desertion

155

LYDIA

The precinct buzzed with energy as Mason and I sat at our shared desk, flipping through files on the Daniel Carter case. The evidence we'd uncovered from his apartment was spread out in front of us: photos, witness statements, and that damn book with the hidden safe that had started all the trouble.

"You think this guy just collected secrets like trading cards?" Mason asked, his voice low as he squinted at a page of notes.

I smirked, leaning over to tap the edge of the book. "If he did, he wasn't very good at hiding them. I mean, a safe behind a hollowed-out book? Cliché much?"

Mason snorted, glancing at me. "You're just mad you got caught."

"Caught?" I scoffed, pretending to be offended. "I didn't get caught. I-"

"You got caught," Mason interrupted, a grin tugging at his lips.

Before I could come up with a witty comeback, a shadow loomed over us.

"Lydia. Mason," Officer Darden's gruff voice snapped us both to attention.

I straightened in my chair, plastering on an innocent smile. "Yes, Officer Darden?"

He crossed his arms, his stern gaze bouncing between us. "What exactly are you two doing?"

"Working on the case," Mason replied smoothly, gesturing to the scattered files.

Darden raised an eyebrow. "And why does it look like a tornado blew through your workspace?"

Mason and I exchanged a glance, trying to suppress our laughter.

"We're... brainstorming," I said, biting back a grin.

Darden sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Diaz, I'm going to remind you-again-to keep things professional. And no more unauthorized field trips."

"I hear you," I replied, holding up my hands in mock surrender.

"Do you?" he asked, his tone dry.

Mason coughed, poorly disguising his laugh.

Darden's eyes narrowed, but there was a flicker of something in his expression-exasperation, yes, but also something softer. "Just stay out of trouble," he muttered before walking away, his boots thudding heavily against the floor.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Mason leaned closer. "You think he secretly likes us?"

I grinned, whispering, "Oh, absolutely. He just doesn't know how to show it."

We both broke into quiet laughter, trying not to draw attention.

Once the humor settled, I turned my focus back to the case. "Okay, so we've got this timeline," I said, tapping a printout of Carter's movements before his disappearance. "The guy was seen at three different locations the day before he went missing. What's weird is that two of them were completely out of his normal routine."

"Yeah, and look at this," Mason added, sliding over a photo of a piece of mail we'd found in the safe. "This letter-it's from someone named M. Whitaker. It's postmarked three days before he disappeared, and it's asking him to meet up. No return address."

I frowned, studying the letter. The handwriting was neat, almost overly precise, like the writer was trying too hard to be careful. "You think Whitaker's involved?"

"Could be," Mason said, shrugging. "Or it could just be a coincidence."

"Nothing about this case screams coincidence," I muttered, flipping through more pages.

For the next hour, we worked in relative silence, the occasional comment or observation breaking the quiet. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, but there were still too many gaps, too many unanswered questions.

At some point, Darden returned, hovering near our desk like a hawk. His presence was impossible to ignore, and every time Mason or I so much as shifted, his eyes followed.

"You know," Mason said under his breath, "I think he's trying to make sure you don't run off again."

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. "Probably. I'm surprised he hasn't handcuffed me to the desk yet."

"Don't give him ideas," Mason replied, his tone teasing.

Darden cleared his throat loudly, and we both straightened, pretending to be engrossed in the files.

"Lydia," he said, his voice heavy with warning.

"Yes, sir?" I asked sweetly, not bothering to look up.

"You and Mason have two hours to get me something concrete. If you don't, I'm pulling you off this case."

That got my attention. I looked up sharply, meeting his gaze. "You can't do that!"

"I can," Darden said firmly. "And I will if you two keep spinning your wheels."

I opened my mouth to argue, but Mason's hand on my arm stopped me.

"We'll get you something," Mason said calmly, his tone steady.

Darden stared at us for a moment longer before nodding. "Two hours."

As he walked away, I exhaled loudly, slumping back in my chair. "He's impossible."

"He's not wrong," Mason said, glancing at me. "We've been going in circles. We need something solid."

I nodded, scanning the files again. My eyes landed on a photograph of the book with the safe inside, and an idea struck me. "What if we're missing something in the safe?"

Mason frowned. "We emptied it."

"Yeah, but what if there's something hidden? A false bottom or a hidden compartment?"

Mason's eyes lit up. "It's worth a shot."

We grabbed the evidence bag containing the book and headed to the lab. The techs were busy, but they let us use their tools to examine the safe more closely.

After several minutes of careful inspection, Mason found it-a small latch at the bottom of the safe.

"Bingo," he said, prying it open.

Inside was a folded piece of paper, yellowed with age. I carefully unfolded it, revealing what looked like a handwritten map.

"What the hell is this?" Mason muttered, leaning over my shoulder.

"I don't know," I said, studying the markings. "But it looks like a location. We need to figure out where this leads."

We spent the next hour cross-referencing the map with city records and old property deeds. Finally, we pinpointed the location-a storage unit on the outskirts of town.

As we packed up to leave, Darden appeared, his arms crossed.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To follow a lead," I said, holding up the map.

He stared at us for a long moment before nodding. "Fine. But I'm coming with you."

Mason and I exchanged a glance, both of us barely suppressing a groan.

"This is going to be fun," Mason muttered as we headed out.

I couldn't help but laugh. Darden might have been a pain, but for the first time, I felt like we were finally getting somewhere.