‘Thank you for seeing us Liz. We’re sorry to bother you again. We tried calling and left a message to warn you that we were going to be stopping by,’ Beck said with a warm smile.

The ticking deadline on my post for work was going off in the back of my mind but I shoved it aside. If I cut right to the point, maybe I could find out what they knew and still get my work done on time.

‘What can I do for you today?’ I said with a forced calmness, trying not to betray the adrenaline buzzing just under my skin. ‘I’m afraid I don’t have a lot of time, I’m on deadline for work so …’

‘We’ll try not to take up your whole afternoon,’ Hannigan said.

His eyes looked tired, extra wrinkles framing them today, and his normally well-kempt hair was astray. His jacket and pants were slightly wrinkled and I noticed he’d missed a belt loop on his pants. Beck’s clothes were a bit tidier but her bun was loose, a few strands falling rogue at the bottom. I imagined the case was taking a toll on them. While I was frustrated that the DNA and missing ketamine had caused them to home in on Cris, I tried to remind myself that these were the good guys. They were trying to stop a killer and rescue a pair of missing women. Somehow, I’d gotten roped into that process and it wasn’t their fault who I shared genes with. I unclenched the tension I was holding in my jaw and gestured them back toward the living room, eager to learn why they’d shown up on my doorstep.

‘Can I get you some water? Or coffee? We have a Nespresso so I can whip you up a cup pretty quick,’ I asked, noticing how tired they both looked. I moved the laptop off the couch so they could sit down and pulled up the desk chair for myself, sitting across from them like in our previous meetings.

‘No, no, thank you,’ Beck said. ‘We’ll try to make this as efficient as possible.’

‘I’d appreciate that,’ I replied, grabbing my own cold coffee off the table and taking a sip. I scrunched up my face and set it back down. I’d have to make a fresh cup after they left. ‘So, what brings you here today? Has there been a break in the case?’ I tried, but I couldn’t quite keep an anxious tone completely out of my voice.