The Little Grave (Detective Amanda Steele)

She wrung her hands.

“You were to be Trent’s shadow. What am I supposed to tell Hill?”

“Just tell her I was there with Trent. That’s not a lie.”

Malone worried his bottom lip. “Might work. I wish I could say you weren’t in the room.”

Her sergeant didn’t need to say as much, but it was clear he regretted ever letting her near the Palmer case. But she didn’t have time to sit around talking. She glanced at the clock again. She’d lost another fifteen minutes.

“Are you in a hurry, Detective?”

“Matter of fact, yes.”

“I know you said you’d back off the cold cases if what you uncover is a direct tie to Palmer’s murderer. I want to see your eyes when you tell me that.”

“I promise. I’ll back off if it becomes necessary.” She wondered how many more times she’d have to assure him before he believed her.

He leaned back in his chair and studied her. “Guess that’s the best I’m gonna get. If you were anyone else—”

“I know. You’d have kept me off the case from the start. I appreciate that you trust me enough.”

Malone mumbled something incoherent, then, “Do you think the sex trafficking thing is going to lead to Palmer’s killer?”

“I’d need to be clairvoyant like Trent’s sister.”

“Clair— Never mind, and don’t get smart with me.”

She smiled. Malone couldn’t be any further from new-age ideology than a Catholic priest. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be. But I don’t have any reason to believe that’s the case yet. Obviously, the bracelet with the girls on it was the one on Palmer at the time of his booking and release, but I really don’t think he knew what was on it.”

She proceeded to fill him in on CSI Blair’s call and Casey-Anne Ritter’s connection to the bracelet and the pawnshop where she would have crossed paths with Palmer. She empathized that was all: crossed paths. She almost told him what Courtney and the others associated with Palmer had to say about the bracelet, but she shouldn’t know any of that.

“Palmer must have liked the bracelet, tried it on, and that’s where it stayed,” she added. “I believe that whoever killed Palmer was a different person than who took out Ritter and Webb based on the murder method.”

“Hmm.” Malone rubbed his jaw.

“Sarge?” she prompted.

“Okay, go. Get to work.”

She hopped up.

“Oh, Detective, be careful not to step on any toes either. I know you’re rather focused on the girl’s murder, but Detective Bishop worked the Jackson Webb case. So if you’re going to him, just play nice.”

His warning might have come a little late as Cud hadn’t taken too kindly to her asking about the Webb case the other day.

“You bet.”

She left Malone’s office and hurried to her desk, not wanting to pass another second chit-chatting. It was time to get some real work done.

Thirty-Eight

Amanda had just sat down when her cell phone rang. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She answered without consulting ID.

“Detective Steele?” An unfamiliar voice.

“Who is this?”

“Detective Patricia Glover from Sex Crimes. Most people just call me Patty.”