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Donnelly doesn't have particularly long legs, but when she strides down a corridor at work, Elsbeth feels like Gonzo trotting at her side, trying to keep up.
"It really is so nice working with you again," Elsbeth says, slaloming around officers coming towards them so she doesn't knock anyone with her bags. "Like old times!"
Donnelly opens the door to the conference room. "Wasn't your last case with Fleming?"
They've booked out the room to go over the notes from their current investigation. Elsbeth has come armed with stash of notecards, and as she begins laying them out across the table, she can't help but think about the big board of clues from her last case.
"Yes," she says, laying out blue cards labelled with evidence and matching them with orange ones for suspects. "Detective Fleming and Officer Hackett! Have you worked with Officer Hackett before? She's so funny. I guess that's why she does comedy on the side. It was nice working with them both…"
Elsbeth turns around and Donnelly is looking at her in that way she does sometimes, where she's curious about something - she hides it well, but you don't make Detective without a good nose for information - but not sure it's worth the outpouring of personal information that often follows an Elsbeth inquiry.
Donnelly has been working on deputation with another precinct recently, and though nearly all of Elsbeth's energy is dedicated to aching over Kaya's absence, there's some space for missing her, too. Maybe Donnelly misses her a little in turn, because she folds her arms and asks, "what's the issue?"
"What issue?"
"With Fleming. Or Hackett." Donnelly narrows her eyes. "Or both."
Elsbeth feels caught out, and averts her gaze to the floor. "There's no issue."
"C'mon Elsbeth."
It's not like she can talk to Kaya about her thoughts, and if Donnelly of all people is inviting her to open up, it's a golden opportunity that shouldn't be wasted.
Elsbeth sets the rest of her notecards to one side and slumps into a conference chair. "It's just… they both seem to get along so well, you know? They seem so in sync."
Donnelly raises an eyebrow. "Do you think they're-"
"Oh, I couldn't say that," Elsbeth blushes, waving her hands to indicate that she does not want to start the precinct rumor mill churning around two colleagues she genuinely likes. "I just mean… when I'm on a case with them, it's like they've got this connection, you know? And I'm on the outside."
"Can't imagine what that's like."
This surprises Elsbeth, so she elaborates. "It's a weird feeling, like you're on the same team, but they just get each other in a way you don't. They've got these inside jokes, shared interests, they do these glances at each other… and I'm not even sure they realize they're doing it."
Donnelly is looking at Elsbeth like she's not sure if she's missed some kind of off-beat humor. Elsbeth stares back because she's not making any jokes, and when Donnelly seems to accept this, she takes a step so she's standing in front of her.
"You do realize you're describing yourself and Blanke, right?"
"Kaya?" Just the mention of her name makes Elsbeth's heart race. "I didn't-"
"Look, I've dealt with a lot worse than feeling like a third wheel on my own case. And you always got results."
"Jackie-"
"But do you have any idea how annoying it was to work a case with you both? We don't need to say what we're thinking because we've got a psychic connection. Let's go on a date while we think of ideas."
It's embarrassing to be called out for being unprofessional, but as Donnelly exaggerates hers and Kaya's interactions with an impression that really isn't bad - maybe she should give comedy a go - she's forced to think about working cases with Kaya and her heart breaks with how much she misses her.
Elsbeth feels like she might burst into tears. Under the crushing weight of her grief Elsbeth registers Donnelly's look of alarm and a tiny part of her finds it funny that the Detective can take charge at a brutal homicide scene but is at a loss when a woman in a strawberry-print jacket is overly emotional in her office.
Before her tears have a chance to fall, there's a knock at the door.
"There you are," Fleming opens the door and addresses Donnelly, "guy from the M.E.'s office was looking for you downstairs."
"Is the M.E. guy incapable of going up one floor in an elevator?"
"Elsbeth, I love your notecards." Hackett says, stepping past Fleming to admire Elsbeth's array of documentation.
"Oh!" Elsbeth pulls herself together, glad of the distraction, "I bought them myself because of all the cost-cutting! But I've got more than enough to share."
"Different colors for suspects, places, evidence-" Fleming points at the cards in turn.
Elsbeth opens her mouth to explain her thought process, but Hackett jumps in first. "That's a great system, we should use that!"
"What do the different cards remind me of? Oh I know-"
"Like Clue!" Fleming and Hackett say simultaneously. They grin at each other; Donnelly rolls her eyes.
Fleming turns and holds the door for Hackett as they leave. "Great job, Tascioni. We're gonna head out - I'll tell reception to send the guy up."
The door swings shut, and Donnelly turns around.
"See how annoying it is?"
"I don't know," Elsbeth says, looking fondly at the cards on the table. It's not that she begrudges her friends' connection, she just misses the person who gets her like nobody else does. "I think it's cute."
"Kaya will be back before you know it, and you two can get back to being cute away from my cases."
"Oh, I hope so." Elsbeth sighs, feeling a little better. She stands from the chair, raises her arms slightly. "Thank you, Jackie. I don't suppose there's any chance-?"
"Absolutely none." Donnelly says sharply, stepping back well out of hugging distance. "Save it for your girl."