QR Code Murders: Excellent Work

They ate like queens. The Thanksgiving sandwich was a boost to morale. Yawquisha’s hands felt sore, tender, raw. Kim’s eyes ached and her feet felt heavy.

“Enjoy that sandwich,” Kim instructed. “We won’t be eating all day.”

Yawquisha packed up her gear and placed it in the back seat of the car. She did this with a mechanical yet smooth motion like a robot on an assembly line.

“It seems like we’ll be able to exact our own agendas without clashing against each other,” Kim explained. Her face darkened as she bit into her sandwich. She looked like she was back on the battlefield eating MREs. She kept the same standards of the field, she ate in portions and always cleaned up after herself. Yawquisha never had been in a war zone but she showed signs of tidiness as well.

“If we work through today like we did yesterday, we should be ready to meet the agents eye-to-eye,” Yawquisha observed.

Kim scoffed. “They hate me. It’s not an objective hate, either. They have an obvious bias against me because I’m a….”

“Detective not an agent? No, you’ve got the feminine charm they seem to lack,” Yawquisha replied. She controlled her voice to not sound angry and bitter for her friend.

“Something like that,” Kim said. Her mouth corners looked like she could burst into tears or into out and out laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Kim said. “It’s nothing.” Kim finished her sub. She neatly napkined her mouth and collected all her trash and deposited it in a can adjacent to the restaurant.

“So, what is our shooting schedule today? ‘Shooting’…maybe that’s the wrong word. Jesus. What are you videoing today?”

Yawquisha sighed. “I’m looking forward to a triple interview with you and the agents. I want to paint a picture of you all working together but also overcoming miscommunication, too. I want to do work on the Tall K case. I think that a video displaying this upcoming fair will be very interesting.”

“Fair?”

“Italian Days, really,” Yawquisha answered. It was a crisp answer that she offered.

“Little Italy is everywhere,” Kim pointed out. She said it with sarcasm but with a bit of eagerness. It was like she anticipated a day, someday where she could look forward to some relaxation. The food and bits of sleep were both respites that sustained her day in and out but she anticipated being a wife again with someone better. She wanted to be a mom. Yawquisha was like a younger sister. Both her parents had died years ago and she just wanted time away from cases, tattoos, Tall Ks and St. Kitts and Darby.

“I think we can make time for the whole day to be something special.” Yawquisha changed gears. “This should be a break in the case we weren’t expecting. Nobody says that you’re going to knock down every case you’ve pursued but l think you can crack two-three of them today.” Optimism rested in her voice. It was a stern buoyancy that carried with it a semblance of strength and lightness.

“Yeah,” Kim replied. “If we can get on the same page….”

“You’ll book’em,” Yawquisha retorted. Her quick wit energized Kim. She laughed again only this time it was loftier and even greater than before this latest guffaw.

“Puns…the lowest form—”

“Of wit. I know. I’ve been cutting up family and friends. I just thought that there would be a time where I get to lay on you some of my best stylings.”

“Well, you got me that time,” Kim admitted.

The car drove over the Wilmington streets. They returned to the spot where the pair had been found once again. Then, they met up with the Medical Examiner.