Chapter 4 - The Wrong Turn
Mark didn't answer the voice. He lowered the phone and hit the lock button, slipping it straight into his inside pocket instead of the evidence bag.
"Who was it?" Sam asked.
"Wrong number," Mark lied.
It was a stupid lie. A terrible lie. Sam knew it, and Mark knew she knew it. But neither of them moved. They just stood there in the mud, two cops who had known each other for seven years, suddenly measuring the distance between their hands and their holsters.
A siren wailed in the distance, coming fast from the north side of town.
"Chief's on his way," Sam said softly, turning her back on him to look down the road. "You need to put that envelope back in the car, Mark."
"No."
"Mark, if the Chief sees that photo—"
"I said no, Sam."
Mark walked past her, heading toward their cruiser. He felt a sharp tug on his elbow. He spun around, shoving her hand off him harder than he intended. Sam stumbled back, her boot catching on the curb, and sat down hard in the gravel.
She didn't scream or curse. She just sat there in the rain, looking up at him with a mix of shock and pure rage.
May you like
Mark pulled open the cruiser door, got in, and slammed it. He turned the key, floored the accelerator, and left his partner standing alone in the dark as the red lights of the approaching police convoy crested the hill.
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