as well?”
“Yes, of course, but I’m talking in our district specifically, there shouldn’t be a need for two additional full-time detectives, except that most only work a maximum of fifty hours a week, even when they’re on a case. That doesn’t count the hours they put in thinking about a case at home, but when I first started detectives regularly put in many more hours. When I’m on a case I don’t hesitate to pull eighty-hour weeks, but I’m the only one. “
“I noticed.” She replied as he pulled up next to her car.
“Except you.” He specified. “You seem to want overtime as badly as me.”
She could tell this was a pointed question and she knew she would have to share about Vance sooner or later, but for now at least, time dictated their chat was over.
“Well, two families are expensive you know.” She joked as she stepped out of the car, but before closing the door she decided she better make sure he was okay to drive home.
“Do you need me to take you home? I could pick you up and bring you back to your car tomorrow?”
He shook his head and pulled a red bull from his center consol. “That’s what this baby is for. But thanks for checking.”
She rolled her eyes. “Alright well if you want me to talk to you via Bluetooth to keep you awake you have my number.”
“Night Largusa.”
“Night Atlas.” She shut his passenger door, and with that he sped out of the parking lot as she stepped into her car and started the ignition. She was glad for the break she had taken earlier, otherwise she might be as tired as he was.
It didn’t take her long to drive home, and when she pulled up in front of the house Kevin’s truck was still there along with another car behind it.
When she walked through the doorway, she was immediately greeted by the smell of Indian take out and the sound of grown men yelling at the TV. Ah, she had forgotten it was Thursday and that football was a thing to people with day jobs.
She was about to sneak up the stairs and call it a night when Vance just happened to look over his shoulder and spot her. “Hey sis, come join.”
She couldn’t say no to him, so she gestured for one minute and walked upstairs to lock her gun in its case and set it by her bed. She briefly considered changing her clothes, but she didn’t plan to hang out longer than a few minutes so she ultimately decided against it and headed back down in her slacks and blouse.
When she walked into the living room, Kevin, Trevor and Sebastian were all eating plates filled with various curries and naan breads. Her stomach growled so loudly that the guys could hear it over the game.
“Go make yourself a plate already!” Vance laughed, though she could see his own plate had barely been touched. He pointed her to the kitchen and when she walked in, she gasped. They had ordered the entire buffet to be delivered to their kitchen.
“Yeah, sorry, it was Sebastian’s turn to buy, and he got carried away.” Kevin said from the doorway where he stood with his plate in his hands.
Naya quickly went down the line and loaded her plate with a little of everything. She had to admit, it looked delicious.
“Well, let him know I said thank you.”
Cheers erupted from the living room, clearly their team had scored. Naya cleared a spot for herself at the two-person table and sat down. To her surprise, Kevin followed suit, though he sat sideways and held his plate in his lap as a large vat of rice was occupying most of the small table.
“Not going to watch the game?” She asked.
He smiled. “I can watch the game whenever I want, but you’re a hard lady to pin down.”
“Oh, really now?” She was surprised how flirtatious her own words sounded. She was so used to her work voice that it sounded foreign to her.
He smiled wider in return and took a large bite of curry.
“Was there a reason you wanted to pin me down?” After she said it she realized how it sounded and put a hand over her face. “I walked right into that one.”
“That wasn’t my intention, but yes you did.” Kevin smirked before taking another bite.
It was quiet for another minute as they both chewed on their dinners. “So, Kevin,” Naya started, “You worked with Vance?”
He nodded. “I took his job actually, when he quit or…was relieved of his duties” He corrected himself.
“It’s okay. Vance has told me most of what happened.”
“I figured. Did you move here just for him?” Kevin picked up his naan and began using it to clean up the leftover curry sauce on his plate.
Naya glanced towards the entry to the living room and smiled sadly. “Yeah, he’s the only brother I’ve got, and my parents will visit, but they aren’t cut out for big city life.”
“It’s not for everyone. How are you liking it?”
“Well considering I’ve done nothing but work the whole time I’ve been here, I guess you could say I’m fitting in fine. I actually like how busy I’ve been.” She scooped what was left on her plate into one pile in the middle. “You seem to have a lot of time to spend with Vance.”
“Yeah, I’m the supervisor. So, I can supervise sites a bit and then leave and check in on the site later. I manage three sites right now and Vance is centrally located between them, so it’s convenient for me to swing by.”
“I’m really thankful he has you. I worry what it would be like for him with a support system and sense of normalcy.”
Naya finished clearing her plate and set it down in front of her, she had been much hungrier than she had thought. She was even thinking of filling a second plate.
“He’s my best friend. We met in university, and he was the one who got me the job on the construction site. I owe him for a lot.”
