Tears filled Amya’s eyes but didn’t spill over. Grace wanted to reach forward and wrap Amya in her arms, but she was pretty sure Amya wouldn’t want that at all. Dragging in a ragged breath, Grace waited for Amya to talk, anything so they could work on whatever was going on between the two of them.

  “You don’t want to do anything to try and fix this.”

  “Fix what?” Again, Grace managed to remain calm. How? She had no idea, because she was never the calm one.

  “Us!” Amya nearly screeched. One small tear fell from her eye. Grace went to reach forward and brush it away, but Amya jerked back and shook her head. “Don’t touch me.”

  “Amya…please talk to me.”

  “No. All I’ve done is talk and sit in this, and I can’t do it any more, Grace. I really can’t. Something has to give, and right now it’s me.”

  “I don’t want you to break.” Grace reached out, skimming her hand down Amya’s arm until she could tangle their fingers. Drawing Amya in, they shared a quick hug before Amya stepped back, that anger still in her eyes.

  “You need to do something about it.”

  “About what?”

  Amya snorted. “Like you don’t know.”

  “I don’t know which is bugging you the most right now.” As soon as Grace said it, she regretted her choice of words. Because she did know what was bugging Amya. The one thing Amya had told her about that they had then successfully avoided for a year. Amya was jealous, and it hadn’t gone away. The more hours Grace spent at work with Paige, the more jealous Amya became. The cycle was vicious, and Grace was pretty sure there was only one solution—she just didn’t want to do it.

  “You know exactly what the problem is. It’s her.”

  “Paige.”

  Amya gave a snort nod. “Yeah. Not just how she treats you, but how she’s always keeping you at work. She has no boundaries, Grace, and she gives you those nasty habits.”

  “I can’t quit my job.”

  “I don’t want you to quit your job,” Amya shot back. “And if you think that, you haven’t been listening all year.”

  Grace cocked her head to the side. “I can’t transfer. There aren’t any openings.”

  “IAB—”

  “No!” Grace’s voice rose. “I won’t do it, and you shouldn’t even be asking after I told you my answer. I won’t go there.”

  “Then condemn yourself to living in this hellhole.” Amya stepped away and turned toward her desk.

  Grace’s fingers itched to do something, anything, to take that pain away from Amya, but it wasn’t working. There was nothing she could do right then and there that would ease the discomfort. Not a kiss, not soft and gentle words, not promises or even words of love. Amya was so wrapped up in her own jealously that anything Grace said wouldn’t be heard.

  Saying nothing, Grace turned on her toes and walked out of the office. She shut the door behind her, plastered a mask on her face, one she had been wearing for months. Everything was fine. Everything was going to be fine. Nothing was wrong. She nodded at Khloe, chatted with her for another minute like nothing was wrong and walked out of Amya’s office.

  They had been on the edge of whatever that was for months. The turmoil made Grace’s stomach hurt, her chest tightened with pressure. Everything hung on whether or not Paige got the promotion permanently, but even then, Grace wondered if they could go back to the way they were. Paige had started some of this before then, before Humbard had been fired and she’d been given temporary leadership.

  Staring at the door to her unit, Grace let out a sigh. She couldn’t worry about it right now anyway. She had two cases on her plate, both needed her undivided attention. But she also knew, somewhere deep in the back of her heart, she couldn’t keep putting this off. She had to do something, anything, to makes amends for this past year.

  ###

  When Grace got to her desk, the weight of everything pressed down on her. Yes, Amya had to do some work on her issues, but Grace really needed to make a change or a decision or do something. They couldn’t keep living in the world of stagnation they’d found themselves in, no doubt mostly Grace’s fault, since she was so slow to make any big changes in her life anyway.

  Furrowing her brow, she stared at her computer. Leon might have been the same way. Everything she had learned about him so far was routine, routine, routine. He came in to work the same time every day, left and went home. Everything was in order at his desk, perfect, easy to find the next day. He didn’t have much of a life outside of work. Grace snorted. She and Leon definitely had more in common than she’d realized at first.

