Page 4

Faith sighed in frustration as she pulled out of the parking lot and switched the radio on. News radio was once more spouting off about how West resembled past serial killers.

In fairness, the news radio show was talking about likely similarities in the upcoming trial rather than the killings. That irritated her, too, but it was easier to swallow than comparing West to the media's favorite celebrity killers. Some degree of media theatrics was expected in a high-profile case like this one.

"While he was incarcerated during the trial, jail employees heard Ramirez plan to kill the prosecutor with a gun he'd get from an ally in the courtroom," one of the panelists said.

“Yeah. They put in a metal detector and even searched the lawyers,” another replied.

“Is this something West is likely to plan?”

“Sure, but it’s unlikely to have much success. The screening process for this case will be far beyond anything we’ve ever seen. West is a sly one, but I don’t see him having any more success than Ramirez did.”

“Damn it!” Faith shouted, quickly turning the volume back down. She’d intended to change the station but had moved the wrong button. She turned the radio off instead. She felt like ripping it right out of the car and throwing it on the ground.

Turk instantly came to alert, barking and growling and staring out the window, searching for the threat. She sighed and patted his flanks. “Sorry, boy. Mommy just got upset at the radio.”

Turk looked at her, then looked at the radio. He seemed confused, but he growled a warning at the offending box anyway. She laughed and patted him again. “It’s okay, boy. I turned it off.”

Turk barked once at the radio, as though warning it to stay down, then settled back into the passenger chair. She grinned at him. “You’re the best dog ever. You know that?”

He gave her a slightly incredulous look. Well, duh, mom.

She laughed again and scratched him behind the ears.

In four-hundred feet, turn left.

Faith frowned at her radio. She thought she had turned it off, but if she hadn’t, then why was it giving her directions? She drove a 2009 Crown Victoria, and while it was a far cry more modern than the venerable ’96 Crown Vic it replaced, it wasn’t equipped with navigation.

Turn left, then you will arrive at your destination.

She felt a vibration on her left leg and realized that she was hearing her phone. She had looked up directions to the restaurant when she left her apartment and forgotten to turn the navigation software off.

Her cheeks burned, and she was glad David wasn’t here to see that. She would never hear the end of it. Faith Bold: thirty-four, eleven-year veteran of the FBI, detective extraordinaire, doesn’t understand how smart phones work.

She pulled into the parking lot and found a spot near the entrance.

You have arrived.

“Thank you, Google Maps,” she said drily.

She got out of her car and quickly closed the navigation app. She sighed and started around to let Turk out, only to find he had jumped across the seats and left through her door already. He looked up at her, tail wagging, and she said, "Well, here's hoping David's right about this place allowing pets. It looks fancy."

Technically speaking, as a K9, Turk was a service animal and not subject to the normal restrictions regarding pets, but Faith didn’t like taking advantage of that exemption. She didn’t really like fancy restaurants in general. She hated having to worry about how she was sitting and if she was using the right fork or how to hold her wine glass. David always insisted it didn’t matter, but Faith couldn’t shake the feeling of being a bull in a China shop each time they went out to a high-end place.

Turk, of course, couldn’t care in the slightest. He trotted happily into the restaurant and barked greetings at the other dogs present. Well, there were other dogs present, so that was good. David was right about the place being pet-friendly. Other than the fa?ade, it didn't look too fancy either, so that was nice.

“Faith!”

She turned toward the sound of the voice and grinned when she saw the handsome movie-star looks of Dr. David Friedman, Turk’s vet and the love of Faith’s life. She giggled and rushed into his arms, then sighed as she melted into his kiss. She didn’t feel like much of a “girly” girl, but something about David filled her with butterflies and rainbows and made her want to dance like a ballerina.

“Wow,” David said when he pulled away. “Someone’s in a good mood.”

“Why do you say that like you’re surprised?” Faith challenged.

"I'm not surprised; I'm just happy to see you. You know, I like stating the obvious."

“That’s true. You do have a knack for that.”

“Well, let me state something else that’s obvious. You’re beautiful.”

She rolled her eyes, but she felt her cheeks heat at the praise. “And you’re handsome. Any other gross things you want to say before we have dinner?” He grinned, and she cut him off. “ No. ”

“What? You asked.”

“Yeah, and I regret it. God, introducing you to Michael was the worst mistake of my life.”

David had only recently met Faith’s partner, Michael. Despite their initial meeting being somewhat less than ideal, the two had become fast friends, a fact that Faith both appreciated and… well, resented was the wrong word, but it was hard enough to handle Michael’s sense of humor without David showing a similar immature side.

“Oh, you know you love me.”

She sighed. “I do. Remind me why again?”

“Sure.” He grinned. “After dinner.”

She rolled her eyes and took her seat. “Is this the kind of place that sells food you can eat with your hands, or do I need to know what the different forks are for?”

“One for dinner, and one for dessert,” he replied. “That’s what I use them for anyway.”

