the meth lab was probably sleeping with the fishes. If a meth lab could sleep. Would the fish be high? She firmly reined in her thoughts. This was not the moment to lose the plot.
âIn a rare turn of events, we arenât here to talk about legalities.â Or lack thereof. She gave an amused shake. âFeels really odd.â
âIndeed.â His other brow rose to the same height as the first. He crossed to a chair that faced her, flicking a brief curious glance at the still-standing Joe. He didnât seem too worried about power positions, though, since he sank into it, stretched his legs out and crossed his ankles, his hands once more finding their way into his pockets. Was that where he kept the buttons that would drop them into the river?
âAnd what does bring youâso happilyâinto my presence?â
âWeâve just come from the FEMA MEC.â
âReally?â He looked mildly interested. âI hope you didnât eat anything there. Iâve heard stories.â He gave an artistic shudder. âOne can only hope they are wild rumors.â
Vi grinned. âWe have the same food at HQ. Sadly, not rumors.â
âI have never doubted your courage, Detective.â
Vi had, but she didnât say so. She tried to think of something to continue the nonrelevant conversation, but couldnât. Luckily Joe picked up the slack, though chatting wasnât his forte either, so he just went with the plan.
âSome surface dwellers, what you call dirt siders, were evacuated there after the storm and one of them died last night. There are concerns about possible contamination risks for anyone who came into contact with him.â
Afoniki was a cool customer. His face didnât change. He didnât even blink. He didnât ask either, but then heâd probably learned how not to blink or ask back in kindergarten.
âIndeed? How unfortunate.â He didnât say it wasnât his problem, but she felt it quivering in the air between them.
âIt seemed a bit far-fetched,â she said, adopting her I-didnât-want-to-but-have-to mien, âbut someone said you were there yesterday evening?â
âIndeed?â
He didnât say he hadnât been there, so she added, âWe are required to warn anyone who had contact with the vic. Regs.â Since no one had read all the regs, it was easy to trot them out as an excuse for just about anything. Had it been long enough yet? Vi wanted to look at her tech, needed to know the time, but didnât dare look away from the bad guy. And whatever might be lurking inside him. A pulse throbbed painfully behind one eye, possibly keeping time with Joeâs countdown.
âRegs,â he echoed, his tone was smooth but just a hint of a crease formed between his brows.
âWe can scan you for contaminants or you can see your own doctor, but I wouldnât wait too long. Our vic went down pretty fast.â
âIsnât it fortunate that I was nowhere near the MEC?â
She thought about asking him if he was sure, but itâs not like it was something youâd be unsure about.
âWell, they say everyone has a double.â
He did not seem enamored of the idea of a double. Which made her wonder if he really did have one. And if he did, what heâd do about it. She could see where one might come in handy for a bad guy, as long as it didnât get around he had one. Which it just may have. She pretended to check her tech. âSo, just to be clear, you donât know a dirt sider, name of Jimbo?â
This question verged into interrogation range, because sheâd bet money he did know Jimbo and would bet even more money heâd never admit it. On the tail of the question, tension seeped in, stealing some of the brightness from the room. She really wished sheâd asked Joe what to expect whenâ¦whatever was going to happen