They were both quiet for a moment and Naya eyed the rice in front of Kevin, it didn’t escape his notice.
“Have more.” He pushed the dish towards her. “God knows you need it. Always trying to get Vance to eat and it looks like you’re always forgetting to feed yourself.”
Naya looked down at herself and knew there was truth in his words, she had already lost weight since she had come here. She hadn’t expected to be thrown into work so quickly, and managing Vance had priority when she was home. She was still deep in her thoughts when she felt his hand lift her chin.
“You look beautiful though, don’t worry. I was just commenting how you should take care of yourself too.”
She didn’t say anything as she found her eyes searching his face. He really was quite handsome. His eyes flickered down for a moment and before she could say anything or pull away, he used his hand on her chin to lean her forward and his lips connected with hers.
She was pleasantly surprised. The kiss was nice, not forceful, and he didn’t try anything crazy like some men sometimes did. She actually enjoyed it. And when he did finally pull away she found herself wanting more.
Kevin smiled sheepishly as he returned himself to his side of the table. Naya found herself at a loss for words.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.” “A while?! I’ve only been here a little over two weeks.”
“And I’ve wanted to do it since that day you walked in wearing those cute jeans and a button up.” He glanced down to the slacks she was now wearing and she answered his silent question.
“Apparently jeans aren’t allowed for detective work here, so I had to
switch to slacks.” She brushed off a piece of rice that was on her thigh and stood to throw away her plate, but Kevin beat her to it and took her plate from her hand.
“Well, I think you look great either way, but I was a fan of those jeans.”
She caught his wink and began covering the buffet pans with the foil lids they had come with.
“Do you think Sebastian will take any of this with him?”
Kevin shook his head. “No way, he’s also firmly on team make sure Vance eats.”
She smiled as she began to slide the pans in the fridge, she was thankful. How did Vance come across such loyal friends?
As if he could read her mind, he answered.
“We take care of our own here.”
“I can tell.” She had always thought that small towns were unique, but apparently finding a small-town group of people was possible in a large city. But she also wasn’t surprised that Vance had managed to find them, his friendly personality was magnetic.
“Did you grow up here Kevin?” She asked as they continued to pack up the food.
“Yes ma’am, only a few blocks from here in fact, and now I live about twenty minutes away. Which is quite close by Denver standards. Lots of the guy’s commute over an hour for work because of the cost of housing in the center of the city. If you need more than a one bedroom place, you’re pretty much forced to live in the boondocks.”
She finished loading the fridge, which was now filled to the brim, but she was appreciative since she doubted she would have time to go grocery shopping this week. She leaned herself against the counter, facing Kevin.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I wish.” He shrugged playfully and took a step closer to her.
“You wish?” She laughed.
“Yes, I was a lonely only child growing up.” He clarified.
“Ah.” She felt herself shift her weight in anticipation as he stepped even closer and leaned in to kiss her again. She enjoyed it just as much as before and didn’t notice her hands had moved to his shoulders until she heard a whistle from the doorway, they broke apart instantly.
It was Sebastian. “I would ask if I’m interrupting anything, but clearly I am, so would be a moot point.” he teased before going back to the living room to give them some privacy.
She and Kevin laughed and Naya adjusted her shirt awkwardly which she suddenly worried might be wrinkled although she was sure it wasn’t.
“I should go to bed anyway. Early day tomorrow.” She walked towards the door and noticed the new key she had made to replace the copy she had given Derek. She picked it up and held it towards Kevin. “I think I should give you this. You know, in case Vance can’t…” she found herself unable to say the words.
Kevin understood. “Of course. Thanks. Talk to you later.” He smiled sheepishly as their hands brushed for a moment before she turned to head upstairs.
As she got undressed in her room, she couldn’t believe how much she felt like a teenager who had just gotten caught by her father. It made her giggle a bit as she slid on some comfy clothes to sleep in and slid into bed. She had no idea how tired she was until she had laid down and she found herself immediately drifting off to sleep. She would have to think over the case tomorrow she thought, before she drifted into dreamland.
CHAPTER 10
MARK
This was annoying. It wasn’t going according to the plan. He would probably have to start all over and try something different. It was infuriating.
He turned to his computer and pulled up the Facebook of one of the women who had accepted his friend request. He scrolled through the page for the signs he needed.
Nothing.
He’d even gone back three years. He looked at her profile picture again. He’d really thought she was a candidate, but he had been wrong before. He unfriended her and went to the next girl on his list. She wasn’t what he was looking for either.
Delete.
He felt like his expectations were low, and it was upsetting that these women couldn’t even meet them! He was about to start all over and that meant this would now take him much longer than he had anticipated.
