Past Will Haunt by Morgan Kelley

thing Chris wanted to deal with.
    “Get back to work.”
    Chris did as he was told.
    Elizabeth pulled off her gloves and tossed them before she grabbed the man’s coffee. She saw he was coated in goo, so she held it for him.
    “Thanks, Elizabeth. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
    She smiled. “I’ll check in with you later, okay? If you find anything, call my cell,” she offered. “Do you still have my number?”
    He nodded, his heart thumping in his chest. Of course he had her number. Over the last few weeks he’d stared at it in his phone as he built up the nerve to call her after hours.
    Gabe rolled his eyes. Then he turned his head to see Livy checking out his ass.
    His face flushed.
    Elizabeth snorted, but thankfully kept her mouth shut. If she said one word, he was going to lose it. Gabe could feel it coming.
    Now he needed to focus.
    “What are you two going to do now?” Gabe asked, hoping he could divert Livy’s attention. She’d been around Elizabeth too long.
    Who knew what she’d say?
    “Well, we’re heading out to the victim’s house. We’re going to canvas, talk to the neighbors, and check out the woman’s personal space. By now, the team should be done, and we’ll be cleared to dig around.”
    Gabe was nervous. The idea that the ‘Irish Butcher’ might be watching the crime scene worried him. If he didn't have eighteen other agents to focus on, he would have been going with them.
    “Okay, keep in contact, and let me know what else you find,” he offered. “I want you to call me every hour to check in.”
    Livy stared at him. “Are you being serious?” she asked, wondering what the hell was going on. That was new.
    Gabe didn't babysit that much.
    “Yes. It’s an order. Don’t break it or…”
    “You’ll spank us?” Elizabeth teased.
    Chris stared openmouthed.
    Gabe pointed at her. “One day, Elizabeth, you’re going to go too far.”
    She snorted.
    “We’ll check in later, boss man. Keep your britches on and stop stressing,” Elizabeth said, as they headed out.
    Then she had an idea.
    It was a stroke of genius.
    “Hey, Gabe!” Elizabeth called over her shoulder.
    “What?”
    “Are you free to do dinner tonight? We can discuss what we found and get you on the same page. I know you love a meeting that involves whiskey.”
    “Elizabeth!”
    She laughed. “Are you in or not?”
    Yeah, he was good with that. “Send me the location. I have a meeting at five with the director, but then I’m free after that. I can meet you there.”
    “It’s a date.”
    Chris watched it all go down. How come he couldn’t get the nerve up to do what Elizabeth just did? It all looked so simple. You saw a person you liked, and then you asked them out.
    He was a chicken.
    Then Chris stared at Gabe, jealously.
    He had to wonder if there was something between them. People talked about how she was his pet agent.
    Still…he never noticed there was anything inappropriate going on between them.
    “See you then, boss,” she said as the morgue door swung shut behind them. It was hard not to be overcome with laughter.
    “What’s so funny?” Livy asked.
    “I’m just picturing his face tonight when he shows up at the place I pick.”
    She didn't get it.
    “Uh, why will you have to picture it? You’re going to be there having dinner. You’ll be able to see it first hand, won’t you?” Livy asked.
    She smiled. “No, I won’t be. That’s the beauty of this plan.”
    Livy glanced over. “What? I think you lost me somewhere. What are you talking about?”
    “Well, I’m going to be busy chasing leads.”
    “Yeah, I will be too.”
    “Wrong.”
    “What?”
    Elizabeth was going to do something she never did before. She was going to play Cupid. “Actually, you’re going to put on something sexy and update our boss at a nice restaurant. He likes steak, and he likes whiskey. They’re his two favorite things in the world.”
    Yeah, next to Livy, but she was going to have to