The Rip
he whispered to nobody, and ghosted the bag into a pocket, tugging the jacket back into its original lazy sprawl.
Stacey walked toward Pal and Gabe, evidence bag lifted.
“Excuse me, Gabe?”
He turned, and for a second saw the little kid who used to kick a soccer ball against the wall of her dad’s mechanical shop. He caught up. “Hi, Stace. How’s the family?”
“Good,” she said, warmth slipping around professionalism. “Dad says hi.”
Gabe’s smile coughed and died. Her father’s face moved through his mind—one of the good ones, one of the funerals. Stacey clocked the flicker and softened the rest.
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