  She pulled up his financial records on her computer and stared at them, cocking her head from one side to the other as she scrolled through. What if he had a break? Amya had once told her that it was rare for her to break, but when she did, it was bad. What if Leon broke? What if he’d literally just stepped away from his life and went to do something else. Who would he tell? Because as far as she could figure, it’d be no one. He had no one. His sister, yes, but it didn’t seem like they were all that close.

  Grace got to the one part of his financials when they stopped. The cash withdrawal not huge that it would trigger the bank to be worried, but it was large enough for him to buy a gun and some bullets at a pawn shop, get some drugs if he wanted, hire a prostitute, buy a plane ticket. Scratching the back of her head, Grace reached into her bottom drawer and pulled out a small bag of dried apricots. It was a good thing she’d restocked her stash over the weekend, because she was going to need it.

  With the conversation with Amya playing in the back of her mind, Grace munched on her snack while wondering just what Leon Gross had done with all that cash. Felicia Erikson had been particularly short on cash. Seems her two missing had opposite problems, although Felicia wasn’t her missing.

  Rent was going to be a problem for Felicia to pay. Yet she had taken the time to purchase a private paternity test kit for Jonas. Felicia wasn’t working, yet she was the one making all the accommodations for Jonas to be a father. Curious, Grace pulled up Felicia’s financials again. There were small purchases here and there, but one stood out to her. A coffee shop over in Johnson County.

  Grace knew that place. She’d been there with Blake a few times when she’d been down for an investigation or to pick up a kid Blake had found who needed transport back to Grace’s county. What was odd about this purchase was it was the only one outside of their city. Felicia hadn’t done anything else in Johnson County, not even gas up her car, so she’d only been down there and back after the coffee.

  Felicia getting a coffee wasn’t abnormal—at least according to her financial records. They’d stopped when she had Andrew, but picked up again two weeks after he was born. Felicia really had no money to her name. Those medical bills were going to hit hard and fast without her having a job, but she wasn’t even going to have a place for her and Andrew to live before that happened. What would a young, unwed mother do in order to provide stability for her newborn child?

  In Grace’s opinion, she’d do just about anything, especially if she wanted to keep that child, yet Felicia hadn’t asked anyone for money so far as Grace could tell. They’d asked on and off during interviews, depending who they were talking to, and no one had mentioned Felicia having financial difficulties. Even her own mother had said Felicia had a nest egg, which she clearly did not.

  But that led Grace back to Johnson County, to the coffee shop. Who had she met with? Grace sent an email to Link, asking him to check it out while she focused on Leon. As much as she’d like to focus on Felicia, there were at least two detectives working that case, whereas Leon’s case relied solely on her.

  Flipping back to Leon’s financials, Grace stared at them as if by osmosis she would know where he’d spent the cash. Cursing under her breath, Grace popped another dried apricot between her lips. This was hopeless. How was she supposed to track cash spending without any hints as to where he had spent it?

  Sighing, Grace pulled the Internet on her computer and did a wild search. She looked for businesses in her county that accepted cash only. There were very few. Most were small startups or businesses that took cards but only cash when they were at some sort of event, which during the holiday season there were tons of. That had been pointless.

  She closed out the search and rubbed the bridge of her nose. She had to think like herself. Leon was used to routine and structure. He was slow to make decisions, but when he made them he went all in. Sure, it was a huge assumption on her part to make, but he seemed to fit the bill at least for now, and it was a running theory she was going to go with.

  With pen in hand, Grace took her notebook and scribbled on it. If she had to leave and give up her life, if she was at the point that she needed to make a huge change, what would she do? She wouldn’t get rid of the house because that was still a safety. Leon still had his apartment, his car even, though he’d left it at the apartment. He’d left everything there, like he intended to come back or he intended to never come back. The latter of which was the scarier scenario.

