Leann Harris - The Detective And The D.A.

“Julie?”

“You goin’ to make me stand outside for this entire conversation? I doubt the neighbors want to hear about the Carlson murder.” He glanced around at the other homes.

“You’re wrong, Ash,” she grumbled. “Everyone wants to hear about it, from my boss to Mrs. Schattle.” The elderly woman was the neighborhood’s busybody.

Apparently things had already gotten sticky. “So you want Mrs. Schattle involved?” he asked.

Her cheeks reddened. She stepped back and motioned him inside.

Ash glanced around as he walked into the living room. She’d replaced most of the hand-me-downs they’d been given. New sofa and chairs.

“You mentioned Julie. I assume that was the woman who arrived at the crime scene with Captain Jenkins.”

Julie had laid into him for his lack of manners in not introducing his partner to his ex. He’d argued there hadn’t been time, but his conscience hadn’t bought that excuse. When Julie left the crime scene, he told her he would introduce her to Kelly at their next meeting. Julie had laughed and told him she was over the slight. She assured him that she wouldn’t introduce him to her former boyfriend and to forget it.

“Yes, it was,” he answered.

“What did she think about the crime scene? She think it was a suicide or murder?”

“She agrees with our conclusion.”

“It’s nice to know you and I aren’t that far off the mark.”

He leaned against the wall inside the door. “Both of us had the feeling that our little witness wasn’t the only one who overheard this exchange between Carlson and the other man, but no one is talking. I think we might have better luck in a couple of days when the entire building isn’t crawling with cops. Julie is good at putting witnesses at ease and getting them to talk.”

Kelly held the cup close to her chest. His gaze locked onto her chest. “You want a cup of coffee?”

He thanked heaven she misinterpreted his gaze. “Sounds good.”

He followed her into the kitchen. Kelly poured him a cup, then opened the refrigerator door for an exotic-favored coffee creamer. “Want some?”

He frowned and stepped closer, grabbing the cup. “No.”

She shrugged and poured a little more into her cup.

He didn’t remember her liking her coffee smothered in cream. It emphasized that time had moved on and they were both different people. “Why even drink coffee if you put that much funny milk into it?”

She glared at him. “Because I’m an A.D.A. and not a cop. And I need the caffeine to stay awake. I’ve got work.” She took a sip and sighed. “What did the lab guys say?”

“They were going to run tests on Carlson’s hand and temple to see if there was any gunpowder residue. But they agreed with us that it didn’t look like a self-inflected wound. The body position looked staged.”

He took a sip of the dark roast. “You mentioned you heard from your boss. What did he say?”

She shook her head. “When I got home, I found a message on my machine from Jake. It appears he saw the news flash earlier in the evening. He wanted an explanation for what we were doing at Carlson’s apartment.”

From her expression, Ash guessed that Jake Thorpe might have done more than politely ask for an explanation. “What’d did he say?”

She hesitated.

“You might as well tell me it all. We’re in this together, and I’m sure I’ll get mine tomorrow.”

“You mean your boss didn’t nail you tonight?”

“He wasn’t happy that it was me who found the body.” Damn fool had been Jenkins’s exact comment, but Kelly didn’t need to know that.

From her expression, she knew he had gotten grief but didn’t press the issue. “I think Jake talked to your boss, because I got the same reaction. He wanted a report from the scene. He didn’t want any more trouble with this case than we’ve already had. Apparently, the news flash on the local stations reached a lot of people. Carlson’s lawyer called, upset. And the Procters also called.”

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