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all right,” she said loudly as the door closed. “Bitch,” she murmured through clenched teeth.
    She looked at herself in the floor-length mirror, then raised her leg, executing the best sidekick she’d ever done.
    Tori jumped at the sound of breaking glass. Even Donaldson and Adams stood up. She kept walking, ignoring Lieutenant Malone as he came out of his office.
    “What the hell was that?”
    Tori shrugged. “Apparently, she’s got a temper.”
    They all stared as Samantha walked out of the ladies’ room and brushed past Tori. She sat down and picked up the file on their Jane Doe. Then she looked up, seeing all eyes on her.
    “What?”
    They all shrugged and went back to their desks. Tori looked at Malone with raised eyebrows, and he shrugged, too.

Chapter Seven
    “She’s impossible, Amy,” Samantha explained. She looked up as the waiter brought their drinks. “Thanks.” Then she turned back to Amy. “Antagonistic, rude. I think she practices being a bitch, and she enjoys it.”
    “So you really broke the mirror?”
    “God, I was so embarrassed. I don’t know what came over me. Well, I do know. She just… drives me crazy! If I didn’t think she’d hurt me, I’d have tackled her and beat the shit out of her.”
    Amy laughed. “I’ve never seen you this upset before. Why are you letting her get to you?”
    “Because we have to work together. I’ve always been able to be friends with my partners. Maybe not always close friends. And it’s not like we hung out after work or anything. We would always go home to our separate lives. But we talked. We shared things. Just normal conversation, you know. With her, it’s all work and even then, it’s like pulling teeth to get anything out of her.”
    “Why don’t you go to her Lieutenant?”
    “I’m not going to run and tattle and complain that she’s not playing nice. Besides, he knows how she is. Everyone knows how she is.”
    “You’ve been there a week. How are you going to make a month or even a year?”
    “I can’t. Not like this. I keep thinking, if I try to be nice to her, she’ll come around. God, she calls me Sam. Can you believe that?”
    “And you let her?”
    “I’ve asked her not to. She ignores me.”
    “Well, I don’t envy you. What does Robert say about it?”
    “I’ve not really told him. He just thinks it’s the stress of a new job. We’ve seen each other only once this week.”
    Amy raised her eyebrows. “Everything okay?”
    “Yes, fine. I’m just tired when I get home. We’re going to spend the weekend together.”
    “Samantha, don’t let this new position screw up your relationship with Robert.”
    “I’m not, Amy. Don’t worry.”
    And truthfully, she wondered if subconsciously, she was thankful for her new position. She’d enjoyed being away from Robert this week.
    Tori drove down the dark streets, her wipers keeping pace with the steady drizzle that had been falling all day. The Saturday night crowd was thin, no doubt the weather dampening many plans. She saw two girls huddled together on a corner and she pulled over, lowering her window as they approached.
    “Evening, ladies,” she said. She flashed her badge and they rolled their eyes.
    “We ain’t doing nothing wrong,” one said. “Just standing here visiting.”
    “I’m not looking to bust you.” She held up the two pictures of Lorraine and Crystal. “Know them?”
    They looked at each other, then back at her.
    “Know they’re dead,” the blonde said.
    “Know who they work for?”
    “No,” they said quickly.
    “Ramon Blackmon?”
    “Never heard of him.”
    Tori smiled. “Oh, come on. This is his area. I want to talk to him.”
    “Hey, man, he didn’t do this.”
    “I don’t think he did. I’m looking for johns,” she said.
    “You know how it works, officer. We don’t take names. Not like they give a real one, anyway.”
    Tori nodded. They were scared, she could tell that. But they weren’t talking. She pulled out her