  Say he was coming back, he couldn’t get far on foot, although Grace was pretty sure he hadn’t done that. Unlike Grace, Leon didn’t take care of his physique. He wasn’t a runner or a jogger or a gym buff. In fact, nothing about him said he ever went to the gym or ate healthy, meaning he wasn’t going to go for a marathon run into the next county just for shits and giggles.

  He would have most likely left in another vehicle. Grace perked up at that. He didn’t have any friends to take him anywhere, so he would have gotten hold of someone he didn’t know, some kind of service. The number of companies that could have taken him were endless, but Leon was a man of routine and comfort, so that did help in one way.

  Once more scanning Leon’s financial records, Grace looked for one specific item. Some type of ride-share or taxi. Since the dawn of technology and smart phones really taking over, the amount of services had skyrocketed. Grace skimmed through each line item, hoping one stood out to her as a company she knew or heard of. If Leon had none in his personal records, then she’d call the firm and see who they used. Surely they used someone, right?

  “Fuck.”

  There, right in the middle of the previous month was a ride share, a glorified taxi company, and one Grace knew very well. Drawing in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and centered herself. She’d arrested the owner last spring and had assumed the business had gone completely under since it was pretty much there already.

  Rolling her neck, she popped it. Then she rolled her shoulders to get rid of some of the tension. Picking up her phone, Grace dialed the number and waited as it rang.

  “Taxi Services, where can we take you today?”

  The voice sounded vaguely familiar to her. The slight accent, the crisp words as if he was trying to hide an accent. Going for it, Grace spoke firmly. “This is Detective Grace Halling, I would like to speak with the owner.”

  “Detective Halling?” His voice wavered.

  In an instant, Grace knew who she was talking to. Joseph. Matteo’s dad, the kid who had been in ICU in a coma for years and no one knew who he was until Grace had gotten the case. This was a nightmare. “Uh…yes. Is this Joseph?”

  “It is.” He sounded like he was going to cry.

  Grace sighed. “How’s Matteo doing?”

  “We took him off life support a month ago.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that.” And she hadn’t heard about it, which was shocking. She should have. It was her former case, but she’d been so wrapped up in work and the Ping pong with work and family life that she hadn’t even gotten a chance to really watch the news and stay up-to-date on life in her city.

  “Yes, it was the right decision.” Joseph sniffled.

  Grace cursed inwardly. She hadn’t meant to bring up a slew of emotions for him, but there was no way even her mere presence wouldn’t do that. “Did you take over Angel’s company?”

  “Yes. We did. He’d run it into the ground. It’s taken some time, but we’re nearly in the black every month now.”

  “Good for you.” She was happy for him, even if it had necessitated this call. “I was actually calling about a case.”

  “Oh? Anything we can do to help you, Detective Grace. It’ll be our pleasure.”

  Grace smiled to herself. At least he was happy with her, though she was still sure talking to her was a mixed bag of emotions. “I’m calling to see if you drove a man named Leon Gross a few weeks ago, right before Thanksgiving.”

  “Let me check.”

  A keyboard clicking echoed through the line. Grace waited patiently as she was sure Joseph was looking up what she needed. He hummed through the line, and Grace waited with bated breath for another thirty seconds before Joseph finally answered.

  “We didn’t. But if the customer paid cash, we wouldn’t have his name, just a location.”

  “Oh, can you look up by address?”

  “Yes.”

  Grace rattled off his address and waited again. This was a hail mary if she had ever seen one, but humans were typically creatures of habit, and Leon was no different except that he excelled in his habits.

  “Here it is.”

  “You drove him?”

  “It seems we did. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving.”

  “Can you tell me where he was taken?”

  “No. There was no address given when he called it in. But I remember that one. My driver took him to Johnson County because I had to call in a second driver to replace him while he was gone. A large fee for a ride.”

