Page 21

Vera

“We’ll be tracking your phones the entire time but text me when you get there,” J said as she passed Teddi another small duffle bag through the passenger side window. Vera didn’t know what was in it but it was added to the pile in the backseat. She hadn't expected them to be prepared at the last minute but it was reassuring. By all accounts, they appeared to be a tightly run team, each member as detrimental as the next.

“Will do. We'll see you soon.” Vera watched as J returned to the nondescript building their office was housed in. She was pleasantly surprised to find that inside the aging brick structure was a homey space and two investigators who seemed to genuinely care about helping find out what happened to Alex. Hanging out with her sister was a surprise she was still getting over.

She wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Ximena was best friends with her ex-girlfriend, making dinner for her colleagues… she knew it wasn’t fair but the betrayal stung. They were always close, regardless of their age gap. They told each other everything. But the pit in her gut solidified the fact that they were much more than physically apart now. A valley yawned open between them and was quickly becoming a landfill of all the things neither of them fessed up to.

Pulling out onto the road she adjusted in her seat, pushing the concealed pistol she wore inside her waistband towards her side to get comfortable. Her skin felt itchy like it was pulled too tight over her bones.

Betrayed or not, she didn’t like the idea of leaving Ximena alone. J, with her bold fashion tastes and copious black ink, seemed chill but had a wit as sharp as a knife. Their boss Mackey, on the other hand, was as readable as stone. A quiet, watchful, and respected leader, she looked unassuming in her suspenders and slacks until her gaze fell on Vera. It was brutal. It reminded her of the trainer she had all those years ago. She didn’t want to see her when she snapped. It would be vicious and calculated. Fists wouldn’t fly. She wouldn’t need them because she would be ten steps ahead before anyone realized they already lost.

They seemed like decent people but it wasn’t the same as knowing for herself that Ximena was alright. She took Alex’s death hard, alternating between wailing so hard she vomited and sleeping. It twisted her to witness her pain and then leave her with it. They hadn't spoken since Ximena’s demand over breakfast. The parting words left Vera beyond coherent speech.

But there were some issues she could still address. The hypocrisy of what she was about to demand wasn't lost on her. It took the blowback of a single gunshot to make her see how far she'd slipped into the grey between right and wrong, but this was Teddi and Alex and a chance to find the answers their family deserved. She wouldn't let the past sully it.

“We need to lay down some ground rules.”

“I’m assuming you’ve already made a list,” Teddi replied through a crooked smile.

“One, I want a proper investigation. No pissing off to do whatever you want, no breaking laws and sure as hell no breaking and entering.” Teddi didn’t recede from the knowing look she gave. “I know you enjoy a little B&E in your spare time.”

Vera could still recall the way her hands shook at the risk of getting caught. She’d followed Teddi into an abandoned house in downtown Fort Collins soon after they'd met. It terrified Vera, the risk of getting caught. It would be her whole life down the drain. Teddi, on the other hand, liked creating her own adventures when she got a little too bored. The words “bored” and “Teddi” never ended well when mentioned together.

Teddi guffawed. “Give me some credit. I was a young kid with too little supervision for my own good.”

“You were twenty-one years old.” Teddi waved her hand like the words were inconsequential. “I’m serious, I know how you can get when you get an itch. Can you do whatever it is we need to do without getting us in trouble? Mackey made a point to mention it for a reason.”

“Oh, please. She’s just worried about us. That’s the only way she knows how to show it. Mackey doesn’t like anyone out of sight, no matter how much she trusts them and she sure as hell doesn’t trust Sheriff Malis and these buried cases as a whole.”

Vera could understand that but she still needed to hear her say that she could trust her. At least with the job. They’d never worked together and now they were wading into a murder investigation they weren’t invited into.

“Teddi,” her voice warned.

“I've been a private investigator for over five years, Ver. I didn’t get this far by still being a stupid kid. I got you.” The tension in Vera’s body eased slightly. Her skin still had that too-tight feeling. “What else?”

“I don’t know what you know and what else your team has in their back pocket. I’d like to be kept in the loop. I don’t like surprises.” The final rule was more for herself than for Teddi. “We’re in this side-by-side because of Mimi and Alex. It’s not how I planned any of this but it is what it is. I am trusting that her going to you for help means you’re good at your job. That said, this isn’t going to be anything but professional.”

The sentence hung in the air, thick and heavy.

“You mean no more of what happened last night.”

Vera’s cheeks flushed. “Nothing happened last night.”

“And you don’t want it to.” It wasn’t a question.

Vera swallowed over the brick in her throat. “We aren’t together, Teddi. At this point, we’re colleagues, at most, and temporarily.” Her new rule about minimizing how many lies she told was already catching up with her. She should’ve outright said she didn’t want it, didn’t want Teddi. But that was one lie that was too big to lug around on her best day.

“I agree to the first two rules, not the third.” Teddi’s hand came up as she started to argue. Turning in her seat, she leaned on the center console, burning holes into the side of Vera’s face.

“Whatever happens, happens." The tension gave way to something softer. What should’ve felt invasive, curled into a quiet intimacy. Like they were lying in bed after being tangled together. Teddi’s voice was low. "We’re adults, we can handle it.”

“We’re not handling anything but this case. I’m not here to be friends or whatever else it is you’re concocting in your head. This is solely professional. End of.”

Teddi didn’t move, if anything she swayed a bit closer.

“I’ll agree if you tell me why you don’t have your fancy FBI badge on you.”

“Who says I don’t?”