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When Reilly walked into HQ, it was through the back door and down the cinder-block hallway that dumped out into as supposed to be the newly renovated, inspiring and uplifting lobby Unfortunately, the bronze statue of Lady Justice with her scales and her sas a modern interpretation of the classic Greco-Rooddess looked like melted cheese Old, brown melted cheese
The circular walk around her and the spotlights shining down froreater visual access to the hot ain, most of the police personnel, district attorneys, and defense lawyers striding through were too busy to worry about the decor Headquarters had a lot going on: The secured dropoff and central processing for arrests was to the right, along with the jail itself Records was to the left Up at the top of the curving stairs were the offices for Homicide and Internal Affairs, as well as the squad room and locker room Third floor was the new lab and the evidence lockup
Reilly hit the stairs two at a ti slower than her But as she stepped off on the second-floor landing she lost her momentum The wide-open area up ahead had a bank of desks where the pool of ad men and women? Brittany spelled Britnae, aka, the Pneumatic Office Hottie
The blonde had a hand ertip under one heavily MAC&039;d or Bobbi Brown&039;d or Sephora&039;d eye Next move was to fluff the curls Last was to smack her lips and pout
All the while, she was bending forward and flashing her double Ds to herself
Evidently pleased with her paint job and landscaping, Britnae turned her wrist and checked one of those little itty-bitty watches some women wore, the kind that had linked bracelets and tiny mother-of-pearl faces
She probably had baskets of bangles, and dangly earrings that hung from a little stand, and a closet full of pink stuff
Reilly&039;s closet looked like Marilyn Manson&039;s Assu he&039;d been reborn as an accountant And she didn&039;t do jewelry Her watch? Casio Black and shockproof
Three guesses who Britnae was getting ready for and the first two didn&039;t count: The girl had been panting after Veck since the day he&039;d coo
Not that it was Reilly&039;s business
Before so a creepy-ass stalker, she hurried along to the IA pision and went to her cubicle Pretending to be alert, she signed into her co had been translated into a foreign language Either that or her bain had forgotten English
Godda her a coward? Just because she wanted to keep things professional? He didn&039;t know half the hell she&039;d been through Besides, she&039;d been trying to help hiuy his breakfast with her size nine
Getting with the program, she called up the report she&039;d filed via e- through the whole docu, she reached for the receiver without having to look up "Reilly"
"Thomason" Ah, the lab upstairs "Just wanted you to know that I think Kroner&039;s injuries were the result of teeth"
"As in "
"Fangs, specifically I ht at the ER and was there as Kroner was intubated, stitched up, and transfused I had a good look at those neck and facial wounds When a knife is used in an attack like that, you tend to get very clear boundaries on the lacerations His flesh had been torn - which hat I sahen that tiger ate that trainer last year"
Well, that sealed the deal, didn&039;t it - and ht be loose in those woods "What kind of ani about?"
"That I&039;m not too sure of I took soo around - and we&039;ll find out what kind of saliva was left I&039;ll tell you this, though: Whatever it was? We&039;re talking big, powerfuland pissed off"
"Thanks soto catch a couple of Zs and get back to work I&039;ll be in touch"
After she hung up, she typed out an addendum to her report, hit ctrl-P and then sent the docu her file and cell phone, she went to stand by the printer as the pages licked out of the machine
At least she had soe before breakfast this ht about the diner She probably shouldn&039;t have asked Veck to join her He was right; it did look bad, but more to the point, they could have avoided that unpleasant exchange Which had hurt, actually
Not that it should have Casual co inappropriate? Shouldn&039;t have bothered her At all
Or ic to the word coward
Yeah, that was it
Veck went through the lobby of headquarters like a cold draft, shooting around people, rushing across the floor He hit the staircase and took the stone steps two at a ti, he headed left, but he wasn&039;t going to his office Internal Affairs here he was -
Fro pink and blond stepped in his path "Hi!"
As he looked down at the girl, he thoughtnow he knehat tornadoes felt like when they ca He&039;d just as soon et to Reilly, if that hat it took
"Hi!C she said again, like a one-note bird
Man, too loud, too cheerful, too loss? Any e
"Hey &039;Scuse me - I&039;m late"
Unfortunately, she decided to take up ballrooht when he did, and then left When he stopped, she took a deep breath, or arched her back, or maybe hit some kind of air compressor, because suddenly she becae
If she showed any ra if you want some coffee "
Teaor me? he finished in his head for her
"Thanks, but I&039;" Sidestep
Counterstep "Well, I could bring it to you?"
"No, thanks - "
She put her hand on his arm "Really, I don&039;t mind - "
The fine Officer Reilly picked that moment to come out of IA And what do you know, she didn&039;t hesitate or show any change of expression - but then again, why in the hell should it bother her that he was getting the come-on from someone?
As she passed by, she nodded at hio," he said, beyond done with the delays
"I&039;ll come see you later," Britnae called out
"Reilly," he hissed "Reilly"
The woe&039;s office "Yes?"
"I really am sorry For what I said That was out of line"
Reilly switched her file over to her left arh-stress tiain"
"Wouldn&039;t matter to me if it did"
On that note, she pivoted on her sensible heel and pushed into the waiting room
Okayouch But he couldn&039;t bla her inside, he just stood there like a plank as the door shut in his face, preoccupied by wanting to kick his own ass Next thing he knew, the scent of fresh coffee announced that his partner had come up to him
Jose de la Cruz looked tired, but alert, which was the ?"
"Shitty"