  Grace’s heart thumped. This might just be the break she needed. “Can I talk to your driver?”

  “No.”

  “What?” Grace’s shoulders stiffened.

  “He went to Mexico for the week to visit his mother. He won’t be back until just before Christmas.”

  “Will you give me his name and contact information? I’ll need to talk to him as soon as he’s back.”

  “I can email that to you.”

  “Perfect.” Grace sighed. “Thank you, Joseph, this was very helpful.”

  “You’re welcome, Detective Grace. You brought us answers when we had none.”

  She smiled lightly, bidding her goodbyes and hanging up. She hoped she’d have to call him again, but either way, she was glad that Joseph was at least adjusting well to all the trauma she had brought to their family. With a light of hope on one case, Grace settled in to see if she could figure out just where Leon had asked to go in Johnson county, and it may just give her the break she needed in his case. She might even call Blake up and see if Blake wanted to join her on the adventure.

  Profiling Shame

  Grace woke up early. She had spent all of the previous day lost in financials, trying to figure out what Leon could have possibly wanted in Johnson County. There wasn’t much there as it was a much smaller county than hers, though some of the laws were more open and liberal. Perhaps he had knocked up some teen who needed an abortion. Snorting at the thought, she shook her head. That seemed very unlikely, but she wouldn’t put it past him. Anything was possible.

  Everyone in the house was still sleeping. She sipped at her coffee, the wooden dining room table cool under her fingers. Yesterday had been the longest day ever, and Amya hadn’t wanted to talk when she’d gotten home from work. Their argument had been on Grace’s mind all day and all night. She’d barely been able to sleep, although she hadn’t been locked out of the bedroom this time, which she was thankful for.

  The snick of the door in the hallway caught her attention. Kit sometimes woke up early, but when Grace turned to see who it was, she was glad to see Amya sneaking out of the bedroom instead of Kit. Maybe now they could finally talk. Amya stalked down to the bathroom then shuffled her way to the kitchen and dining room. She eyed Grace suspiciously as she moved slowly.

  Shit, I’m in trouble.

  Taking a long sip from her coffee, Grace set it in front of her as she waited for what fresh hell she was welcoming into her life with this conversation. They needed to have it, but that didn’t mean she wanted to. It was going to be tough, and no doubt it’d take them a few rounds to figure out how to listen to each other. They seemed to be out of practice doing that lately, not that Grace was ever very good at it, but Amya was.

  Amya made her own coffee, sitting across from Grace. She barely looked her in the eye. Grace waited patiently, something Amya should be proud of her for since normally she bulldozed her way right into the conversation, but Grace knew Amya had to lead this conversation.

  “About yesterday,” Amya started. “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what…exactly?” Grace’s shoulders stiffened, but she needed an answer. She needed to know just which part of yesterday Amya was sorry for.

  Amya sighed. “I’m sorry for arguing with you at work.”

  Grace wanted to cry. That had been the last thing she’d thought Amya would apologize for. Whatever was happening between them, it must be bad if Amya thought Grace was mostly upset because they’d argued at work. Grace was probably the one of the two most likely to start an argument there. Clenching her jaw, Grace closed her eyes. “Well, thank you for apologizing for that.”

  What Grace really wanted an apology for was the outlandish out of nowhere problem Amya had brought up. When Amya remained silent, Grace sighed. She only had thirty minutes before she had to be at the station. Amya’s shift started later than hers, although lately, Amya still finished first.

  When they sat in silence for ten minutes, Grace took a step to end the agony. “Are you working at the jail today?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then I guess I’ll see you tonight.”

  Amya didn’t answer as Grace pushed her way up from the table and walked to their bedroom. She was dressed and ready for work in record time. Amya had brought up a point in their argument the previous day that they needed to talk about, but if she wasn’t going to talk, then Grace couldn’t even begin to have those conversations and find resolutions.