This novella contains mature language.
Jamie leaned against the break room counter as she stared intently at the faucet dripping water into the sink. Maybe if she stared hard enough it would stop. Nothing else in her life was ceasing its scornful plodding. Everything was only speeding up and it was goddamned irritating. Jamie was peeved beyond comparison.
The perp they were after wasn't ending in his one man crusade to scare the lesbian community. Her father's unanswered calls weren't ceasing no matter how hard Jamie tried to ignore them. Lastly, even Jamie's damn mind wouldn't stop straying to Yua every chance it got. The latter was something she found occurring more often than the first two combined, which wasn't good for her current case.
She and Yua had eaten dinner together the last two nights, which was something she was sure would continue to persist with how giddy she appeared when she brought some Chinese home last night. She smiled at the memory of the doctor's blush when she offered her some fresh, definitely not sour or poisoned milk. Regardless of if she liked it or not, if Yua offered her milk, Jamie would take it. Whatever she offered.
She felt like a teenager in her prime years of puberty with each encounter she and Yua shared. No matter how much Jamie's logical mind told her it was a bad idea to revel in the joy she felt in being around her, she couldn't help it. The day was nearly over and she would be heading home soon. Maybe she could stop at that deli Yua liked and surprise her with a--
"Earth to Schmidt. Come in, Schmidt."
"The fuck?" Jamie asked as she was snapped back to reality. "Huh?"
Kevin shot her a dirty, shit-eating grin. "Where were you just now? Seems like a place I'd like to visit. Too many lonely nights."
"Uh-huh. You want a day pass, or just to bitch about it?" Jamie jabbed back as she refilled her coffee mug.
"Well, shit. Can I get a couple day passes since you're offering?" Her partner took the carafe from her and filled his mug as well.
"Nope. One single pass is all I can offer." Jamie cocked an eyebrow as she peered over the rim of her mug at him. "On second thought, you're on your own. I'm not gonna be the valet to your creepy sex-capades."
"So, you are gettin' laid." He took a sip from his coffee, then frowned. "Dammit. Beth made the coffee again. I wouldn't drink that if I were you."
"No, I'm not getting laid and thanks." Jamie poured her coffee out and sighed. She just wanted one good cup of brew, but Beth really loved to ruin everyone's last cup of the day by making that shitty ass decaf powdered junk. It shouldn't have ever existed. What was the point in coffee without caffeine and how did they know for certain it even was real coffee with that weird color it held? She exchanged a knowing look with Kevin and they made their way back to their desks. "So, no luck with Kimberly?"
"Not at all, partner." Kevin sat on the edge of her desk and watched as she began to gather her things. "She's still out cold. That shit brick really did a number on her and there's not even a guarantee she'll ever remember what he did or looked like."
"Indeed. Okay." She placed her things down and her hands on her hips. "We'll revisit the crime scenes and canvas the people in the areas one more time tomorrow, then the day after we can go to the other victims' homes. What exactly did the doctors say about Kimberly's condition?"
"They said she may not even wake up. The swelling in her brain went down and they moved her out of the ICU unit, but she just won't wake." Kevin stood and looked around. "Medically speaking, they don't know why she hasn't woken up yet. It's a waiting game now and more time could mean her brain just needs time to catch up, but there's also the chance, like said, that she may not recall enough to help us."

YOU ARE READING
Arcane Sequence: 1987 (WLW)
Mystery / ThrillerPsychologist Yua Watanabe has never been the most open person but when her best friend gave up on life in Japan, Yua felt like a piece of her did as well. She packed her things as soon as she finished preliminary schooling and moved to the states wh...