The sheriff pinched his lips together like he was trying to suppress a grin. He just nodded and slapped me on the back. “Have a good day, Detective.” His head tilted back in the direction of the lieutenant’s office. “And don’t mind, Carr. He’s all bark.” With a wink, he was gone.
Once inside my office, I dropped the files on my desk and flopped down in my chair. It wasn’t even eight A.M. yet and it was already a lousy day. I pulled off my olive green ball cap and dropped it on my desk.
“Nate!” The booming voice at my door startled me.
I smiled as Tyrell Reese walked into the room. Reese was my closest friend on the force and my favorite cop to work with in our Investigation Unit. Not just because he towered over everyone, including me, at 6’3 and always had my back but because he was one of the funniest dudes I knew.
“What’s up, man?” I asked.
“Nada,” Reese said, dropping into the chair opposite my desk. “How was your weekend?”
“Interesting.” I laughed and scratched my head.
Reese pointed at me. “You got laid.”
I sat back in my chair. “How could you possibly know that?”
He laughed and held up his phone. There was a picture of Shannon and I together at the bar on his screen, and it was sideways and my tongue was hanging out. “I got this at three in the morning.” He chuckled. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out.”
I slid my hand down my face. “Man, I was trashed.”
He nodded. “I can tell. What happened?”
I laced my fingers together behind my head and leaned back in my chair. “I went to this sports bar Friday night to watch the game and a couple of the guys from Buncombe County were there. I switched from drinking beer to Crown somewhere during half-time and it all went downhill from there.”
His head snapped back with surprise. “Or uphill. That chick is smoking’.”
I smiled. “She wasn’t bad.”
He slapped his large hand down on my desk. “I’m proud of you. You needed a night off. All you do is work, work, work.”
I pointed at him. “Somebody’s gotta make up for your slacker ass.”
“Slacker ass?” He leaned toward me. “Who was working B & E’s this weekend while you were off banging the beauty queen?”
“I got an earful about it from Carr as soon as I walked in this morning. What have you got?” I asked.
“They hit Cary on Friday,” he said. “Over in Preston Bluffs.”
I sighed and shook my head. “No shit?”
He nodded. “Took our guys thirty minutes to get there. Mr. Sider was long gone by the time we showed up.”
“Sider,” I repeated with a chuckle. “Why thirty minutes?”
He turned his palms up. “Closest unit was tied up.”
I groaned. “That’s starting to become a common theme.”
“Yep. Thought so too,” he said.
My office phone beeped. “Detective McNamara?” Marge asked over the speaker.
“Talk to me,” I answered.
“There’s a Shannon Green on line three for you.”
THREE
REESE WATCHED MY face melt. “Who?” he asked.
I pointed at the phone and lowered my voice. “The chick from the bar.”
He laughed. “Seriously?”
“Put her through, Marge.” My phone started ringing, and I looked at Reese. “Can you excuse me for a minute?”
He sat back in the chair and crossed his boot over his knee. “Hell no. I don’t wanna miss this.”
I wadded up a sheet of paper and threw it at him.
On the fifth ring, I picked up the phone. “Detective McNamara.”
“Nathan?” she asked.
“Yes. Can I help you?”
Reese was chuckling across the desk.
“Nathan, it’s Shannon.” After a pause she added, “Shannon Green.”
“Oh, hi.” I swirled my index finger next to my ear and mouthed ‘this chick is crazy’ to Reese. “Is everything OK?”
She sounded bubbly on her end of the line—too bubbly before nine in the morning. “I’m sorry to bother you at work. I just wanted to let you know that you left your watch at my apartment.”
I yanked my sleeve back and stared down at my naked wrist. My day just kept getting better and better. “I didn’t even realize it.” I shifted awkwardly in my seat. “I don’t suppose you could FedEx it to me? My mom gave me that watch.”
She was silent for a second. “Well, I was thinking I might just bring it to you this weekend.”
My mouth dropped open. “Uh…”
“I’m going to be in Raleigh anyway,” she added quickly. “I’ve got an interview with a news station there on Friday morning.”