“Ha, ha. You’re hilarious,” Teruo deadpanned. “Who told you all this?”
“The superintendent. Well, not the part with the crying and the begging. I added that for my entertainment.” Her red lips curled in a wicked grin.
Typical Megumi.
Teruo threw himself back on the chair with a grunt and massaged his temples. Ishida was what? The fourth one this year to request a transfer? It was November. Perhaps by the end of the year he’d set a record. Rookies. Couldn’t count on them to do the damn job.
Megumi circled Teruo’s desk, pushed aside some pieces of paper, and sat on it, crossing her legs at the ankles. Only then he noticed a file in her hand. He eyed it suspiciously, but Megumi kept it face down on her knee.
“Teruo,” she said, her face turning serious, “you need to take it down a notch. Your harsh criticism and constant nit-picking can wear people down.”
“I get constantly criticized too, yet I don’t mind.”
She raised a brow. “Don’t you?”
He folded his arms avoiding her stare.
“The superintendent was furious,” Megumi said. “He wanted to demote you.” Teruo’s eyes widened, but he didn’t speak. She continued, “It took a bit of convincing, but I got him to change his mind. Put in a good word for you.”
“Thanks,” Teruo muttered, shifting in his chair. He was bad with words, but Megumi knew that. Deep inside, he was grateful she had remained his friend despite his shortcomings and took his side even when it was his fault.
She smiled, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “No problem. He still wants to see you, though. Try not to make a mess of my work, yeah?”
Staring out the window, Teruo nodded and grabbed another cigarette. They always had each other’s back, but there was a limit to how many times she could intervene and save his sorry ass.
He offered her a smoke, but she refused. “Can’t. Trying to quit.”
Teruo hummed. “Haven’t you tried that before?”
“I’m trying harder this time.”
“Mind if I smoke?”
“Not at all.” She placed the file on the desk, still face down. “What are you doing Saturday night? An acquaintance asked whether you’re interested to go on a date with him. He’s a friend’s brother. Great guy. What do you say? It might help loosen all this stress with the double homicide case and Ishida bailing on you.”
“Attempting to hook me up?” Teruo chuckled and shook his head. “Not interested. I’m done with relationships.”
Megumi ran a hand through her long hair, sighing. “It’s not healthy to dwell on the past for the rest of your life. I know how much you liked having someone to go home to.”
“I’m fine. I have my cats.”
Teruo wasn’t fine, but he wasn’t interested in this game of dating anymore either. Megumi always tried to help him. She wasn’t insistent and had good intentions, but Teruo knew that going on dates wouldn’t loosen the stress, only enhance it. After the way his last relationship ended he’d decided to focus on his job. Since he got promoted to chief inspector three years back, it became more and more difficult to find free time for a lasting relationship. He was lonely, but he loved his job—minus the press conferences and rookies.
Megumi snorted. “Your cats are adorable, but they aren’t humans, Teruo.”
“No. They’re better.”
She muttered something incomprehensible before pushing the file toward Teruo. “Luck is on your side. An officer just transferred here all the way from Chugoku Shikoku Regional Police.”
“Wow, Hiroshima?”
“Yeah. Apparently, the superintendent has assigned him to you, though I could tell from all the grunts and swearing he wasn’t happy about it.” Her lilac-colored nail landed on the name. “Miyazaki Shinji: smart, enthusiastic and with a perfect track record. Quite a catch.” Megumi winked.
“Right.”Enthusiasticdidn’t sit well with Teruo. There was no place for enthusiasm in homicide. Cold, calculated and detail-oriented was what he needed from a partner. But it was clear the superintendent wouldn’t negotiate, so Teruo picked up the file and read through the information.
The officer was twenty-nine—four years younger than Teruo. Assisted on quite a few homicide cases during his time with the Chugoku Shikoku Regional Police. He had letters of recommendation from Sakai Haruna—the inspector he’d worked with in Hiroshima—the superintendent of the Regional Police and some other coworkers. Teruo skimmed through them, catching a few words of praise here and there, describing what a brilliant officer Miyazaki was. Teruo wondered if anyone would describe him as brilliant. Possibly the shop assistant from the convenience store where he bought cigarettes every morning. That lady looked over the moon whenever Teruo entered to get his daily fill of Mevius.
“Not a rookie.” Teruo nodded, satisfied.