Inspector Rames

Chapter 51

I shifted the ice pack on my face, trying to numb the bruise as I observed the scene in front of me. Alex and I had taken it in turns to remove our spyware before the first PRBs had arrived, and then we'd handed Petr Fitzroy over and followed him out the building. Now we were standing beside it, getting in the way of more PRBs and steering clear of the journalists. Petr was being escorted down the road.

Alex slipped his fingers under my chin and turned my face back to his. He seemed to have recovered now, and our roles had been reversed. "Are you sure you're all right?"

I smiled, then winced as the movement agitated my injury. I lowered the ice pack. "I've had much worse. It's better than a fall down the stairs."

Alex glanced at Petr, the muscles in his neck jumping. "I'd still like to throttle him. I think I understand why your anger worries you sometimes."

"Yes...although I think my temper might be starting to cool."

"Really?" His gaze came back to mine.

"You might be having a good influence on me. I don't think I've used my punch bag all week, and I haven't attacked any coffee machines."

"Coffee machines?" His lips twitched. "Is that what happened to your coffee machine?"

I felt a blush creep up my neck. "Maybe."

Petr and the PRBs reached the end of the road and vanished from sight. The journalists who'd been trying to follow him were broken up by more robots, and the atmosphere hanging over the road began to calm. We stood in silence for a few minutes, letting it all sink in. Our humorous moods evaporated in the heat.

I took a deep breath. "This is it, then. Our Trial is over. What a mess."

"Is it?" Alex mused. "Our crime of passion has been judged on our ability to solve a crime of passion of a different kind."

I had to smile at his thoughts, but it quickly faded. "I meant the tragedy. Nora's dying, and Petr will hang for this."

"He'll deserve it." Alex's voice roughened. "Frankie should never have been killed."

"I know. God, I hope we won't find ourselves standing on Petr's side of the law tonight." A lump rose in my throat. "I love you. Thank you for putting up with your video contacts for this."

He cupped my chin, his gaze tender. "Thank you for putting up with me."

Then he leaned down and kissed my lips, and I let my heavy eyelids fall shut. Behind the darkness, I thought of our first kiss on The Silver Star's balcony. I remembered the chemistry and the fireworks that had rocked the world beneath my feet, and I hoped that we hadn't come full circle.

I hoped that this wasn't the last time our lips would meet.

***

We had to go back to the station to get our results. I was so nervous that the journey blurred. It seemed like one minute we were standing in Flicker Street, and the next, we were outside Dixon's office. I could see our chief superintendent and Sten Grey waiting for us.

Alex pushed the door open and led me inside. Dixon was standing against the far wall, and Sten was behind the desk. No one said anything as we sat down, and my limbs started shaking.

The doctor finally spoke up. "Congratulations on catching Petr Fitzroy. Your Trial is over. Do you have your equipment?"

I'd loaded our spyware into two of the ziplock bags the PRBs had taken to Flicker Street, and now I handed it all over.

Sten accepted the bags. "Thank you. I'm sure you're eager to hear your results. Before I tell you, I have to remind you that I judged you on the success of your murder inquiry, your efficiency in the investigation, your reactions to the situations you faced, and your interactions with each other. You've had quite a few setbacks, with my equipment notably causing you the most problems. There have been times when this has caused you to argue or fail to work as a team, which disappointed me."

Oh, God. My stomach sank.

"I've seen many couples fail to communicate correctly during the Trials, and without communication, they break down." Sten looked at the tablet in front of him. "Many contestants enter in a rush, under delusions or threats. They are not ready to be together for life." He raised his eyes again. "You..."

I gripped Alex's hand, feeling sick.

"...are not one of those couples," Sten continued. "You pulled yourselves together after your spats, and you learned to share your worries. You also took care of each other without placing yourselves in harm's way. You're a wonderful team, and it has been a delight to watch you work." He paused. "Amber Rames and Alex Sullivan...you have passed the Trials."

I stared at him.

We've done it.

Euphoria rose without warning, and I laughed out loud, almost in a state of disbelief. I turned to Alex and caught his hands as he reached for me, and we drew ourselves against each other and held on.

"You are the second couple in history to have succeeded," Sten said. "Your relationship is now legal, and you will receive the blessing of the government to marry -- but you must marry within the year. Do you understand?"

"Yes." I beamed at him. "We understand."

Dixon straightened up, smiling. "Well done, you two. I knew you could do it."

"Thank you, sir," I said.

"You're overdue some days off, so once we've altered Nora's charges, you can go home. If I were you, I'd start planning that wedding."

The fact that I had a wedding to plan was still sinking in.

He looked at something over our heads, out in the corridor. "You'd better skedaddle. I think your friends are going to start a riot if someone doesn't tell them what's going on."

I turned around in my chair. Cassia and Sebastian were huddled together outside the office, watching us with drawn faces.

"Act serious," Alex said, betraying his own words with a mischievous grin. "Let's surprise them."

We trotted out of the office, trying to tame our lips. Cassia was the first to come towards us. "What did he say?"

We stopped in front of them. I kept my face straight for one second before flinging my arms around her. "We passed!"

Cassia squeaked. Sebastian pulled Alex in for a thump on the back and then surprised me by ruffling my hair. Then the two groups melded so that everyone was yelling and hugging and high-fiving, and my heart floated like it was attached to a balloon.

After five minutes of mania, Dixon emerged to calm us down. Alex fought his way back to my side. "We need to escape from this madness so that we can finish our paperwork and go home."

I smiled. "In a hurry?"

"Yes." He took my hands and pulled me against his chest. "Because apparently, we're getting married."