She had to think about it for a moment. While she knew she wasn’t angry exactly, there was indeed a feeling she could not quite identify. “I think maybe I’m disappointed. A few weeks ago, you seemed on board with helping me with Clarence’s case. It seems that you’ve sort of backtracked on that a bit. Almost like you want a way out.”
“It’s not that at all, Ava. I think I just—”
She shook her head, not in a dismissive way but in a polite gesture. She placed her hand on his arm and offered a small smile. “We can talk about it later. Right now, I’d like to get to the Candle’s Wick before the court of public opinion already decides this case is closed.”
“You don’t want to speak with Epps first?”
“Honestly, no. Shouldn’t we get the story from everyone else but the suspect? I mean, if he’s already in a cell, he’s not going anywhere, right?”
“So you want to go back and interview the rest of the band, I take it? People who have already been interviewed by other cops?”
“I do. Come on, Frank. You read the same lazy reports I read. There’s nothing there.”
He chuckled at her and said, “Yeah, I’ll give you that. It was one of the briefest reports I ever saw.” He then looked to the floor for a moment. She understood the polarizing nature of their relationship and tried to remind herself how hard it must constantly be for him. Frank was a no-nonsense kind of fella—a man’s man that a lot of the other dicks in the station looked up to. So for him to be playing catch-up on the emotional status of their relationship had to be hard. Hell, to be on the second tier of anything was certainly hard for a man like Frank.
“I assume you know the way to the Candle’s Wick?” he asked, again stepping to the side to let her take the lead on yet another aspect of their relationship.
“I do.” And then, because she felt it was appropriate and he at the very least deserved it for making sure she got this case, she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss—just a little peck on the lips. “Come on, Detective Wimbly.”
Together, they left the office of the Women’s Bureau and headed out into the city where another case was waiting for them among the quiet chaos of a creeping financial ruin that seemed to quietly haunt every block.