want to know their origin—to sleep in.
"Good morning to you too. You never were a morning person," I said.
Kevin grunted. "It's practically afternoon. Loverboy tire you out?"
I ground my teeth, rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "No, Ana tires me out. She hogs the covers."
Banging my head with my fist, I wondered why I'd said anything at all. Why did I care if he thought I'd slept with Bobby?
Why? We. Were. Over.
Done.
Finito.
Right?
Ugh.
"But your mother . . . Never mind," he said.
Ah. My mother probably assumed I'd changed my mind last night and gone home with Bobby after all. Probably I should have told her I was going out with Ana and that I'd decided to stay the night at her place. I'm sure my father had filled her in by now.
"Earth to Nina" I heard in my ear.
"What?"
"Talk about not being a morning person."
"Is Riley okay? Is that why you're calling?"
I yawned. Doing recon took its toll.
"He's fine," Kevin said. "I just dropped him off at work. Can you pick him up?"
"Sure."
"Great. All right, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"Good," I said. I could use a pick-me-up.
"The Grabinsky yard has been cleared. As soon as you get the go-ahead from Greta Grabinsky you can finish the job there."
Oh, like that was going to be easy.
I debated whether I should tell him about the conversation in Greta's kitchen I'd overheard. Decided it was the right thing to do. Taking a deep breath, I told Kevin about the threats.
"And how do you know about these threats?" he asked. I heard irritation in his voice.
"I, um, told you. I overheard."
"And where were you?"
"Ah, um, in the Grabinskys' yard?"
"Nina . . ." he warned.
I sat upright, getting tangled in the chenille blanket. "I've, um, got to go."
"Wait!"
I winced, bracing for the worst.
"We can hash out the whole trespassing thing later, not to mention crossing a crime scene line." He sighed. "The bad news . . ."
I'd forgotten about the bad news. My heart sank down to the pit of my stomach. "Do I want to know?"
"You have to know."
"What is it?"
His voice dropped to a whisper, as though he didn't want to be overheard. "I shouldn't be telling you this."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I kept quiet.
"The captain, well, he's looking to make a case with the prosecutor's office."
"What kind of case?"
"There was a case in New Jersey recently where a man died of a heart attack because he'd been scared to death at a bank robbery."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that the prosecutor's office is looking into charging someone with murder for Russ Grabinsky's death."
"Someone as in me?"
"You and the Lockharts."
"Even if it was a heart attack?"
"Even if. It's like what that annoying HOA lady was saying the other day. He might have died from the shock of it all. Look, the prosecutor is desperate to make a name for himself, Nina. You know the problems the department has had lately, so the captain is bending over backward to help him."
There had been some rumblings over the past six months in the department of briberies and kickbacks, rumors of bad cops. Nothing had ever come of it, and the prosecutor ended up looking like a fool.
"I was just doing my job!"
"Nina, calm down. I'm just saying it's being talked about. And it probably wouldn't be murder charges. Maybe man one, or involuntary manslaughter."
"Oh, that makes me feel much better."
"I just wanted to let you know."
"Thanks," I mumbled and hung up the phone.
"You okay?" Ana asked from the doorway.
I looked up at her. "If I get probation, will you find a good job for me?"
Thirteen
I was afraid to go home, but since I didn't have any clean clothes, I didn't have a choice.
Ana had done her best to cheer me up, but at ten on a Sunday Ana is not at her best. Especially since she'd had many more drinks than I did last night.
Ana dropped me off and drove away before I even made it to the front steps. I didn't blame her. She knew my mother was inside and assumed my father had filled
"Good morning to you too. You never were a morning person," I said.
Kevin grunted. "It's practically afternoon. Loverboy tire you out?"
I ground my teeth, rubbed the sleep from my eyes. "No, Ana tires me out. She hogs the covers."
Banging my head with my fist, I wondered why I'd said anything at all. Why did I care if he thought I'd slept with Bobby?
Why? We. Were. Over.
Done.
Finito.
Right?
Ugh.
"But your mother . . . Never mind," he said.
Ah. My mother probably assumed I'd changed my mind last night and gone home with Bobby after all. Probably I should have told her I was going out with Ana and that I'd decided to stay the night at her place. I'm sure my father had filled her in by now.
"Earth to Nina" I heard in my ear.
"What?"
"Talk about not being a morning person."
"Is Riley okay? Is that why you're calling?"
I yawned. Doing recon took its toll.
"He's fine," Kevin said. "I just dropped him off at work. Can you pick him up?"
"Sure."
"Great. All right, I've got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
"Good," I said. I could use a pick-me-up.
"The Grabinsky yard has been cleared. As soon as you get the go-ahead from Greta Grabinsky you can finish the job there."
Oh, like that was going to be easy.
I debated whether I should tell him about the conversation in Greta's kitchen I'd overheard. Decided it was the right thing to do. Taking a deep breath, I told Kevin about the threats.
"And how do you know about these threats?" he asked. I heard irritation in his voice.
"I, um, told you. I overheard."
"And where were you?"
"Ah, um, in the Grabinskys' yard?"
"Nina . . ." he warned.
I sat upright, getting tangled in the chenille blanket. "I've, um, got to go."
"Wait!"
I winced, bracing for the worst.
"We can hash out the whole trespassing thing later, not to mention crossing a crime scene line." He sighed. "The bad news . . ."
I'd forgotten about the bad news. My heart sank down to the pit of my stomach. "Do I want to know?"
"You have to know."
"What is it?"
His voice dropped to a whisper, as though he didn't want to be overheard. "I shouldn't be telling you this."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I kept quiet.
"The captain, well, he's looking to make a case with the prosecutor's office."
"What kind of case?"
"There was a case in New Jersey recently where a man died of a heart attack because he'd been scared to death at a bank robbery."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that the prosecutor's office is looking into charging someone with murder for Russ Grabinsky's death."
"Someone as in me?"
"You and the Lockharts."
"Even if it was a heart attack?"
"Even if. It's like what that annoying HOA lady was saying the other day. He might have died from the shock of it all. Look, the prosecutor is desperate to make a name for himself, Nina. You know the problems the department has had lately, so the captain is bending over backward to help him."
There had been some rumblings over the past six months in the department of briberies and kickbacks, rumors of bad cops. Nothing had ever come of it, and the prosecutor ended up looking like a fool.
"I was just doing my job!"
"Nina, calm down. I'm just saying it's being talked about. And it probably wouldn't be murder charges. Maybe man one, or involuntary manslaughter."
"Oh, that makes me feel much better."
"I just wanted to let you know."
"Thanks," I mumbled and hung up the phone.
"You okay?" Ana asked from the doorway.
I looked up at her. "If I get probation, will you find a good job for me?"
Thirteen
I was afraid to go home, but since I didn't have any clean clothes, I didn't have a choice.
Ana had done her best to cheer me up, but at ten on a Sunday Ana is not at her best. Especially since she'd had many more drinks than I did last night.
Ana dropped me off and drove away before I even made it to the front steps. I didn't blame her. She knew my mother was inside and assumed my father had filled
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