The airport parking lot was overflowing but flashing my badge secured me a spot near Neets’ green Toyota. I parked and sat there. I shouldn’t have come back to work yet.

“Tori?”

I looked out my window and saw Neets staring at me. I waved half-heartedly before stepping out of the car.

“You took your merry time,” Neets called out. “Did he tell you anything else about the luggage?”

“Leon?”

She nodded. We had one dead baggage handler, another who looked good for it, but swore an anonymous caller shot his friend for a painting. This whole thing was a mess.

“Just that it looked old-fashioned and had women’s clothes inside. His dead friend swiped a pink thong from inside.”

Neets led me inside the terminal. It was a zoo. Five hours since the airline shut down and you were lucky if you had a spot to stand without brushing up against someone else.

“Rex, this is Detective Tori Young,” Neets said to a young man, standing in front of us, sweating bullets. “Detective Young, this is Pangaean’s Operations Manager.”

“Detective Patel said we’d be expecting you,” he said, holding out his hand. I ignored it and stared at him. Rex swallowed hard. Normally that would have given me a boost, but not today. I couldn’t get Eddy out of my head.

Rex led Neets and me I away from the crowds, behind the counter and downstairs to the baggage area. It was a mess, luggage all over the place. Some of it appeared to be opened and rifled through already.

“You already started to search the luggage, Anita?” Neets shook her head.

“Found them that way. Funny thing though, they’re all old-fashioned.”

I looked around the room. Someone else also had an interested in our suitcase. But was it because of the painting, or something else?

“Is this just the luggage for the Pangaean flight to Paris?” I asked Rex.

“Sort of,” he said with a shiver. “It wasn’t the only flight cancelled but most of the other luggage has been removed.”

“Most? Then you should get someone in here to remove ALL of the other luggage.”

“Y-yes, of course,” he stammered and then stood there, as if unsure what to do next.

“Rex? Did someone tell you to keep an eye on me?”

“No. Of course not, Detective, it’s just… we’re all very busy.”

I walked up to him, getting inside his comfort zone.

“Then you’re really better hustle.”

He tripped over himself trying to leave. Again, I felt nothing. Why couldn’t I get any joy out of intimidating people?

“You’re moody today,” Neets said, following me over to the opened suitcases. “He’s not that horrid.”

“I’m always moody.” I tried to sound nonchalant. I didn’t want Neets to worry about me. She was my partner and I liked her.

“You know what I mean. You’ve been acting funny—like you’d rather be somewhere else.” Neets stepped in front of me and looked me in the eye. “Where were you last week?”

I stepped around her and grabbed the first opened case.

“What? I’m not allowed a vacation?”

Just because I liked Neets didn’t mean I wanted to tell her about Eddy. I didn’t want to become her next charity case. Neets would find a way to help; there was no stopping the woman. She bent down and started going through another case.

“I was just asking if you’d rather be wherever you were last week.”

“Who wouldn’t rather be on vacation?” I tossed aside the suitcase when I found a man’s suit.

“You’re the only person I know who would rather be working than be anywhere else.” She sighed and put the suitcase aside. “But I can tell you don’t want to talk about it, so I won’t push.”

I was blessed with silence for four more suitcases.

“By Jove,” Neets said, “Found it!”

“You’re sure?”

She pushed the suitcase in front of me and pulled the bagged thong from her pocket. The pink camisole, crushed up against a running shoe matched. The underwear half was missing.

My BlackBerry went off, a special marching band tune I had programmed in this morning.

The hospital.

“I need to take this,” I said, quickly glancing at the name on the luggage tag. “Put a call out over the PA system for Medae Newman. Say it’s something to do with her luggage.”