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down the volume.
    “Detective Raymond? Chief ‘Chicago’s in safe hands’ Consiglio just held a press conference announcing it,” Stella said.
    “No comment,” Jay said again through gritted teeth.
    Stella was undeterred. “Look, off the record, okay? Just for my own personal information? I’ve helped you both out over the years—”
    “You know we can’t comment, on or off the record,” Berg replied.
    “Come on guys!”
    “Hanging up now, Stella. Sorry.” Jay ended the call. Moments later, his desk phone rang. Sighing, Jay took it off the hook. “Pity we can’t comment anymore. I’ve got a few choice comments I’d like to make.”  
    “Hmm.” Berg went back to her work.
    “You going to talk to me at some stage, Berg? It’s going to be pretty hard to continue to be crime-fighting partners and all with me trying to decipher your monosyllables or imperceptible head movements. I’m a good detective, but frankly, the girl stuff is beyond me.”
    “I’m fine.”  
    Jay raised an eyebrow and snorted. “ ‘I’m fine ,’ ” he mimicked. “The universal girl saying for ‘I’m totally not fine.’ Whatever, Berg. Anyway, the PR hound strikes again. He’ll say anything just to get some good publicity. I can’t believe he held a press conference already. And on what planet does DNA evidence linking the suspect to one missing woman and the rape of a hooker constitute case closed for four other women?”
    Berg took a sip of her coffee.
    “Okay, so the guy raped and beat the hooker, but one hair on him does not make for adequate forensics to say he killed Melissa Shipper. And who can say she and the other four missing woman are even dead? Maybe they don’t want to be found. Maybe a guy who knows what happened to Melissa killed this guy. Maybe he knew about it and was going to report the crime in a belated act of conscience. There are just too many unanswered questions!” Jay knocked down a pile of papers.
    “Agreed,” Berg said. “And maybe if you’d said any of that to the captain this morning instead of standing there like a ball-less mute, she might have been able to get Consiglio to hold off!”  
    Jay went red in the face and took a deep breath as he picked up the papers and plopped them back on his desk. “Jesus Christ, Berg, gimme a break. I could’ve said all that and more to Leigh, but it wouldn’t have made one tiny bit of difference and you fucking know it. Consiglio runs the precinct, not Leigh!”  
    He turned around to ensure Leigh couldn’t hear him, and was relieved when he saw her engrossed in a phone call. “Okay, so I should have stuck by you this morning and backed you up. I’m sorry,” Jay muttered. “But if doing the job I love means lying down and taking it from my superiors sometimes, well, I’m going to spread my legs and go to my happy place!”  
    Berg looked away.  
    “Fuck you, Berg. Do you think maybe you could just get over it? You’ve been acting like a whiny two-year-old kid all day. You can’t shut me out every time I do something wrong. I’m a person and people fuck up. It won’t be the last time. We are supposed to be partners, but how can we be when you won’t let me in? If you keep on pushing people away like you do, not only will no one want to work with you, me included, but you’ll be an even lonelier, more bitter woman, if that’s even fucking possible!”  
    Berg stared at him, shocked.
    Jay pounded his desk before standing. “I’ve got news for you. I may not be perfect, but neither are you. No one can live up to the standards you set.”  
    Turning his back, he stalked out of the room, leaving Berg sitting in her seat looking after him.

PART TWO

    “Explanation?” the cold voice said to the figure cringing on the ground like a beaten dog.
    The response was a terrified, indiscernible whimper.
    “What did we discuss?”
    The answer was muffled, afraid. “Nothing left behind . . .”
    “After all I’ve done for you.