Page 16 of The Smart Killer

“All right, all right,” Porter said, sidling beside him. “Sorry. Listen, she wanted me to work with you. I get it. I wouldn’t want to be dumped with a newbie either, but if it’s any consolation, I worked as a trooper for eight years before this. The whole detective in training thing may be new, but I’m not new to the game.”

“Glad to hear that. Maybe you can request to train under someone else.”

“Why? You came highly recommended by Lieutenant Legacy.”

Noah shook his head as he smiled, thinking that perhaps Savannah was preparing to hand Porter over to him regardless of his suspension. “She and I have history.”

“You dated her?”

“No, but I introduced her to her now-girlfriend.” He grinned as they arrived at his Bronco. The guy looked at it as if he was about to say something but instead got in the other side. Inside, Noah wiped droplets of rain from his jacket and then fired up the engine.

“Shitty weather,” Porter said, glancing out at the gloom-filled skies. “I hope it doesn’t get worse.”

“You wait until the winter arrives.”

The engine rumbled beneath them.

“I hate the cold.”

“Then why transfer here?” Noah asked as he backed out. “I mean, of all places you chose here.”

“Maybe for the same reasons you did.”

Noah shot him a sideways glance.

“And that would be?”

“To make a splash. Right?”

“A splash?”

“Make a difference,” Porter replied. “And what better place than where it’s all happening in New York State.”

“Is that what they’re telling you?”

The Bronco growled as it rolled through the terrain, splashing puddles. Pedestrians hurried along the sidewalk, some darting into stores to get out from the downpour.

“It’s what I’ve heard. I mean, that’s why we get into this, right? To do some good, bring about change. Like your father, your brothers, and you have. You all seem to attract the attention of the media.”

“So, it’s the attention you want. Are you vying for the spotlight, Porter?”

“No. I didn’t mean it like that. Let’s just say that word gets around, and I wanted to serve alongside the best. You learned from the best, didn’t you?”

“There are days I wonder, Porter.”

“All I’m saying is that I just want you to know that I’m not wet behind the ears. You’re the senior investigator. I’ll follow your lead.”

“Glad to hear it. If you observe and listen, we will get along just fine.”

Porter furrowed his brow. “Did you skip over the part about my previous experience?”

“One thing you need to realize, Porter. Experience elsewhere means little in High Peaks. This place will eat you up and spit you out before you can apply that experience. Understand?”

Porter nodded.

Noah’s thoughts turned to Callie as they got closer to her residence. A quietness settled over them. Rain fell in sheets, a somber curtain obscuring the world beyond the windshield. The soft pitter-patter on the roof was the only sound that dared pierce the heavy silence inside. Streetlights cast a muted glow on the wet asphalt, giving everything a melancholic sheen. Noah’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as he navigated the slicker roads, each drop of rain another weight on his shoulders.

Porter seemed distant, lost in his own thoughts.