Page 52 of M for Murder

Max nodded, his grin spreading. ‘Well, I had to ask. First you’re being all secretive about how you got that bruise and now you’re checking up on her to make sure she’s okay. Let me guess. You came on to her and she socked you one?’

‘What? Don’t be an idiot.’

‘Okay.’ Max nudged him again. ‘But you like her, right?’

‘No, I don’t like her,’ Joel snapped, wishing the subject would drop. ‘I was just trying to be nice. Jesus! Why does everybody have such a problem with that?’

Max shook his head innocently, though his grin remained intact.

‘Who said anything about a problem? I don’t have a problem. No problem at all.’

Rebecca watched Hickok and Sutton talking and wondered what it was that shocked her the most: Emma Keeley’s body being found or Joel Hickok being nice to her? He had even called her by her Christian name. Maybe he’d gone out and gotten himself a personality transplant since she’d last seen him. Either that or he’d been taken over by some alien life form. Thinking of the film Invasion of the Body Snatchers, she smiled. Then immediately felt guilty. Emma Keeley had been found mutilated and dead and here she was, thinking up jokes. Vic’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

‘What’s up with you?’ he questioned, eyes narrowed and studying her carefully.

‘Nothing.’ Rebecca pulled a face. ‘I was just thinking about Emma Keeley and what happened to her. Stupid, huh?’

Vic shrugged his shoulders. ‘No. You’re a woman. No one is expecting you to handle it well.’

‘Excuse me?’ Rebecca snapped angrily, not sure if she had heard the Neanderthal right. ‘This has nothing to do with being a woman. I’m being human for God’s sake. What the hell is up with you, Vic? Don’t you have any feelings?’

‘Of course I do,’ Vic snapped, his face reddening with anger.

‘Then how come this doesn’t seem to bother you? How come you and Hickok and Sutton can all just carry on as though nothing has happened?’

‘You get used to it.’

‘Really? You get used to it, do you?’ Rebecca scorned. ‘Well, you know what, Vic. I don’t know if I want to get used to it, seeing people die.’

Vic leaned across the desk, his thick brows knitting together in a scowl. ‘Yeah? Well get over it, sweetheart,’ he said in a low gruff voice. ‘You’re gonna see some real bad shit out there, so you’d better learn to deal with it. I need a partner I can count on, and right now I’m not sure if you’re up to the job. Cut your emotional ties now or pack your bags and get the hell back to Swallow River.’

‘Swallow Falls,’ Rebecca corrected, biting down on the surge of anger she could feel rising inside of her. How dare Vic Boaz lecture her about how she should feel and what kind of cop she should be?

Nobody got away with speaking to her the way he just had and if she hadn’t wanted to hold on to her job so badly, she would have punched him right now, regardless of the fact he had about six inches on her and probably outweighed her by close to seventy pounds.

‘Swallow Falls,’ Vic repeated with a grin. ‘Whatever. One hick town is the same as any other.’ He leaned back in his chair and crossing his arms looked her square in the face. ‘So what’s it gonna be then, hick girl? You gonna bail on us?’

Rebecca gave him a thunderous look. Beneath the desk she clenched her fists together, wishing more than anything she could wipe the smirk off his face.

‘No, I’m not gonna bail,’ she said tightly, forcing her own sarcastic smile. ‘In case you’ve forgotten, we’ve still got a killer to catch.’

20

THURSDAY 1ST MAY 1997

S itting in one of two hard-back chairs in the interview room, Lawrence Parker shifted to a comfortable position and stared icily across the table at Joel Hickok. Joel returned the stare, glaring into Parker’s black eyes. Devil Eyes.

‘I hope this is important. I’m missing classes.’

‘It’s important.’

‘Am I under arrest?’

‘No. Don’t think about leaving until I’m done though. I can easily get a warrant to bring you back. We’ll also want to take your prints before you leave.’

‘Really? So you think I’ve committed a crime?’

‘Have you?’