Page 139 of Cross & Crown

desk instead.

“I’m apparently . . . a lot braver than I feel,” JD commented

as he paged through the book. He looked a little crestfallen,

even though they’d just had a major breakthrough.

“You okay?” Nick asked.

“Yeah. I was just hoping learning my name would . . .

throw a latch or something, you know? Make me remember.

It doesn’t even feel right, though. Hell, JD feels more like my name than Casey.”

Kelly sat on the edge of the desk, glancing at Nick again.

“It takes three days to develop a new habit. We’ve been cal ing you JD for three days, so . . .”

“Yeah, I guess,” JD murmured. “Can you keep cal ing me

that? Just for a while, I mean.”

“Whatever you want,” Nick said quietly. He pointed at

Julian and Kelly. “Can I see you two for a minute?”

They followed along without question, heading for one

of the interrogation rooms. Julian glanced around the box

uneasily as soon as the door closed behind them.

“Ever been in one of these?” Nick asked him in amusement.

He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms out of habit.

It was always his first position when questioning a suspect.

Julian rolled his eyes, but he refused to sit at the table.

“What are you two doing here?” Nick asked them.

140

“We found something,” Julian answered.

Nick’s eyebrows rose. “At the bookstore?”

Kelly had been kicking at the legs of the table, which were

bolted down, but he pulled up short. “How’d you know we

went to the bookstore?”

“It’s the only lead you had, and neither of you strikes me as

the type who’d look shit up on the internet or in a book. Did