passed through the ceiling of the apartment below him and killed the boy just as he was taking a bite of pizza. The bullet entered the top of his head and the boy fell face-first into his pizza. When they saw the boy, there was cheese and tomato sauce on the boy’s forehead. His mother had screamed and cried for two hours and had tried to tackle the Greek as he was led down the stairs in handcuffs. She ended up tumbling down to the landing and they’d had to call an ambulance.
Kevin and Todd went to a bar after their shift ended and Todd tried to pretend he could forget what he’d seen, but he drank three beers in less than fifteen minutes. He told Kevin that he’d failed his detective exam once, before finally passing it. Kevin drank vodka, though because Todd was with him, he told the bartender to add a splash of cranberry juice.
It was a cop bar. Lots of cops, low prices, dim lights, and women who liked to hook up with cops. The bartender let people smoke, even though it was against the law, since most of the smokers were cops. Todd wasn’t married and had been there often. Kevin had never been there before and wasn’t sure he liked it, but he didn’t want to go home, either.
Todd went to the bathroom and when he came back, he leaned closer to Kevin.
“I think those two at the end of the bar are checking us out.”
Kevin turned. Like him, the women appeared to be around thirty. The brunette noticed him staring before she turned back to her redheaded friend.
“Too bad you’re married, huh? They look pretty good.”
They looked worn, Kevin thought. Not like Erin, who had clear skin and smelled of lemon and mint and the perfume he’d bought her for Christmas.
“Go ahead and talk to them if you want,” Kevin said.
“I think I will,” Todd said. Todd ordered another beer and walked to the end of the bar and smiled. He probably said something stupid, but it was enough to make the women laugh. Kevin ordered a double vodka, no cranberry juice, and saw their reflection in the mirror behind the bar. The brunette met his eyes in the mirror, and he didn’t turn away. Ten minutes later, she sauntered over and took a seat on the stool that Todd had been occupying.
“Not feeling social tonight?” the brunette asked.
“I’m not good at small talk.”
The brunette seemed to consider this. “I’m Amber,” she said.
“Kevin,” he replied, and again, he didn’t know what to say. He took a drink, thinking it tasted almost like water.
The brunette leaned toward him. She smelled musky, not like lemon and mint. “Todd says that the two of you work homicide.”
“We do.”
“Is that hard?”
“Sometimes,” he said. He finished his drink and raised the glass. The bartender brought another over. “What do you do?”
“I’m an office manager at my brother’s bakery. He makes rolls and bread products for restaurants.”
“That sounds interesting.”
She gave a cynical smile. “No, it doesn’t. And it’s not, but it pays the bills.” Her teeth flashed white in the gloom. “I haven’t seen you here before.”
“Todd brought me.”
She nodded in Todd’s direction. “Him, I’ve seen. He hits on anything in a skirt who’s still breathing. And I think the breathing part is optional. My friend loves it here, but usually I can’t stand the place. She makes me come with her.”
Kevin nodded and shifted on his stool. He wondered if Coffey and Ramirez ever came here.
“Am I boring you?” she asked. “I can leave you alone if you’d like.”
“You’re not boring me.”
She flipped her hair and Kevin thought she was prettier than he’d first realized. “Would you like to buy me a drink?” she suggested.
“What would you like?”
“Cosmopolitan,” she said, and Kevin signaled to the bartender. The cosmopolitan arrived.
“I’m not very good at this,” Kevin admitted.
“Not good at what?”
“This.”
“We’re just talking,” she said. “And you’re doing fine.”
“I’m married.”
She smiled. “I know. I saw your ring.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Like I said, we’re just talking.”
She ran a finger along her glass and he could see the moisture collect on the tip.
“Does your wife know you’re here?” she asked.
“My wife is out of town,” he said. “Her friend is sick and she’s helping her out.”
“And so you thought you’d hit the bars? Meet some women?”
“I’m not like that,” Kevin said tightly. “I love my wife.”
“You should. Since you married her, I mean.”
He wanted another double vodka but didn’t want to order