Steele Resolve (The Detective Jasmine Steele Series Book 1) by Kimberly Amato Page B

make-up?”
    “That is so different,” offended Hadley stammers back a bit.
    I watch the two banter back and forth, but my eyes fall on Frankie who is laughing loudly. It’s a sound I haven’t heard in a long time, innocent laughter. She’s lost some of that over the years. Her face shows stress and life have aged her, but right now she looks as young as ever and happy.
    “Come on, eating with fake dead people in costume is not the same as eating with a really dead person.”
    “You’re right, because the real dead don’t reek of bad corn syrup and sweat under the prosthetics. Not to mention they don’t talk back or have bad breath!”
    “They just smell like those bad chemicals that you use on them.” At this point Hadley’s in full defense of her acting ability mode. That usually consists of waving arms, sometimes crossed, hand sometimes on hip – and lots of high pitched speeches.
    “What the hell are you talking about?” Victor throws back at her, he really has no idea what Hadley’s talking about.
    “You know that stuff that turns our insides into mush. Then you suck it out our nose! That’s not what I want to see while I’m eating my sushi!”
    “Are you talking about embalming?”
    “Your ears are still red you know,” Frankie whispers next to me.
    I try to avoid her eyes simply because I have nothing truthful to say.
    “It’s from the shower,” so I lie.
    “That line might work with any number of people in this room. It doesn’t work on me and you know it.”
    Victor leans forward almost pleading with Hadley to understand what he’s saying.
    “I do not embalm people. I do autopsies and declare the cause of death.”
    “I know that, but you cut inside us, take out or organs and then sew us back up.”
    “Exactly!” Victor leans back victorious.
    “Then you liquefy humans.” He smacks his hand against his forehead. At this point I’m not sure if she’s pushing his buttons or being serious.
    “You’re ignoring me.” Frankie whispers again trying to hold my attention.
    “Frankie, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I calmly reply obviously ignoring her.
    “I’ve got years of experience with those ears. Trust me.” It’s that instance that I feel her hand brushing the hair away from my ear and my eyes dart immediately to hers. It’s a simple gesture, one she’s done millions of times before, but this time I am taken off guard. I only smile at her and concede defeat in my argument. She looks at me as if wanting to say something more meaningful but utters,
    “I’ll get you some fresh coffee.” Before I can say anything, she has my mug in hand and walking into the kitchen.
    It’s then that I notice the silence in the room. Turning my attention back to the bickering twins, I see them staring at me waiting for me to say something. My ears are on fire and I know I have no control over the room at the moment; I have to calm down quickly by switching attention.
    “Victor does not liquefy people, Hadley.” Victor nods in agreement and Hadley plops down in a chair in a huff.
    “Although he shouldn’t be eating around those bodies. You never know what kind of diseases bodies carry that could get in your food,” Frankie says calmly as she hands me a fresh cup of coffee.
    “See, it’s still nasty that you eat around death,” Hadley throws one final jab at Victor who simply takes it in stride.
    “Whatever you say Hadley.”
    You can feel the tension and frustration building in the room, it’s like an allergy you can kick or a sneeze you can’t expel.
    “So, you all want to help me with this case. Let’s get on with it.”
    Dropping myself onto the love seat, I await the peanut gallery’s opinions on this case. Grabbing my fresh cup of liquid courage, I take a sip and let the warmth flow down my throat. With a new sense of vigor I open my eyes and start this inquisition.
    “Let me start simply, I’ve got very little.”
    “Well, the victims have only given me