When the lunch bell rang, my last class practically toppled over each other trying to put distance between me and their Mercy skirts. I tried not to take it personally and tucked my head into Will’s classroom, where every desk was still filled, each girl in rapt, awed attention. Not a single mascaraed eyelash blinked. Not a single pair of pursed, newly lipsticked lips parted. The silent air was thick with baby animal magnetism. I saw Will pacing in front of the chalkboard and groaned, then yipped when my cell phone vibrated wildly against my hip.
“Uh, Sophie Lawson,” I whispered into it.
“Sophie, it’s Officer Romero. You have some evidence for the Alyssa Rand case?”
My previous uselessness broke into a wave of validation and I actually smiled. I slipped into the ladies’ room, doing a quick check for feet under the stalls as any good detective who was consulted by a major police force would. “Yeah. Did Alex tell you about the theory? I think I might actually have a little more to add if you want me to come by—”
Romero coughed lightly. “I’m here at Mercy to pick up some bagged evidence. Al—Detective Grace—sent me to pick it up. Do you have it?”
I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. “What?”
“I’m in the front of the building by the main doors.”
I blinked, still struggling to catch my breath. I knew Romero. Romero knew me. Romero even know about me—well, as much as he could know without his life being threatened. I believe I was listed on his Rolodex as Sophie Lawson, Call When Weird/Unexplainable Things Happen. And now he was acting like he didn’t know me. Like we hadn’t stood shoulder to shoulder on a crime scene just a few months ago. He was suddenly all business.
Just like Alex had been.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah. Let me just go back to the classroom and I’ll meet you. Right out front.”
Romero was in full uniform, pacing the steps outside the main door. He gave me a curt nod when he saw me and held out his arm. I held the uniform against my chest.
“Alex sent you?” I asked him.
“Yes.” He gave me one more curt nod and avoided my eyes.
I put a hand on his arm and finally, he looked at me, discomfort all over his face.
“Is everything okay, Romero? You know, it’s actually lunch hour here if you want to grab a sandwich across the street or something. We could talk.” I tried a cheerful smile. “My treat.”
“Actually, Ms. Law—”
“Sophie.”
He cleared his throat and shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Detective Grace asked me to get the evidence and come right back to the station.”
I hung back and popped out a hip. “Did you guys come up on a big lead or something?”
“Look, Sophie, you know I can’t talk about an active case with a civilian.”
“That never stopped you before. And we both know I’m not just a civilian. I work with Alex.”
Romero looked at me then, a flash of hopefulness going through his eyes. “So you’re back?”
“Back from where? I didn’t go anywhere.”
His cheeks went red.
“Romero, tell me what’s going on.”
He held up his hand. “Look, I don’t want to get involved. I’m just doing my job. Alex sent me here to get the evidence from you and come back to the station. He said I’m not supposed to talk to any civilians about the case—”
I opened my mouth, but Romero rushed on.
“Especially Sophie Lawson. He said you two weren’t working together anymore.”
Relief flooded over me and I batted at the air. “Oh! On this case. He meant we’re not working together on this case. But it’s not like we’re not friends—er, colleagues. We’re just working different angles.”
“All he said was he needed to disconnect from you. I’ve really got to get back to the station.” Romero put out his hand again, and this time I didn’t hesitate handing over the burnt uniform. He may have said good-bye to me, but I didn’t remember. Suddenly everything was in a fog and my ears were full of cotton or rushing blood or whispers—just full of something that wouldn’t let me process anything like a normal human being.
Alex wanted to disconnect from me?
Everything inside me ached. I slipped into an alcove and dialed his number. There was no answer—I expected as much—so I dialed the station and asked to be patched through. The dispatcher didn’t ask my name.
“Grace.”
“Romero was just here.”
I could hear Alex suck in a slow breath. “Did you give him the evidence?”
“What do you mean, you want to disconnect from me, Alex? What is this all about? Is it just this case? Are you jealous because I’m working with Will?”
“Lawson, this isn’t the time—”
“Then when is the time, Alex? When I try and call you again and you ignore my calls? When someone else drops dead?”
“Lawson, you don’t understand. Things are—”
“Things are what?”