He only tore his eyes away from the screen when his ringtone blared to life. He dug his phone out of his back pocket, checking who was calling him.

Tessa.

Micah winced. Shit. He’d forgotten that when she’d left at four, she’d threatened to call him later to make sure he actually got home at a decent time – unlike the previous two nights.

He sighed, accepting the call. “Hello?”

“Can you believe that dumbass’s answer to that question?”

It took longer than it should have for Micah’s overworked brain to realize what Tessa was talking about: The Family Feud. They often called each other to make fun of the contestants of the popular game show.

He cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah, crazy,” he agreed vaguely.

“What would your answer have been?” she demanded.

Fuck.

There was no way she didn’t know he wasn’t at home. “Um… my spouse, obviously,” he said, taking a shot in the dark.

It was a common enough answer to the outrageous questions the host often asked.

A pause. Then… “You’re still at work, aren’t you?”

Micah groaned. “What gave it away?”

“You mean besides the fact that the question was ‘What was the last thing you stuck your finger in?’”

Micah frowned. “Hey, my answer made sense!” he protested.

“Yeah, too bad you couldn’t keep the scheme going when I called you out on it.”

“You’re a witch,” Micah accused.

“If by that, you mean intuitive goddess who believes in the power of the earth and karma and senses whenever someone is lying to me, you are absolutely correct.” She paused a beat. “But, back to the topic at hand… why aren’t you at home, Micah? It’s well past six, and you promised me you’d leave by five today.”

Of their own accord, Micah’s eyes drifted to the open folder on his desk. Nico’s jovial smile and bright eyes shone back at him. He swallowed. “This is important, Tessa.”

Micah heard a sigh, but Tessa’s voice was surprisingly gentle when she replied. “Honey, so is getting your rest. You’re no good to anyone – especially this boy you’re looking for – if you run yourself into the ground with exhaustion. You’re better off getting some sleep and looking at the case with fresh eyes in the morning than you are slaving away at the station.”

Micah knew logically that she was right, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“Plus,” Tessa added, lightening her tone, “I can’t in good conscience grill you about what exactly you got up to with Damon last weekend knowing how tirelessly you’ve been working on this case.”