“Good enough for me. Where’s the dog menu?”

“On the back. You’re just going to get him the steak, though, so no point in looking.”

“Hey, you don’t know that. I might decide to branch out and order him the… Vegan, gluten-free plant-based salmon."

Turk looked up at her in alarm, and David laughed and patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, boy. I won’t let her order you that.”

Turk sighed with relief, and Faith giggled again. There was nothing like a meal with her two favorite boys to take her mind off of the case.

Unfortunately, one of her favorite boys, while handsome as hell and very sweet, was only smart when it came to pet health. “Have you been watching the case?”

Her smile faded. She shrugged and said, “Not really. I’m kind of over all of it, you know?”

David didn’t take the hint. “You hear they’re calling him the new Richard Ramirez?”

She forced another smile and said, “Let’s not talk about West right now. How are you doing? How’s work?”

It was more of an instruction than a hint, but at least David understood it this time. “Work’s good. I’m great. I’ll be better when my girlfriend of almost two years lives with me.”

She sighed, but her reticence was more of a ritual than something she actually felt anymore. With West in custody, she wasn’t afraid for David’s safety the way she used to be. She actually wanted to move in with him. But she couldn’t just come out and say that. She needed him to work for it a little.

So, she sighed and said, “I think I can find a doll for you in the evidence locker at the Field Office.”

He grimaced. “Eww. I’m good, thanks.”

“You sure? They’ll do anything you want—”

“I am very good, thanks,” he interrupted. “Eww… Eww…”

She laughed, then sighed again. “I want to move in with you too, but it’s not like I can just hop over tomorrow and change my mailing address.”

“Why not?”

“Well, I still have six months on my lease.”

“So? I won’t charge you rent. You can finish paying the lease and then just not renew it.”

“I still have to live there. It’s called maintaining residency.”

“I think it’s called something else, but I get what you mean. So you pop by one or two nights a week and leave the light on when you’re not home.”

“What an irresponsible waste of energy, Dr. Friedman.”

He sighed. “You’re really going to make me wait six more months?”

“I know,” she said, pouting like a mother comforting a child. “It’s so hard. I’m sorry, poor baby.”

He laughed and pressed, “It is hard. I love you. I want to come home to you. Come on, am I really so clingy just because I want to spend every second of the rest of my life less than three feet away from you at all times?”

She chuckled and took his hands in hers. “Yes, but that’s okay. Because I want to be with you too.” She met his eyes and said, “Let me think about it, okay?”

“You’ve been thinking about—”

“I know, I know. Just a little longer. Worst-case scenario, six months. If you love me, you’ll wait six months.”

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and groaned. “Ugh! That’s not fair! You can’t pull that card.”

“Sure I can,” she said pertly. “But… it’ll probably be less than six months.”

He brightened immediately. “Really?”

“Yes, real—”

Her phone buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket and sighed. “Really?”

“Your boss?”

“Worse. My partner.”

She answered the phone and Michael’s voice said, “Hey, I didn’t interrupt you in the middle of anything naked, did I?”

After eleven years of working with Michael, she was used to his aggressively immature sense of humor and responded in kind. “No. What about Ellie? Is she staring up at you wishing you’d just finish already?”

“Bold of you to assume she makes eye contact.”

Faith grimaced. “Okay, that’s on me. I played along when I should have ignored you. Please tell me you called to be an annoying prick and not because of work.”

“Sorry,” he replied. “It’s work.”

She sighed and let her head fall forward. David patted her shoulder comfortingly, and she asked, “What is it?”

“DB at Sushi Amaterasu. Looks a lot like that food critic who was killed at Cucina Toscana last week.”

“Shit. All right. I’m on my way.”

“Just head back to your apartment. No need for us to take more than one car. I'll pick you up from there. Sorry, Faith. Tell David I'm sorry too."

She looked up at David. “Michael says he’s sorry.”

“Tell him I said me too.”

“He says he’s gonna kick your ass for ruining his chances of getting laid tonight.”

David laughed, and Michael said, “Hey, I’m not too happy about it either. I was lying when I said Ellie doesn’t make eye contact.”

“Again, that’s my fault. However, let’s make a pact not to make any more dirty jokes for at least the duration of the case. Deal?”

“Deal. I was running out of witty remarks anyway.”

“I’ll bet. See you soon.”

She hung up and smiled apologetically at David. “I really am sorry. We’ll talk more about this later, okay? I’ll move in with you soon, I promise.”

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said. “In the meantime, I’ll just keep crying myself to sleep.”

She giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. “Just think about how nice it will be to have me to yourself every night.”

“Yeah, that sounds better. I like that.”

She kissed him again, then led an equally reluctant Turk from the restaurant. “I owe you a steak, boy.”

She was excited about the prospect of a case. It would be nice to have something to take her mind off of the bullshit surrounding West, and if it got her out of an uncomfortable conversation about moving in with David, then that was just icing on the cake.