The Sinner: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel

anymore.”
    They both laughed at that. The new Korsak, unlike the old, wouldn’t stink up her car with his cigarettes.
    He stabbed a lettuce leaf and ate silently, frowning, as though it took all his concentration just to chew. Or to build up to what came next.
    “So how’s it going between you and Dean? Still seeing each other?”
    His question, asked so casually, caught her off guard. It was the last subject she wanted to discuss, the last thing she expected him to ask about. He’d made no secret of the fact he disliked Gabriel Dean. She had disliked him too, when Dean had first walked into their investigation back in August, flashed his FBI badge, and proceeded to take control.
    A few weeks later, everything had changed between her and Dean.
    She looked down at her half-eaten meal, her appetite suddenly gone. She could feel Korsak watching her. The longer she waited, the less believable her answer would be.
    “Things are okay,” she said. “You want another beer? I could use a refill on my Coke.”
    “He come up to see you lately?”
    “Where’s that waitress?”
    “What’s it been? Few weeks? A month?”
    “I don’t know. . . .” She waved to the waitress, who didn’t see her signal and instead headed back to the kitchen.
    “What, you haven’t been keeping track?”
    “I’ve got other things going on, you know,” she snapped. It was her tone of voice that gave it away. Korsak sat back, looking at her with a cop’s eye. An eye that saw too much.
    He said, “Good-looking guy like him, probably thinks he’s a hot ticket with all the ladies.”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “I’m not as stupid as I look. I can see something’s wrong. I can hear it in your voice. And that bothers me, ’cause you deserve better. A lot better.”
    “I really don’t want to talk about this.”
    “I never trusted him. I told you that, way back in August. Seems to me, you didn’t trust him back then, either.”
    Again, she waved at the waitress. Again, she was ignored.
    “Something sneaky about those fibbie guys. Every single one I ever met. Real smooth, but they’re never straight with you. They play head games. Think they’re better than cops. All that federal bigshot crap.”
    “Gabriel’s not like that.”
    “No?”
    “He’s not.”
    “You’re only saying that ’cause you got the hots for him.”
    “Why are we having this conversation?”
    “Because I’m worried about you. It’s like you’re falling over a cliff, and you won’t even reach out for help. I don’t think you got anyone to talk to about this.”
    “I’m talking to you.”
    “Yeah, but you’re not
telling
me anything.”
    “What do you want me to say?”
    “He hasn’t been up here to see you lately. Has he?”
    She didn’t answer, didn’t even look at him. She focused instead on the mural painted on the wall behind him. “We’ve both been busy.”
    Korsak sighed and shook his head, a gesture of pity.
    “It’s not like I’m in love or anything.” Mustering her pride, she finally met his gaze. “You think I’m gonna fall apart just because some guy dumps me?”
    “Well, I don’t know.”
    She laughed, but it sounded forced, even to her ears. “It’s only sex, Korsak. You have a fling, and you move on. Guys do it all the time.”
    “You telling me you’re no different from a guy?”
    “Don’t go pulling that double standard bullshit on me.”
    “No, come on. You mean there’s no broken heart? He walks away, and you’re fine with it?”
    She fixed him with a hard stare. “I’ll be fine.”
    “Well, that’s good. Because he’s not worth it, Rizzoli. He’s not worth one minute of grief. And I’m gonna tell him that, next time I see him.”
    “Why are you doing this?”
    “Doing what?”
    “Interfering. Bullying. I don’t need this. I’ve got enough problems.”
    “I know that.”
    “And all you’re doing is making things worse.”
    He stared at her for a moment. Then he looked down. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “But you know, I’m only trying to be your friend.”
    Of all the things he might have said, nothing could have affected her more. She found herself blinking away tears as she stared at the bald spot on his bowed head. There were times when he repelled her, times when he infuriated her.
    And then there were times when she’d catch a startling glimpse of the man inside, a decent man with a generous heart, and she’d feel ashamed of her impatience with