Dawn of Danger (ONC Entry)

Two

Colin faced Bonnie across the table at the diner down the road from the police station. "You want a milkshake?"

One of her eyebrows dipped lower for a second. "Not unless you're getting one."

"No milkshake, then." Colin flashed a quick, strained smile at the waitress. "Two burgers and fries." He waited until the waitress was out of earshot before leaning forward a little. "So...what's this thing you're going to let me in on?"

Bonnie took a deep breath. "I propose a partnership." Her words seemed to float above the table where they sat. Colin wished he could grab her words and examine them for hidden meanings.

"A partnership."

She nodded. "I know I can do this...if I have someone on my team. An advocate. I want you to be that advocate."

Colin nodded slowly. "Who gets credit when we solve the case?"

Bonnie pursed her lips. "I haven't thought that far ahead. I know if I want your help, I should say you. But..."

They both looked up as the waitress brought their burgers and fries. Colin's mouth watered as the smell of the crispy potatoes invaded his senses. He dragged his attention away from the food and back to Bonnie.

"But?"

"But...that wouldn't help me at all. You'd be getting the best of the deal."

Colin picked up a fry and pointed it at her. "You're right. So..."

"So I get the credit. Or most of it, anyway." Bonnie picked up her hamburger and took a bite out of it. A few moments passed while they ate.

Colin forced himself to eat slowly and to consider Bonnie's offer from all angles. "What about money? I'm hard up right now, but you're just starting out, so I'm assuming you have even less to live on than I do."

"We split whatever comes out of the case fifty-fifty!" Bonnie said suddenly. "That includes the credit."

"Including the credit..." Colin took a bite of his hamburger. "Mm...remind me why you're 'letting me in' on this?"

Bonnie set her burger down. "Imagine this. You apply for a job as a nanny and you've never been a nanny before. Do you think any mother would hire you?"

Colin frowned. "No. Not if she was smart." He picked up another fry. "So you need me to get into the business. I'm your...advocate...isn't that what you said?"

Bonnie nodded, putting a hand to her lips as she chewed. "Mm...that's right."

Once again, Colin turned her proposition over and over in his mind. "All right..." He said slowly. "But we won't be taking taxis everywhere, got it? So don't wear shoes you can't walk in."

Bonnie smiled, her eyes gleaming. "Got it." She stuck her hand across the table. "Nice doing business with you, Mr. Everton."

Colin took her hand and shook it. "Colin is fine."

Bonnie looked faintly surprised. "Oh. Thank you." She smiled and said smoothly, "Bonnie is fine."

Colin felt a smile threatening to appear on his face. "Finish eating and we'll go look at the crime scene."

***

Thirty minutes, a phone call back to Hudson, and a taxi ride later, Bonnie and Colin arrived at Schuler Street. Bonnie ran a hand through her curls and inhaled. "Schuler Street, prepare yourself for Bonnie and Colin."

Colin glanced at her, wrinkling his nose. "That sounds like I'm your sidekick. I'm not."

"I wasn't going for sidekick. I was going for...well...I don't know."

Colin rang the bell at the address Hudson had given him over the phone and stuck his hands in his pockets. "It sounds like Bonnie and Clyde."

Bonnie let out a laugh. "Except instead of going on a killing spree, we're stopping a killer."

Colin glanced sideways at her again. "You think this is funny?"

She frowned. "No...not the killing part. But our name."

Colin rang the bell again, harder this time. "Your name for us. Not ours." He lifted his eyes and glanced at the upstairs window. "Why don't they answer?"

Bonnie shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Maybe..."

The door opened and both Bonnie and Colin took a step back. The man who stood in the doorway looked at them with red-rimmed eyes, leaning on the doorframe and partially covering his face with his elbow. "What do you want?"

Bonnie opened her mouth, but Colin touched her arm and sidestepped in front of her. "We're with the police department," he told the man quietly. He hesitated just a moment before asking, "May we come in?"

The man pushed himself away from the door and motioned inside with a careless gesture. "Come in. But you'd better be able to figure out who murdered my wife."