don’t let stereotypes affect my hunger,” answered Ava, biting back a grin. “You know as well as I do to eat when you can when a case is heating up. And I’m starving.”
She’d asked him to meet her at a restaurant on the edge of downtown Portland, where the foot traffic morphed from people in business suits to tourists in shorts. The pub offered a nice outdoor seating area with a great view for people watching. It was a bit out of his way, but they both knew the service was fast and the place was quiet. There were two other tables of diners, and the quiet created an insulated pocket of peace from the intensity of the investigation.
Taking time to connect was priority number one for their relationship. Their careers could easily swamp their lives, squeezing aside precious minutes spent with one another. She’d seen too many law enforcement relationships in which the marriage came second to the career. No marriage yet . . . but maybe someday. Mason had already walked the marriage path, and they were both stepping cautiously with this relationship. Nothing was hurried.
“How’d it go at the Yoders’?” She’d reviewed the entire menu even though she knew it by heart and always ordered the same Asian salad. She knew Mason would get the burger with the jalapenos and not touch his fries.
Are we in a rut?
Nothing wrong with routine and knowing what you enjoy.
She listened to his description of Justin’s home, interjecting occasionally with a question.
“I can’t get a feel for this kid yet,” Mason said, his eyebrows coming together. “Usually by now I have a picture with lots of pieces. So far all I can see is a typical twenty-year-old who doesn’t know what to do with himself and isn’t getting much guidance from his parents. They seem to let him float along, doing as he pleases.”
“What about his history of depression? They got him help for that.”
“Yes, but I wonder if they were scared to push him into more independence. It really was odd over there. It was like he was sixteen, not twenty. When I was twenty, I’d been out of the house for two years. I studied hard in college, worked a part-time job, and got an apartment with friends. We were lucky that one of us had an old TV, otherwise we wouldn’t have had one. Kids today believe they must have every piece of updated electronics.”
“Careful, your old man is showing,” she teased. “Next you’ll be telling me you didn’t get a new car for high-school graduation.”
He snorted. The waiter took their orders and left them with a basket of dark warm bread. Ava tore off a piece, slathered it with butter, popped it in her mouth, and sighed, closing her eyes in bliss at the happy sparks emanating from her tongue. She opened her eyes to find him grinning at her.
“What?”
“You look happy. That makes me smile. I didn’t know someone could enjoy bread so much.” His brown gaze held hers, and she wished she weren’t heading home alone after their meal.
“I told you I was hungry. So Justin’s room turned up nothing? His car looked pretty clean, although we did find some of his prescription bottles in the trunk. It was the same medication his mother showed you.”
“Who keeps old pill bottles? Most people throw them out once they’ve picked up the refill.”
“Maybe the evidence teams will find something more interesting in his car or the home. Is his psychiatrist next on your list?”
Mason swallowed his mouthful of bread. “I hope so. Ray’s contacting him because we want to talk to him tonight. Was Zander still at the command center?”
“Yes. Although the connection to his jewelry fence is looking weaker and weaker. Justin Yoder doesn’t seem like the type to get involved in millions of dollars of stolen gems.”
“Agreed. The kid collected Marvel action figures and had a weakness for Mountain Dew. Doesn’t say international assassin to me.”
A group of people strolled by their outdoor table, and Ava fought the
She’d asked him to meet her at a restaurant on the edge of downtown Portland, where the foot traffic morphed from people in business suits to tourists in shorts. The pub offered a nice outdoor seating area with a great view for people watching. It was a bit out of his way, but they both knew the service was fast and the place was quiet. There were two other tables of diners, and the quiet created an insulated pocket of peace from the intensity of the investigation.
Taking time to connect was priority number one for their relationship. Their careers could easily swamp their lives, squeezing aside precious minutes spent with one another. She’d seen too many law enforcement relationships in which the marriage came second to the career. No marriage yet . . . but maybe someday. Mason had already walked the marriage path, and they were both stepping cautiously with this relationship. Nothing was hurried.
“How’d it go at the Yoders’?” She’d reviewed the entire menu even though she knew it by heart and always ordered the same Asian salad. She knew Mason would get the burger with the jalapenos and not touch his fries.
Are we in a rut?
Nothing wrong with routine and knowing what you enjoy.
She listened to his description of Justin’s home, interjecting occasionally with a question.
“I can’t get a feel for this kid yet,” Mason said, his eyebrows coming together. “Usually by now I have a picture with lots of pieces. So far all I can see is a typical twenty-year-old who doesn’t know what to do with himself and isn’t getting much guidance from his parents. They seem to let him float along, doing as he pleases.”
“What about his history of depression? They got him help for that.”
“Yes, but I wonder if they were scared to push him into more independence. It really was odd over there. It was like he was sixteen, not twenty. When I was twenty, I’d been out of the house for two years. I studied hard in college, worked a part-time job, and got an apartment with friends. We were lucky that one of us had an old TV, otherwise we wouldn’t have had one. Kids today believe they must have every piece of updated electronics.”
“Careful, your old man is showing,” she teased. “Next you’ll be telling me you didn’t get a new car for high-school graduation.”
He snorted. The waiter took their orders and left them with a basket of dark warm bread. Ava tore off a piece, slathered it with butter, popped it in her mouth, and sighed, closing her eyes in bliss at the happy sparks emanating from her tongue. She opened her eyes to find him grinning at her.
“What?”
“You look happy. That makes me smile. I didn’t know someone could enjoy bread so much.” His brown gaze held hers, and she wished she weren’t heading home alone after their meal.
“I told you I was hungry. So Justin’s room turned up nothing? His car looked pretty clean, although we did find some of his prescription bottles in the trunk. It was the same medication his mother showed you.”
“Who keeps old pill bottles? Most people throw them out once they’ve picked up the refill.”
“Maybe the evidence teams will find something more interesting in his car or the home. Is his psychiatrist next on your list?”
Mason swallowed his mouthful of bread. “I hope so. Ray’s contacting him because we want to talk to him tonight. Was Zander still at the command center?”
“Yes. Although the connection to his jewelry fence is looking weaker and weaker. Justin Yoder doesn’t seem like the type to get involved in millions of dollars of stolen gems.”
“Agreed. The kid collected Marvel action figures and had a weakness for Mountain Dew. Doesn’t say international assassin to me.”
A group of people strolled by their outdoor table, and Ava fought the
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