Shannon picked up the slack easily. Delacroix had been nothing but cordial so far, and thus Shannon was much more willing to work with him in driving Avery out rather than rebuff both at the same time. Besides, he would have totally made one of his partners read that article if Delacroix actually ended up writing it. It would have been fun to read, he was sure.
"No keys of any sort," he confirmed. There was more to it than that—in situations such as these, more proactive victims sometimes tried using their keys as a counter-weapon, and there was a chance those might turn up in the alley. Another reason no one but cleared officials had been in the scene yet. Shannon knew better than to say so in front of an unscrupulous reporter; when Avery was gone, he planned to mention something to Delacroix instead. "Might have been taken by the mugger, which would have been the smart thing to do. No unfaithful husband would leave home without making sure he could get back on his own with no chance of having to rely on a mistress."
Avery looked between the two of them. His expression was clearly unimpressed by the two youngsters still with their ears trying to outsmart him. "No one said anything about this not being a mugging, just that there may be more to the story than the police are willing to consider!"
"Didn't I tell him to leave?" asked Shannon, pretending to ask the less-annoying reporter. He turned back to Avery with a much more serious expression. "No, wait. I did. Go away, Avery. Don't try messing with me, I'm not above calling one of my friends over to make you."
Avery stood up and puffed his chest out. He was about Shannon's height, although he lost out to the extra inches granted by the blind man's ears, and then let himself deflate. "I'll be talking to the chief about this, Vaughn," he warned.
As he heard the footsteps of the retreating reporter, Shannon merely grinned and said to Delacroix, "Chief's not going to do anything. That guy's an asshole and his paper is always two prints away from turning into a tabloid."
no subject
"No keys of any sort," he confirmed. There was more to it than that—in situations such as these, more proactive victims sometimes tried using their keys as a counter-weapon, and there was a chance those might turn up in the alley. Another reason no one but cleared officials had been in the scene yet. Shannon knew better than to say so in front of an unscrupulous reporter; when Avery was gone, he planned to mention something to Delacroix instead. "Might have been taken by the mugger, which would have been the smart thing to do. No unfaithful husband would leave home without making sure he could get back on his own with no chance of having to rely on a mistress."
Avery looked between the two of them. His expression was clearly unimpressed by the two youngsters still with their ears trying to outsmart him. "No one said anything about this not being a mugging, just that there may be more to the story than the police are willing to consider!"
"Didn't I tell him to leave?" asked Shannon, pretending to ask the less-annoying reporter. He turned back to Avery with a much more serious expression. "No, wait. I did. Go away, Avery. Don't try messing with me, I'm not above calling one of my friends over to make you."
Avery stood up and puffed his chest out. He was about Shannon's height, although he lost out to the extra inches granted by the blind man's ears, and then let himself deflate. "I'll be talking to the chief about this, Vaughn," he warned.
As he heard the footsteps of the retreating reporter, Shannon merely grinned and said to Delacroix, "Chief's not going to do anything. That guy's an asshole and his paper is always two prints away from turning into a tabloid."