of Big Red and offered us some. I refused, but Angel took a stick and after unwrapping the gum, carefully folded the paper into a tiny rectangle before putting it in the wastebasket behind us.
''Here's what I know, Abby,'' Jeff said. ''You're as competitive as I am when it comes to cases. That could cause us some serious problems on this one, personally and professionally. I don't want that.''
''You think I do?'' I snapped.
''Stop with the defensiveness,'' Angel said. ''What I told Jeff, what I'm telling you, is that these two trains, they're not in a race. Do you see that, my amiga ?''
''Okay. So how—''
''These trains, they might come to a crossing and one might have to slow up and let the other pass. You see this, too?'' His dark eyes had softened, like Daddy's used to when he tried to calm me down.
I said, ''What you're saying is that if Verna Mae's death is connected to Will, I have to back off?''
Jeff shook his head. ''No, that's not it.''
''Then quit dancing around and tell me what you want from me.'' What was it with these guys? Did they think I might explode or, worse, start crying when I got the whole scoop on this little deal they'd cooked up before I arrived?
''Sorry,'' Jeff said. ''I have a hard time thinking anyone but me can solve a case. Ask all my former partners. Anyway, since I've worked with Angel's agency in the past, I don't see why I can't again.''
I paused, realizing this wasn't at all what I'd expected. ''Since technically I work for Angel, we can . . . collaborate?'' I could feel my defenses melting away, feel my stomach unknot. Jeff was behaving in a mature, thoughtful way, something my ex-husband never would have done in a trillion years. Funny how past pain had me reading this as a hostile encounter before I had all the facts.
''You're in,'' Jeff said, smiling for the first time. ''I can't waste time chasing down a connection to Will Knight that might be a total dead end unrelated to this murder, old information that might only have to do with your investigation.''
I grinned so wide it hurt. Jeff and I on the same case? Very cool.
''You'll be under Angel's supervision, like you're supposed to be,'' Jeff said quickly. ''That's gotta be in my paperwork or I'm in deep shit. You haven't been doing this job long enough yet.''
''Please keep reminding me of that,'' I said.
Angel tousled my already scary hair. It's not like I had any time to do anything with it this morning, since I'd jumped straight from the shower into my car.
''You make me laugh, Abby girl. She's something, no, Jeff?''
''She's something, yes ,'' he answered. He said this with such obvious sincerity, he won back all the points he'd lost by reminding me I still had to be supervised.
''Now that we have an arrangement,'' Angel said, ''I have to leave. New detective to train. He's not a fast study like you, Abby. He thinks investigating is like working in some Hollywood film. Wait until he's done ten divorce surveillances, then we'll see what movie he thinks he's playing in.''
I rose and stepped aside so Angel could leave. He shook Jeff's hand before flashing a white smile as impeccable as his shirt.
Once he was gone, I moved over to the chair Angel had vacated to be farther from the busy aisle that ran between the cubicles. Good thing, because a greasyhaired guy in cuffs was being ''helped'' out of the office and might have landed right in my lap had I not moved.
Jeff leaned back, his chair resting against the modular desk behind him. ''I think this will work, don't you?''
''As long as I remember which train I'm engineering. There is something I didn't get a chance to tell you.'' I explained my theory about Verna Mae possibly being Will's biological parent, how her obesity might have concealed a pregnancy. ''I want to compare his DNA to Verna Mae's.''
''You got a sample of her DNA last night?''
''Oops. I'll need that,
''Here's what I know, Abby,'' Jeff said. ''You're as competitive as I am when it comes to cases. That could cause us some serious problems on this one, personally and professionally. I don't want that.''
''You think I do?'' I snapped.
''Stop with the defensiveness,'' Angel said. ''What I told Jeff, what I'm telling you, is that these two trains, they're not in a race. Do you see that, my amiga ?''
''Okay. So how—''
''These trains, they might come to a crossing and one might have to slow up and let the other pass. You see this, too?'' His dark eyes had softened, like Daddy's used to when he tried to calm me down.
I said, ''What you're saying is that if Verna Mae's death is connected to Will, I have to back off?''
Jeff shook his head. ''No, that's not it.''
''Then quit dancing around and tell me what you want from me.'' What was it with these guys? Did they think I might explode or, worse, start crying when I got the whole scoop on this little deal they'd cooked up before I arrived?
''Sorry,'' Jeff said. ''I have a hard time thinking anyone but me can solve a case. Ask all my former partners. Anyway, since I've worked with Angel's agency in the past, I don't see why I can't again.''
I paused, realizing this wasn't at all what I'd expected. ''Since technically I work for Angel, we can . . . collaborate?'' I could feel my defenses melting away, feel my stomach unknot. Jeff was behaving in a mature, thoughtful way, something my ex-husband never would have done in a trillion years. Funny how past pain had me reading this as a hostile encounter before I had all the facts.
''You're in,'' Jeff said, smiling for the first time. ''I can't waste time chasing down a connection to Will Knight that might be a total dead end unrelated to this murder, old information that might only have to do with your investigation.''
I grinned so wide it hurt. Jeff and I on the same case? Very cool.
''You'll be under Angel's supervision, like you're supposed to be,'' Jeff said quickly. ''That's gotta be in my paperwork or I'm in deep shit. You haven't been doing this job long enough yet.''
''Please keep reminding me of that,'' I said.
Angel tousled my already scary hair. It's not like I had any time to do anything with it this morning, since I'd jumped straight from the shower into my car.
''You make me laugh, Abby girl. She's something, no, Jeff?''
''She's something, yes ,'' he answered. He said this with such obvious sincerity, he won back all the points he'd lost by reminding me I still had to be supervised.
''Now that we have an arrangement,'' Angel said, ''I have to leave. New detective to train. He's not a fast study like you, Abby. He thinks investigating is like working in some Hollywood film. Wait until he's done ten divorce surveillances, then we'll see what movie he thinks he's playing in.''
I rose and stepped aside so Angel could leave. He shook Jeff's hand before flashing a white smile as impeccable as his shirt.
Once he was gone, I moved over to the chair Angel had vacated to be farther from the busy aisle that ran between the cubicles. Good thing, because a greasyhaired guy in cuffs was being ''helped'' out of the office and might have landed right in my lap had I not moved.
Jeff leaned back, his chair resting against the modular desk behind him. ''I think this will work, don't you?''
''As long as I remember which train I'm engineering. There is something I didn't get a chance to tell you.'' I explained my theory about Verna Mae possibly being Will's biological parent, how her obesity might have concealed a pregnancy. ''I want to compare his DNA to Verna Mae's.''
''You got a sample of her DNA last night?''
''Oops. I'll need that,
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