He glanced at the clock, it was almost time for him to go to work. Stupid job. He grabbed his jacked from the back of the chair and slid it over his shoulders and he slid his feet into his work shoes. When he stepped towards the door he noticed he was leaving bloody footprints on the pristine white carpet.
Well now he was going to have to torch this Airbnb when he was done. He felt a little guilty but it couldn’t be helped. Glancing over his shoulder, he eyed what he had collected for the project so far. maybe he would stop by the store on his way home, today was payday, and some new materials would do him good.
He wiped his shoes on the mat outside his door to make sure he wouldn’t track blood down the hallway, looking around to make sure no nosy neighbors were getting too interested in what he was doing in his rental. Then he headed down the hall and down the stairs, he had to be on his best behavior.
As he exited the building to the street, he passed a beautiful blonde who was stretching by the door. She had earbuds in and was wearing running gear. Mark was intrigued. She didn’t even glance his direction as she pulled out her phone and pressed a few buttons, he was a few feet away, but he could clearly see what she was doing.
Perfect.
As she straightened he began to walk in the other direction, hoping she hadn’t noticed him pause to watch her. As soon as she was partially in the building, he quickly turned around, feigning like he forgot something he followed her into the lobby.
He listened to her sneakers squeak as she jogged up the cement stairs. it sounded like she lived on the third floor.
Yes. She was perfect.
Before anyone could notice him standing around and wonder what he was doing, he turned and left the building while checking his watch.
He liked her. And he would get her later. For now, he had to put in his eight hours of work like everyone else on this godforsaken planet.
If only others could see his vision.
CHAPTER 11
NAYA
Her alarm woke her at five. She knew she wasn’t expected in the office until around seven or eight, but she wanted to solve this case before another woman went missing. She quickly pulled on her clothes deciding to order another pair of slacks on her lunch break. She really should’ve expected that she would need more than two pairs, with the hours she was pulling they wouldn’t cut it.
She slipped down the stairs as quietly as they allowed, peering in on Vance when she reached the bottom, he was fast asleep. She was a bit worried to look into the living room, but when she did, she was pleasantly surprised to see Vance’s friends had cleaned up their mess. She shook her head at herself. It’s not like they were teenage boys! They were adults, of course they had cleaned up after themselves.
As quickly as she could, she scooped Indian leftovers into a container and slid the fridge shut. She was glad Derek was coming today, he could help them eat some of these leftovers before they went bad, how many they had was out of control.
She was out the door and in the office within 30 minutes, she was surprised by how short her commute was without traffic.
She wasn’t the first one in the office, but she had beat Atlas for once, a small victory. She hoped he had made it home safely the night before and that he would feel rested this morning. Naya didn’t even stop at her desk, she headed straight for the conference room and began analyzing the map she had put on the board. She used her phone to get the exact location where they found Shanice’s body, then she stepped back and stared at it.
“Anything?” Atlas’ voice interrupted. If she hadn’t been a cop for so long, she might have jumped from surprise..
“Nothing. And the techs haven’t emailed me the property transfer paperwork for that land yet.”
“I’m impressed you beat me here, but at least I didn’t miss much.” Atlas replied as he slid into a
seat and set his coffee in front of him. She could see the steam still rising from it.
“I have an idea.” She bit her lip as she looked back at the board closely.
“I’m all ears.” Atlas took a sip of coffee and pinched his eyes shut.
“Remember how I was looking for uses for blood?”
“Mhm.”
“What if he still removed it for a reason? It might not be for a ritual, but maybe he drugged her or something and he knew the drug would show on a toxicology report? And he was worried it could be traced back to him?” Atlas let out a sigh she knew without looking he was about to poke a hole in her theory.
“I mean, it’s a thought. But he didn’t remove all traces of blood and something like that could still show up in the traces.” Atlas shuffled the papers in front of him, looking for the toxicology report.
Naya wasn’t willing to let go of her theory so easily, but she didn’t want to argue with her partner so she bit her lip and studied the board instead. She looked again at the two circles where the women had been found and took the liberty of writing the words ‘burial ground’ with a question mark. She really needed to see those farm records.
“What if what he injected her with was already in the bloodstream?”
“Hm?” Atlas was sipping his coffee and quickly set it down. “What do you mean by that?”
She spun around and grabbed the toxicology report from him, flipping to the page about the blood. “What if he injected her with something which is found in the human body naturally, but can kill someone in large doses?” She heard Atlas saying something, but she was too busy skimming the report now to listen. “So, he removed the blood so we wouldn’t notice?”
There was nothing on the page that jumped out at her, but she had Atlas’ full attention now. He had his phone in his hand and was already dialing.
“Yes, this is Detective Atlas…
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