Free Determinant by E. H. Reinhard Page B

You have to say something.”
    I just stared back at her.
    She pulled me closer and kissed the side of my face. “Do I need to go get a knife?”
    I shook my head and kissed her. “No knife.” I smiled. “I’m not leaving you.”
    “You’re going to need to say something about the baby part.”
    “It’s life changing.” They weren’t the right words, but I couldn’t think. I didn’t know if I was happy, but didn’t feel upset. I was in shock. It had to be shock.
    It was more news than I could process in such a short period.
    She kissed me again and hugged me. She spoke into my ear. “I know it’s a ton to take in. Take your time. We’ll figure it out.”
    We spent the next forty five minutes drinking coffee and talking. Well, she talked, and I nodded in agreement while I drank cup after cup trying to wrap my head around the situation. It would have to wait, I needed to get to work. I almost forgot my holster and weapon. I did forget my coffee on the breakfast bar. It was a five minute drive to work. As I sat in the station’s parking structure, I couldn’t remember how I got there.

Chapter 12
    I spent the morning at the station in a complete fog. The afternoon was the same. Hank came and went from my office a number of times. I asked him to deal with getting the statement from Eric Blake, our bartender from Frank’s, and set him up with a sketch artist. I spoke with Jenny Cartwright’s father. From our fifteen minute talk, it became clear that he had his blinders on when it came to his daughter. I was certain I knew more about her life from the file on her than her own father did. He had nothing to offer that would help us on the case. I assured him that I’d keep him informed as we progressed.
    I spoke with Callie twice. She asked me if I was alright at least ten times. I told her I was. It might have been a lie. She said she was going to go home after work. She worked until close. A night alone would give me some time to think, she said. I didn’t fight her on it.
    I was a half hour into sitting at my desk staring at the wall when Hank knocked on the door sill and broke my concentration.
    He walked in, sat and tossed the sketch of our suspect on my desk. I gave it a quick once over. I didn’t recognize the guy.
    Hank spoke up. “Talk to Ed yet?”
    I put my feet up on the file box next to my desk that had been serving as a foot rest. “About?”
    “The weather.” Hank raised his eyebrows. “About the GSW victim from yesterday. You know, police work? Ed said he’d have the autopsy report done sometime this morning? It’s pushing two thirty. Geez, what’s with you today?”
    “Sorry. No I didn’t talk to him. I’ll give him a call.”
    Hank tapped a pen on my desk and rearranged himself in the chair. “Well something damn sure has you off. I don’t even think you noticed the last time I walked in here. You just stared off into space like a zombie.”
    “What? When were you in here last?”
    “When I brought you a coffee, asked you about lunch and told you to snap out of it? You just kind of grunted for a response.”
    I looked down. An untouched coffee sat at the corner of my desk. I felt the side of it. It was cold. “Sorry, Buddy. It’s been a weird morning to say the least.”
    “Well, come on, spill it.”
    I shook my head. “Nah, I’ll be fine. I’ll get on the horn with Ed about that report.”
    “Not that easy, start talking.”
    “Hank, I’m fine.”
    “I’ll go get the captain and we’ll head over to the box with you. Get you under the spotlight until you talk. We’ll have ourselves a nice little lock in. I don’t have anything to do tonight. Karen will be playing poker with her friends until at least midnight.”
    I let out a deep breath. Maybe getting the situation out in the open could help. “Alright. Fine. So I woke up this morning to a voicemail from Samantha. She said she wanted to talk.”
    “You didn’t tell Callie your ex-wife called you, did