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one of the chairs in front of my desk, let out a long breath, and rubbed his forehead.
    “I need about ten shots of whiskey.”
    I smiled. There were many days when Coop and I ran to the nearest watering hole after work.
    “Any word?” Not that I expected a yes, but I like to hope.
    “Nope. What a sick freak! Man, if I catch this guy, I hope I don’t end up snapping his neck.”
    “So now what?”
    “I don’t know. I need some time to think.”
    At that moment, I knew he was about to change topics by the wide smile that emerged on his face.
    “Hey, off the subject, have you seen Eric’s new cub?”
    Coop was referring to the rookie Eric was training. I knew the officer was a female, but I hadn’t given it much thought. At least until now, when I saw the smirk on Coop’s expressive face. Bill Sinclair, another detective, was on his way into my office when he heard Coop’s question.
    “Whoooee! I sure have! Man, oh man, they didn’t have rookies like that when I was in uniform. She is smokin’ hot!”
    “Is that right?” I felt my face turn red, and I started to shuffle papers on my desk.
    Coop chimed in. “I don’t know about her face, but she’s got a hell of a rack on her and an ass that would stop a space shuttle. What’s her name anyway?”
    “Jordan Miller,” Bill answered. “I think she’s around twenty-five—just a pup.”
    “She may have a nice rack now,” I said, unable to maintain my silence, “but I’m sure when she’s my age, they’ll be hanging to her knees.” I said this, as if being in my early thirties put me in my golden years.
    “What’s this?” Coop’s brow arched. “The famous CeeCee Gallagher getting jealous over a little rookie? That’s not like you.” He tried to keep a straight face.
    “I’m hardly jealous,” I lied. I’d be damned if I let them see me getting in an uproar over someone I don’t even know. Pride is one of my strong suits. “Anyway, let’s get back to business. You got anything for me, Bill?”
    Bill, like everyone else so far, had nothing. Kincaid joined us for a while since she did have some positive news, so we were able to plan our next course of action. A stolen brown van had been located in the southern part of the county. It appeared to be our suspect’s van, according to the uniforms that found it.
    “The uniforms contacted the van’s owner and talked to him briefly, but they said he didn’t raise any red flags. He seemed legitimate,” Naomi related.
    “I’ll still have to talk to him, which is fine. I need something to do right now anyway,” I said.
    “Dr. Parker is still raising hell over the murder, placing the blame on our incompetence. He’s already called the FBI, and now they’ve called me twice to offer their valuable assistance.” She sighed.
    “This isn’t their jurisdiction,” I snapped. “This is local. I hope you didn’t ask them to come down here.”
    “Relax, CeeCee,” Kincaid answered. “I haven’t decided yet, but if Dr. Parker keeps this up, the sheriff may be forced to bring them in. Remember, this is about finding a child’s killer. Not feeding our egos.”
    “Thanks for the ethics lesson.”
    Kincaid started shaking her head and walked out, followed by Bill. She could still incense me like no one else—a talent I’m sure she was proud of since she knew how I felt about her.
    “Nothing will ever change between you two,” Coop said, putting his hands behind his head and stretching in his chair.
    “It will if she wakes up one morning no longer a twit, which is highly unlikely.”
    Naomi Kincaid was a beautiful woman by most standards, but had the brain and common sense of an empty beer can. After Coop left, Captain Norris called. An aunt who frequently babysat Hanna Parker said she didn’t have a My Size doll. She knew that specifically because every time Hanna watched a commercial for the dolls on television, she always commented on how she thought they were “scary looking.” I took