Free Fine Blue Steele (Daggers & Steele Book 4) by Alex P. Berg Page A

Quinto. “Hold on. You guys heard that, right?”
    “Heard what?” I asked.
    “You,” she said, a look of triumph on her face. “You condemned a sandwich… for its simplicity.”
    I felt the heat rise in my face. “No, no, no. That’s not—”
    “It’s true,” said Quinto. “I heard it. Straight from the horse’s mouth.”
    Was the big guy calling me horse-faced? “That’s not what I meant. I—”
    “Oh, admit it,” said Shay with a smile. “Try as you might to fight it, your culinary tastes are changing. Soon enough you won’t even look twice at a sandwich unless it’s topped with melted cheese, crisp lettuce, and a housemade aioli.”
    I wasn’t even sure what that last word meant, but I was too flustered to argue. Was Shay right? Were my tastes actually changing? And by her influence? By the gods, we weren’t even officially dating. What sorts of transformations could I expect if our relationship progressed to a more serious level?
    I changed the subject. “Never you mind about that. The important question is, where have the two of you been?” I gestured at Cairny and Quinto and raised an inquisitive eyebrow, trying to make the action look risqué. “We looked all over for you.”
    Cairny blinked. “And? You found us.”
    I sighed and wiped a hand across my face. The subtleties of speech—and, in fact, regular humanoid interaction—were often lost on her. “Never mind. Have you had a chance to look at the body yet?”
    “What body?” she asked.
    I glanced at Quinto. “Didn’t you fill her in?”
    The big guy nodded. “Yeah. It’s this case I was telling you about, Cairny. You remember, right? The one in the Delta district, with the dead hobo?”
    “Oh. Right.” Cairny blinked. “Yes, well, I haven’t been around the crypt much today.”
    “Too cold?” Shay gave me a sideways glance as she asked that.
    Cairny shook her head. “I’ve simply had other things to attend to.”
    “I’m sure you did.” I eyed Quinto and tried my eyebrow trick again, leaning in so that Cairny would be sure to notice.
    She blinked and squinted at me, head slightly tilted to the side. “Pardon?”
    I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know why I try. Look, do you mind accompanying us to the morgue to take a look at Lanky? We’re not exactly overflowing with leads, and your expertise could help clear up who committed the murder.”
    Cairny glanced at Steele. “Lanky?”
    “You know Daggers’ proclivity for witty nicknames,” she said. “Admittedly, this one’s not as inspired as most, but I’m sure you can figure it out.”
    Cairny gave Quinto a pat on the shoulder. “Well…duty calls.”
    “Oh, I’ll come,” said Quinto. “Not like I have anything else to do. But don’t tell the Captain that.”
    The awkward pair stood, Cairny with sandwich still in hand.
    “Wait,” I said. “You’re bringing that?”
    “Why not?” The pale-skinned, fae-blooded coroner waved the layers of meat and bread in my face before taking a bite. “Does it bother you that I’d eat while inspecting cadavers?”
    “Me?” I said. “I was thinking more him.”
    I gestured at Quinto. He peered back at me quizzically.
    “You know, because she might get cadaver breath,” I said.
    More quizzical looks, from all present.
    “Like, it might waft off the corpse. Or the smell of the room maybe. Get caught in the bread…”
    Steele crossed her arms. “You’re really off today. Is there something going on I should know about?”
    Apparently my encounter with Blue had rattled me more than I’d realized. Even my quips were falling flat. One more reason to dislike the guy.
    “Come on,” I said. “Let’s get to the exam room before I make an even bigger fool of myself.”
    Nobody argued, and we headed down the stairs into the dungeon. As we reached Cairny’s workspace, I led the congregation toward the body.
    “So, Cairny,” I said. “What we’re trying to confirm is whether our dead guy, Lanky, died of blunt