it is, then,” she replied, again noticing her good-looking coworker while she wondered why she’d stopped here today, of all mornings. Unless someone else showed up, they had the whole patio to themselves. Not that she minded. More like too intimate. Brianne wanted to keep things light and professional. But...a chance meeting over coffee, coworkers did that, right?
When she came back with a to-go cup, Gavin didn’t dare hold out her chair, even though he looked as if he might. They both sat down at the same time, facing toward the street, their partners curling up at their feet to wait for water and a special treat from Lou.
“So how ya doing?” he asked, his attitude more relaxed and laid back today.
“Peachy,” she replied. “Slept like a rock.”
“I never know if you’re being sarcastic or serious,” he replied, smiling over at her.
“And I’ll never tell you which.”
She hadn’t slept much at all. She kept reliving the moment when that bomb had exploded. But she’d made notes each time she remembered something and she aimed to get back to work. Like right now.
Barbara came out with a coffee pot. “Anyone hungry?” She refilled Gavin’s mug, her question causing Brianne’s stomach to growl loudly. “What else can I bring you guys?”
“Pancakes,” they both said, laughing.
“Pancakes it is,” she said, taking her pen out from behind her ear, loose strands of curling brown hair with gray edging escaping her bun. “How ’bout some bacon with that?”
“None for me,” Brianne said. “I hadn’t planned on staying.”
“Double stack,” Gavin replied to Barbara.
Brianne shook her head and smiled up at Barb. “Hey, is Violet here this morning?”
“Not yet,” Barb said with a smile. “But she’s due to stop by any minute now. We’re going to talk wedding plans. Have you seen her ring?”
“I have,” Brianne replied. “She and Zach seem so happy.”
“They are—finally,” Barb said. “Took them all of their lives living next to each other and then almost getting killed by some drug dealer to figure it out.”
When Barbara walked away, Gavin looked over at Brianne. “Zach needed someone in his life right now. It’s been tough on all of the Jameson brothers, losing Jordan.”
“I agree,” Brianne said, remembering Jordan’s funeral and how his brothers had stood so solemn and strong. “Now if we could just find his killer.”
“Yeah, I want that, too.” Gavin looked down, probably remembering being heavily questioned about Jordan’s death since the whole unit knew he’d been bitter about not being promoted to chief. But she didn’t broach that subject. He’d been cleared, and that was good enough for her.
He didn’t offer up any explanations. Instead, he switched gears. “So you like pancakes, but you don’t eat meat?”
“I do but...bacon is addictive. I try to pace myself.”
“And why are you in such a hurry to get away from me?”
“I’m not,” she said, thinking she needed to do just that. “I came by to get some coffee and chat with my friend. But I remembered some things about last night so I jotted notes to add to my official report. I wasn’t planning on hanging around for a big breakfast. I want to do a search and see if I can get a match on that bomber.”
He took a sip of his coffee and did the cop scan that came naturally. Trucks whizzed by, vehicles honked, people hurried down the sidewalks. A typical day in the city. “I figured you’d head right to headquarters this morning.”
“I went over my report early this morning,” she said, nodding. “And I have lots of questions, but I needed some of Barbara’s strong coffee first.”
“What kind of questions?” he asked. “I have a few of my own but we’ll need to see what the lab’s found, too.”
“That guy in the plaid hat. Gavin, he walked right past us.”
“Yeah, I know. Taunting the police? Daring us to see him?”
She took a long drink of coffee. “I did some research online. No other recent reports of bomb threats or bomb scares, but there does seem to be a rash of small explosions all over the city lately.”
Gavin tensed up and turned wary. “Such as?”
“In buildings, parking garages, things like that. They’ve all been explained away as accidents. A boiler explosion here, a garage fire there, several construction fires. But no bomb threats or actual bombs—except possibly at one particular site.” She paused. “A site that you and Tommy worked, Gavin. Williamsburg. A boiler exploded in the basement. Why were you called in?”
He didn’t flinch, and he didn’t look away. “I heard the call on the radio. I happened to be nearby so I went.”
“What did you find?”
He looked away this time. She’d read the report. Possible incendiary device. Unsubstantiated. Not enough evidence.
“Gavin, what do you know about that explosion?”
Giving her a confused stare, he asked, “What are you getting at?”
“Nothing. Because I have nothing. But I’m concerned we might start seeing more bombings in the parks or in other big crowded events. Maybe even in buildings. I don’t want that to happen but if it does, we’ll need to be prepared for a serial bomber.”
His expression changed, turning serious and standoffish.
“You think I’m crazy?” she asked, her fingers drumming the table and causing both Stella and Tommy to glance up. That or she’d stepped on his sensitive toes by taking some initiative?
“No. But, Bree, we have bomb threats all the time. It’s part of living in New York and most of them are never reported to the public. We handle things to keep everyone safe. This could have been a prank by someone bored and looking for blood or...we could have a terrorist toying with us. We need to be prepared, yes, but we also have to be careful.”
“I’m going to be careful,” she said. “But I’m also going to find out what I can about this bomber.”
When he looked away again, she beamed in on him like a laser pen. “You know something already, don’t you, Gavin?”
He shook his head. “I’m not good with words or explaining things. You’ve seen me blurt out my feelings right in front of everyone.”
“Yeah, I have. But now you’re clammed-up and this has to be about last night. You need to fill me in. So start talking.”
Gavin took a sip of black coffee, completely unaware of her inner turmoil. But he did seem to have some of his own. “You were a pro yesterday.”
Oh, so now he tried to put a spin on this and build up her confidence? “I let the suspect get away.”
“No, you didn’t. He slipped away with a crowd of people, oldest trick in the book.”
“I want to find him.”
“I do, too,” Gavin said. “And believe it or not, I agree with you. We could wind up having a serial bomber on our hands. And yes, he could be the man who walked right past us yesterday.”
“But you weren’t going to tell me that because...?”
He looked directly at her now. “I have to sort things out in my mind and make sure I’m right before I jump to conclusions.”
“You don’t trust me.”
“It’s not like that.”
She