only black. She imagined the ballerina inside was melted. It had seemed to be a memento of Megan’s childhood, and Sadie was sad to see it destroyed.
“I’m going to need a list of everything you saw in that box,” Mathews said, his eyes fixed on the burned items and his tone grim. “Every detail.”
“Okay,” Sadie said dryly. Every minute that passed made her more antsy to leave. “Do you have an inventory form handy or are they back at the station?”
Mathews looked at her strangely, and she realized that normal people didn’t know the proper form for something like this. Even when she tried to be normal it didn’t work.
“The station,” Mathews said. “We’ll take Layla with us. I’d like to make sure she’s okay.”
“All right,” Sadie said, defeated. She pulled the clipboard out again. “Let me just finish this statement. The officer who gave it to me is expecting it.” His name was Newman but Sadie didn’t like the way Mathews was looking at her so she chose to be vague. Normal people were vague all the time.
“Sure,” Mathews said, but she heard his tone and didn’t like it. Until now she had been on the sidelines; now she’d somehow moved closer to the nucleus. Her trip home was getting farther and farther away, which made meeting up with Eric more probable every minute. Without saying anything else to Mathews, she began heading back to the front of the house. Mathews stayed in the backyard to talk to Officer Kerr.
Moments later, Sadie rounded the front of the house. She paused long enough to finish the last sentence on the statement form and had signed her name to the bottom when a prickling sensation began climbing up her spine. She lifted her head to look around and was immediately captured by a pair of bright blue eyes.
Eric was watching her from several feet away while he talked to one of the other officers. His hair was pulled back and there was mud on his shoes, but that was all she noticed before the prickling sensation turned into a full-on tingle and, despite her internal protestations to the contrary, she remembered what had drawn her to him in the first place.
Chapter 16
Sadie did everything she could to avoid talking to Eric at Layla’s house, which wasn’t hard to do since Mathews had him cornered, firing questions at him at lightning speed. When Eric’s voice started to rise, Mathews shut him down and left a couple officers on the scene while ordering the rest of them back to the station—along with Eric, Layla, and Sadie. At least Sadie got to drive in her own car, Layla automatically tagging along. Eric rode over with Mathews even though his rental car was still parked in the carport. She assumed Mathews had insisted on it.
Sadie drove slowly, giving herself a tour of Homestead on the way and hoping that Eric would already be in Mathews’s office when she got to the station. Layla didn’t seem to notice. By the time they arrived, Eric was nowhere to be seen and Sadie got to work on the inventory form. Layla sat next to Sadie on one of the blue plastic chairs, content to silently watch the comings and goings of the officers. The woman piqued Sadie’s curiosity a great deal, but she kept pushing it away. To get the answers she wanted, she’d have to ask questions, and she was against that at the moment. She just wanted to do what she had to do and get the heck out of Florida as quickly as possible. And yet she could feel the pull of the man in the other room, urging her to stay with his silent desire that she do so.
She put all her focus into the paperwork she’d been given, but couldn’t help glancing at Mathews’s office each time raised voices escaped the edges of the door. She wondered what she would say when it was her turn to talk to Eric.
While part of her felt taken advantage of, another part of her wanted his arms around her as he whispered an explanation that would make everything all better. She assumed the hug-and-apology option was inspired
“I’m going to need a list of everything you saw in that box,” Mathews said, his eyes fixed on the burned items and his tone grim. “Every detail.”
“Okay,” Sadie said dryly. Every minute that passed made her more antsy to leave. “Do you have an inventory form handy or are they back at the station?”
Mathews looked at her strangely, and she realized that normal people didn’t know the proper form for something like this. Even when she tried to be normal it didn’t work.
“The station,” Mathews said. “We’ll take Layla with us. I’d like to make sure she’s okay.”
“All right,” Sadie said, defeated. She pulled the clipboard out again. “Let me just finish this statement. The officer who gave it to me is expecting it.” His name was Newman but Sadie didn’t like the way Mathews was looking at her so she chose to be vague. Normal people were vague all the time.
“Sure,” Mathews said, but she heard his tone and didn’t like it. Until now she had been on the sidelines; now she’d somehow moved closer to the nucleus. Her trip home was getting farther and farther away, which made meeting up with Eric more probable every minute. Without saying anything else to Mathews, she began heading back to the front of the house. Mathews stayed in the backyard to talk to Officer Kerr.
Moments later, Sadie rounded the front of the house. She paused long enough to finish the last sentence on the statement form and had signed her name to the bottom when a prickling sensation began climbing up her spine. She lifted her head to look around and was immediately captured by a pair of bright blue eyes.
Eric was watching her from several feet away while he talked to one of the other officers. His hair was pulled back and there was mud on his shoes, but that was all she noticed before the prickling sensation turned into a full-on tingle and, despite her internal protestations to the contrary, she remembered what had drawn her to him in the first place.
Chapter 16
Sadie did everything she could to avoid talking to Eric at Layla’s house, which wasn’t hard to do since Mathews had him cornered, firing questions at him at lightning speed. When Eric’s voice started to rise, Mathews shut him down and left a couple officers on the scene while ordering the rest of them back to the station—along with Eric, Layla, and Sadie. At least Sadie got to drive in her own car, Layla automatically tagging along. Eric rode over with Mathews even though his rental car was still parked in the carport. She assumed Mathews had insisted on it.
Sadie drove slowly, giving herself a tour of Homestead on the way and hoping that Eric would already be in Mathews’s office when she got to the station. Layla didn’t seem to notice. By the time they arrived, Eric was nowhere to be seen and Sadie got to work on the inventory form. Layla sat next to Sadie on one of the blue plastic chairs, content to silently watch the comings and goings of the officers. The woman piqued Sadie’s curiosity a great deal, but she kept pushing it away. To get the answers she wanted, she’d have to ask questions, and she was against that at the moment. She just wanted to do what she had to do and get the heck out of Florida as quickly as possible. And yet she could feel the pull of the man in the other room, urging her to stay with his silent desire that she do so.
She put all her focus into the paperwork she’d been given, but couldn’t help glancing at Mathews’s office each time raised voices escaped the edges of the door. She wondered what she would say when it was her turn to talk to Eric.
While part of her felt taken advantage of, another part of her wanted his arms around her as he whispered an explanation that would make everything all better. She assumed the hug-and-apology option was inspired
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