thinking about you.” Emma Atman’s light voice brought an immediate smile to Ash’s face.
“So, I’m on your mind?” Ash teased.
“Always.” Emma’s tone was suggestive, and Ash felt a rush of heat to her cheeks.
“Man, how do you do that?” Ash put her fork down.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Emma feigned ignorance. “How did your lunch go with Alison?”
“That’s why I called you , actually.” Ash took another bite of cake.
“What are you eating?” Emma asked, clearly amused by her girlfriend’s attempt to multi-task.
“Sorry for the chewing, but I’m running late and still have half a piece of cake to get through.” She took a quick sip of water and continued eating. “Anyway, have you worked on any of the bodies from those Southside killings?”
“No, I think all three of those went to Dr. Westin.” The sound of typing followed the doctor’s answer. “Let me look - yes, Westin. Why?”
Ash finished the last of the cake, wedg ed the phone between her ear and shoulder, and dug around in her purse for her wallet. “Alison is working with a Texas Monthly reporter on a series about the killings, and I really don’t know much, but thought you might.”
“Have you talked to the department’s PR representative about this or submitted the necessary forms for release of information regarding active cases?” Emma asked matter-of-factly.
Ash smiled. “You mean form eleven dash I’m-helping-out-a-friend dash six? That form?”
There was a long pause. “You’re making fun of me, but the last thing we need is an investigation.”
Ash frowned and knew Emma was right to be cautious. “I’ll take care of it, and will you do the same on your end, and let me know what you find out?”
“I can. Was it nice seeing her again?” Emma asked casually.
Ash laid two twenty dollar bills on the table and walked toward the door. “It was. She wants to get together with you, Al, and me for drinks sometime.”
“That would be fun, just let me know when.” There was a knock in the background. “Have to go, see you at home later?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Ash and Emma said their goodbyes as Ash slid into the driver’s seat of her hardtop, silver Jeep Freedom.
Though she had downplayed it, the conversation with Alison had piqued Ash’s curiosity. Her own case load was relatively light while her lieutenant decided who she would be partnered with, given her current partner Alfred Lopez was retiring in a little over a week. With the extra time, Ash didn’t see any harm in discreetly checking into the cases. If she had learned anything in the past year, she knew things were rarely what they appeared to be.
***
True to her word, Ash had called Alison over the weekend and given her additional information about the cases. Alison was grateful for the follow-up and hadn’t pushed her friend for more details, even though it seemed to Alison the detective was holding something back.
Alison took a sip of her grande Americano as she and Tom sat at a narrow table near the entrance of a Starbucks. They agreed to have their recurring meetings at the coffee shop because it was near campus, and Tom was a pparently a dedicated coffee drinker, as was evident by the quad espresso he had ordered.
“Is this accurate?” Tom read through Alison’s notes.
Nodding Alison put her coffee down. “Gruesome, but true. The bodies were be headed, burned, and then buried with the heads placed on top of the graves.”
“I knew from my other sources the bodies had been burned and buried, but I didn’t know about the beheadi ngs.” Tom shook his head as he drank the last of his espresso in a single gulp.
“Tom, does anyone else know I’m helping you with the series?” Alison hadn’t intended to ask the question, but as she did, she flashed back to the eerie interactions she had with Christine. Her throat tightened, and the hair on her arms stood up at the very thought of the woman’s wide slash of a
“So, I’m on your mind?” Ash teased.
“Always.” Emma’s tone was suggestive, and Ash felt a rush of heat to her cheeks.
“Man, how do you do that?” Ash put her fork down.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Emma feigned ignorance. “How did your lunch go with Alison?”
“That’s why I called you , actually.” Ash took another bite of cake.
“What are you eating?” Emma asked, clearly amused by her girlfriend’s attempt to multi-task.
“Sorry for the chewing, but I’m running late and still have half a piece of cake to get through.” She took a quick sip of water and continued eating. “Anyway, have you worked on any of the bodies from those Southside killings?”
“No, I think all three of those went to Dr. Westin.” The sound of typing followed the doctor’s answer. “Let me look - yes, Westin. Why?”
Ash finished the last of the cake, wedg ed the phone between her ear and shoulder, and dug around in her purse for her wallet. “Alison is working with a Texas Monthly reporter on a series about the killings, and I really don’t know much, but thought you might.”
“Have you talked to the department’s PR representative about this or submitted the necessary forms for release of information regarding active cases?” Emma asked matter-of-factly.
Ash smiled. “You mean form eleven dash I’m-helping-out-a-friend dash six? That form?”
There was a long pause. “You’re making fun of me, but the last thing we need is an investigation.”
Ash frowned and knew Emma was right to be cautious. “I’ll take care of it, and will you do the same on your end, and let me know what you find out?”
“I can. Was it nice seeing her again?” Emma asked casually.
Ash laid two twenty dollar bills on the table and walked toward the door. “It was. She wants to get together with you, Al, and me for drinks sometime.”
“That would be fun, just let me know when.” There was a knock in the background. “Have to go, see you at home later?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Ash and Emma said their goodbyes as Ash slid into the driver’s seat of her hardtop, silver Jeep Freedom.
Though she had downplayed it, the conversation with Alison had piqued Ash’s curiosity. Her own case load was relatively light while her lieutenant decided who she would be partnered with, given her current partner Alfred Lopez was retiring in a little over a week. With the extra time, Ash didn’t see any harm in discreetly checking into the cases. If she had learned anything in the past year, she knew things were rarely what they appeared to be.
***
True to her word, Ash had called Alison over the weekend and given her additional information about the cases. Alison was grateful for the follow-up and hadn’t pushed her friend for more details, even though it seemed to Alison the detective was holding something back.
Alison took a sip of her grande Americano as she and Tom sat at a narrow table near the entrance of a Starbucks. They agreed to have their recurring meetings at the coffee shop because it was near campus, and Tom was a pparently a dedicated coffee drinker, as was evident by the quad espresso he had ordered.
“Is this accurate?” Tom read through Alison’s notes.
Nodding Alison put her coffee down. “Gruesome, but true. The bodies were be headed, burned, and then buried with the heads placed on top of the graves.”
“I knew from my other sources the bodies had been burned and buried, but I didn’t know about the beheadi ngs.” Tom shook his head as he drank the last of his espresso in a single gulp.
“Tom, does anyone else know I’m helping you with the series?” Alison hadn’t intended to ask the question, but as she did, she flashed back to the eerie interactions she had with Christine. Her throat tightened, and the hair on her arms stood up at the very thought of the woman’s wide slash of a
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