Fine Blue Steele (Daggers & Steele Book 4) by Alex P. Berg Page B

back your recruits, but to wait until we’d already returned the body to our own morgue? That’s a really low blow. Like right in the gonads.”
    Blue glanced at Steele with narrowed eyes.
    “The slain transient’s body was delivered to our precinct earlier today,” explained Steele. “It’s since gone missing.”
    Blue shifted his eyes back to me. “And you think I had my men take it?”
    I gave the elf a fake, toothless smile and flicked my hands in the air.
    “But why would we want the cadaver?” asked Agent Blue.
    “That’s what I argued,” said Steele.
    I shook my head. Apparently Agent Blue, like my partner, lacked the sort of overactive imagination that came from reading large amounts of speculative fiction. “I can think of several reasons. But, to give you the condensed version, I think there’s some clue about the manner of the man’s death you—or the army as a whole—doesn’t want leaking out.”
    Agent Blue snorted. “Detective Daggers, I assure you I didn’t instruct any of my men to take the victim from your morgue. And I can also assure you none of my men acted in such a capacity without my knowledge. That’s simply not how things are done in the army. And beyond that, I was fully honest in my stated desire to work together. You seem to think otherwise, but we’re allies in this investigation, and I’m fully capable of admitting your forensics team is probably better versed than mine. Frankly, I’d prefer your team examine the body.”
    “You see, Daggers?” said Steele. “This is exactly what I told him on our way here, Agent Blue.”
    “And I thank you for the vote of confidence, Detective Steele.” Elmorodil smiled, and his eyes twinkled.
    One of the demons inside me reared its ugly head again. I tried to slap it down, but it growled and threatened to bite me. “So… Let’s assume you’re telling the truth. If you didn’t take the body, then who did? And why?”
    The ACIC agent leaned back in his chair and stroked his smooth jaw. “Well, that’s an interesting question, isn’t it? As you said, it would have to be a party that didn’t want some piece of evidence to be uncovered. But who? Even though they’re persons of interest, Sergeant Holmes and Privates Chavez and Delvesdeep have been on base since the incident this morning.”
    I drummed my fingers on my chair’s armrest. “Perhaps this is a question we could pose to that trio directly.”
    Blue snorted, but his face softened. “I did say I’d be willing to let you talk to my men and women assuming you had valid reasons. Well, I admit this qualifies. And you have my attention as well. I’m assuming you’re both currently available?”
    Steele and I nodded.
    “Good,” said Blue. “We can start with Sergeant Holmes. To the best of my knowledge, he’s in the infirmary having his wounds attended to. Follow me.”
     

15
    We dogged Blue’s footsteps as he stepped outside, skirted the perimeter of the perfectly manicured lawn, and headed north at a cross street. Though part of me wanted to badger the ACIC agent into releasing more useful tidbits of information regarding our case, that desire was tempered by the fact that I’d have to talk to the smug-faced elf to do so. Luckily, my years in the force prior to Steele’s arrival—years spent alongside my stone-faced fossil of an ex-partner, Griggs—had helped me develop my non-verbal communication skills. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and glared at the back of Blue’s skull in what I imagined to be an intimidating and disapproving manner.
    We soon arrived at a three-story rectangular box that displayed all the best architectural design elements of military construction—namely four walls and a roof—but despite its uninspired construction, the thing stuck out among its counterparts like a sore thumb. The structure blazed a brilliant white, like a daisy in a field of grass, albeit grass with a decidedly unhealthy olive hue. I rubbed my thumb against