I laugh. “I’ll let her know. Later, Mom.”
“Bye, honey.” She hangs up, and I drop my cell into the cup holder. I hope Anna is strong enough to deal with this mess, and if she’s not, I hope that she trusts me to be there for her. This town is small, and most people believe what they hear, so I know it won’t be easy on her.
I shut down the engine of my truck, then get out and walk to the end of my driveway, lifting my chin to Sandy when she drives by waving. I grab the mail and sort through it as I head inside, then add a few bills to an ever-growing pile on the dining table before I carry the junk to the kitchen trash can. Knowing Anna will be here tonight, I pick up the kitchen and living room, and then I change the sheets on my bed and throw some laundry into the washer before I hop in the shower.
Dressed and drinking a cup of coffee an hour later, I pick up my cell when the number for the morgue pops up.
“Yeah.”
“Calvin, it’s Frank.” It’s the lead medical examiner. “I just finished with the autopsy.”
“Please tell me you have something for me.”
“Maybe. You got time to stop by here?”
“Yep, give me thirty.”
“See you then.” He hangs up, and I down the rest of my coffee before heading out, calling Herb on the way to let him know to meet me.
“So we got nothing,” Herb says as we step out of the building where the medical examiner’s office is located.
“We have something.” I inhale a breath of fresh air, trying to get rid of the stench of death and embalming fluid that’s filled my senses for the last thirty minutes. “He found hair, and skin under the victim’s nails. And now we know he was dead less than three hours before his body was found.”
“We need a suspect to match those hairs to, and his neighbors and friends said he hooked up with women and men at random and didn’t keep anyone updated on where he was going or what he was doing. Right now, we’re still at square one.”
Fuck, I hate that he’s right. “So what now?” I ask, hoping he has an idea for a new direction.
“You should go home, get some rest, and hit the ground running tomorrow.” He holds up his hand when I start to argue with him. “You haven’t slept, and you won’t be of any use to me or anyone else if you pass out from exhaustion. I’m going to go back to the station and make a few calls.” I run my fingers through my hair, then sigh. “If I find anything out, I’ll call you.” He pats my arm. “Get some rest, man. Tomorrow is a new day.” I know he’s right. I’m running on fumes at this point. Still, I hate leaving things undone, especially when the victims’ families won’t rest until we give them some closure.
“Yeah.” I let out a breath, then head for my truck across the lot, and once I’m inside, I pull out my cell and send Anna a text with directions to my place. I start up the engine, and a second later my phone buzzes. Even with the shit weighing heavily on my mind, I smile as I picture the annoyed look she often gets as I read her text.
I tried to go to the store to pick up something to make for dinner, but after the third person stopped me and asked if I was the girl in the paper, I left. I hope you like grilled cheese and tomato soup, because that’s all I have at home.
I pat my phone against my thigh, wondering if asking her to stay the night with me would be pushing things too fast. From all the signs she’s given me, she’s in as deep as I am. I dial her number, hoping I’m not wrong.
“Hey,” she answers, sounding as tired as I feel.
“Leave the grilled cheese and soup. Just bring yourself and pajamas,” I say as I stop at a red light.
“What?”
“I’m fucking exhausted. We’re ordering in Chinese and hanging out in my bed, watching movies.”
“You know . . .” I hear a smile in her voice as she continues speaking. “I should argue and say I’m not going to hang out in bed with you.”
I grin. “You should, but are you going to?”
“No.” She lets out a long breath. “That actually sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
“Good, I’ll be home in twenty.” I flip on the signal to turn into the parking lot for the liquor store, where I plan on grabbing a bottle of wine and a case of beer.
“I’ll be over after I get my stuff together.”