I know what you're thinking - three chapters in three days, holy shite!
Sometimes, you just gotta write. And dance. Pretty much always you just gotta dance.
Many thanks to the reviewers and ladynep, you got your wish. :)
She takes the morning to studiously avoid the station and Nathan. She fills her prescription, shops for groceries, takes a hot bath, and cleans her apartment. Her shift starts at three and she heads into town around two-thirty, finally prepared to face her partner. He's behind closed doors when she arrives at the station and she clocks in, puts together two cups of coffee. Julia's preliminary report is in her inbox and she flips through it, settling on the analysis of what Julia found clutched in the girl's hand.
She's only able to read a few lines, though, before a woman with curly red hair and unnaturally bright green eyes steps into her field of vision and commands her attention with little more than a smile.
"You work with Chief Wurnous," she says. It isn't a question. Her voice drips with charm, but the saccharine quality of it puts Audrey on alert. It sounds like she's fishing. "You're Officer Parker."
Audrey smiles tightly, not friendly but polite. "Have we met?" she asks.
The woman shakes her head and those red curls bounce against the gray wool shoulders of her coat. "Nathan and I grew up together," she says. "I was downtown and thought I'd stop in to say hello, but it looks like he's busy."
Audrey forces herself to relax, manages a little more warmth in her smile. "So you're a local," she says, reverting to her terrible small talk skills.
The woman grins. "Us local girls," she says. "Could you tell him I stopped by?" she asks.
Audrey nods. "Sure." The woman turns to leave. Audrey remembers something, stops her. "I didn't get your name," she says.
"Alice." The hair on the back of Audrey's neck stands on end, fueled by suspicion and a touch of something else. "Alice White." She smiles, her teeth bright and white and oddly sharp. "It was nice to meet you, Audrey." She waves, then, and disappears through the double doors at the front of the station.
Audrey watches her go and despite the warmth of the station, she feels a solid chill run down her spine. The woman's name in her dream was Alice and while it was absolutely possible she'd heard Audrey's name mentioned around town, Audrey herself had never said it. But that wasn't what bothered her most. She's remembering something from Julia's report on Jenna Smythe, from the analysis of the item clutched in her frozen hand. It had seemed innocuous at the time, a random clue in an odd investigation, but now it made her wonder.
The something Julia had found in Jenna's hand was a chunk of hair.
Red hair.
"Was that…" Nathan starts. She hadn't heard him come up and his voice startles her.
"Alice White," she says, finishing his statement. "Old friend of yours?"
"Not quite."
She hands him the mug in her left hand, the one full of plain black coffee. She's still staring at the door Alice White just left through, her mind stuck on the red curls. Nathan frowns at her profile.
"Why do I feel like I missed something?"
She turns then, realizes he's about to drink scalding hot coffee, and stops him by grabbing the hand holding the mug. "Too hot," she says.
If she notices him flinch at the contact, she doesn't mention it. "Thanks."
"She has red hair."
He raises an eyebrow. "Always has."
"I just read the analysis from Julia. That stuff clutched in Jenna Smythe's hand was red hair."
He frowns, pulls her into his office and shuts the door behind them. "Okay. Before we go down this particular rabbit hole –"
"Cute."
" – let's hear your evidence."
Audrey pauses. "You mean something other than the red hair…"
"Lot of people with Scotch-Irish heritages in this town, Parker. That means there's a lot of gingers running around."
Audrey takes a deep breath, realizes he's right. At least for the moment. "Would it matter if I said she gave off a seriously creepy vibe?"
"Same thing I did about her having red hair – always has."
"Good to know you're on board," she says and smiles before taking a long sip of her coffee. "Definitely cool enough to drink now."
"You snuck out of my house this morning," he says.
She swallows coffee too quickly, burns her throat. "I wanted to let you sleep."
"And you avoided me all morning."
"You put me on mid shift."
"And that's stopped you from coming in early when?"
They stare at each other for a few quiet seconds and the air in the office changes, tenses. She's been hiding something from him, hoping he won't notice, but he has. Her skin is warmer, her cheeks flushed more often than not. It isn't just exhaustion – there's something else going on.
"I believe you owe me a raincheck on a beer," he says, breaking the silence.
"Yup."
And a conversation, if I'm remembering correctly."
She sighs. "I'm off at eleven. Come by the apartment and I'll make dinner." He stares at her, an eyebrow cocked. She rolls her eyes. "Fine. I'll buy dinner and put it on plates from my kitchen."
"You'll tell me what's going on?"
"I'll drink a couple of beers and yes, I'll tell you what's going on."
He whistles. "Audrey Parker, in need of liquid courage." She doesn't like what the smirk on his face does to her. "Can't wait."