Crime (h.s. au)

Chapter Twenty Six

Harry

I type a few notes into the computer about the cold case file I've been working on, figuring out the location for the ex-husband of Lucy Redmond.

There's a knock on my door and I smile when I see Ava, her body walking into the office.

"I have a favor to ask of you," she says, walking towards me. She's serious and I look into her gray eyes, her lips pressed in a line.

"What's up?" I ask, and she takes a deep breath.

"Katrina Meyers wants to talk with you," she tells me, and I part my lips. That's unexpected. I had assumed she'd be working solely with Ava on this, but I'll happily help if needed.

"Sure, sure. What can I do?" I ask, her lower lip taken between her teeth. There it is again; her damn nervous tick.

"Take it easy. Take it slow. Don't push any hard questions. Basically let her do the talking. She's trying to ease herself into talking to men," she explains, and I nod. I've never had to work with a victim of this type of crime so I'm going to do my very best to try to make Katrina feel comfortable.

"Just call me when she needs a break," Ava tells me, and I agree. I turn my attention to the small blonde that walks into my office, Officer Oliver following her. There are light scratches on Katrina's face and her lip seems to have been split. I try not to stare.

"Katrina, this is Detective Styles. But you can call him Harry," Jessi tells her, and she nods. I watch her extend her hand and I gently take it, shaking it slightly.

"Hi Katrina," I smile, trying to give her a sense that I'm not some scary person. That's the last thing I want for her.

"Hi Harry," she says, her voice stronger than how I'd assume it'd be.

"Would you like to have a seat?" I ask, and she nods.

"I'll be right next door. If you need anything, just let me know," Ava tells her. Katrina extends her hand and Ava gives it a gentle squeeze, almost as if this is their way of hugging. It's a comforting gesture for Katrina.

The women leave and Katrina takes a seat, my hand shoving all the files I had on my desk to the side.

"How are you doing? I know that's a hard question, but I just want to check in," I ask, and I watch her fold her sweatshirt sleeves of her hand.

"I'm alright. I've rested a lot the past week," she tells me, and I nod.

"That's good," I tell her. "What would you like to talk about?"

She pushes her lips together and her bright blue eyes meet mine, her lips parting slightly. I'm unsure if she doesn't know what to say, or if she's nervous.

"I don't want to talk about what happened," she tells me, and I nod.

"Sure, sure. How about what your major is?" I ask, and she settles back into the chair.

"I'm in school for English. I like to write," she tells me, and I smile.

"I'm a big reader. I love old books," I tell her, and she smiles.

"My favorite is Pride and Prejudice," she says, and I smile back.

"Let me guess, you have a thing for Mr. Darcy," I tell her, and she breaks a laugh. Thank God, I found a way to get her distracted from everything that's going on.

"What girl doesn't?" she grins, and I settle back in my chair. This may be easier than I thought. If I'm able to talk about books with her, this is easy.