I lifted a shoulder, trying for a lightness I did not feel. “I ran into him last night and he didn’t seem interested in me in the slightest.”

She clicked her tongue, genuinely sad my hopes for a booty call had gone up in flames. “That’s too bad, hon. I’ve never seen you look at someone like that. You know you’re the kid Lorraine and I never got around to having.” She paused, holding up a finger and winking at me. “Actually, no, more like you’re the kid Lorraine always wanted, but you grew on me.” I laughed as she came closer to squeeze my arm. When she spoke she sounded wistful though. “We’d like to see you happy, with someone that can appreciate that big heart of yours, no matter how hard you work to keep it hidden underneath the ‘too busy for love’ facade. I think I failed you as a mentor in the work and life balance department.”

I gave her a rueful smile and turned around. “Now I really am worried you need to be in bed,” I teased. “You were an excellent mentor. As for Patrice, it doesn’t matter, because he’s just not that into me.” I hoped that my comment didn’t get her thinking of some scheme to get Patrice and me together. Cindy had a tendency of pushing me when she thought I needed a nudge. I knew it came from a good place, but it got old fast.

She opened her mouth with what I was sure was another question when Ron Vogler, our investigator, walked up to us. “Did you hear about last night?” he asked, and I noticed his usually relaxed demeanor was replaced with a somber expression.

Ron had been with the Ithaca Police Department for over twenty years before coming to work with us, and he was in the know about everything happening in the county when it came to law enforcement. He usually wasn’t the type to gossip, so whatever this was, it wasn’t good.

I shook my head at his question, already pulling my phone out of my pocket to see if there was anything I’d missed. “Amber was on last night, so I didn’t hear.” The ADAs took turns being on call, so that there would always be someone available to handle whatever came up in the middle of the night or the weekends. I’d been off, so had no idea about whatever fresh hell had Ron brooding.

He pursed his lips before answering as I braced myself. “One of the new deputies from the sheriff’s department stopped two Ithaca College students on Route 79. They were black, of course. Going maybe five miles over the limit. One of them recorded the whole thing and posted it on Facebook and it does not look good. The deputy was so fucking overzealous and his tone was, frankly, offensive.”

I bit out a curse as I walked through the metal detector, Ron on my heels, continuing his recount of the incident. “Neither of them got hurt, but he did make them get out of the car and made a big show of patting them down. I saw in the Ithaca Star that they’re filing a complaint claiming he was excessively aggressive.”