Page 85 of Curvy Quirky Omega

Against the wall of glass were sideboards that went across the entire width of the room with some space on either side for the floor-to-ceiling shelves on the east and west walls.

To my left, the built-in shelves looked identical to Liam’s, but the books and décor were slightly different. He did have the same picture of his family though, and it was placed in almost the exact same spot.

Between that and where I stood now was a couch with its back to the shelves, a low table, and then a small conference table similar to Liam’s, but it was placed horizontally from the door instead of parallel.

It was also made of steel, not reclaimed wood and resin art.

There was a decent amount of space between that table and Gideon’s desk, which was also placed horizontally so he could see the table and couches from where he sat. Behind the desk was the other set of built-in shelves with its Murphy door where I was standing. It led to a private bathroom and the staircase we took from Liam’s office.

On my right was the coat rack Gideon always placed his blazer on before sitting down.

“There weren’t any traces of footprints other than Gideon’s,” Frankie stated as she watched Liam pull off his jacket yet again to hang it on the coat rack. “That’s really unusual, especially since other people definitely came in here the day he was killed.”

I slid my gaze from the stain on the floor to Liam, wondering if he was okay, but he seemed fine.

He pushed up the sleeves of his sweater and sat down at Gideon’s desk, turning to face the computer as if he planned to log in. The desktop itself was with the police, so Liam just pretended, setting his hands on the keyboard that was connected to nothing as he stared at the blank monitor. “Do you think whoever killed him took the time to wipe the floor clean before leaving his office?”

“They might have.” Frankie crossed her arms over her chest with a frown. “That’s it? Gideon didn’t do anything else? You didn’t see him linger anywhere else on his way in?”

“Why would he linger, Frankie? My brother didn’t want me to fucking know about whatever he was hiding, so he definitely wouldn’t do anything weird in front of me.” The spike of frustration through the bond made me flinch and I refocused on the stained floor.

This was definitely not easy for him no matter how well he was pretending otherwise.

I needed to get this shit done so he didn’t have to constantly be reminded that his brother didn’t trust him with his secrets. I’d make sure this didn’t take long.

Taking a deep breath, I lifted my chin and stepped into Gideon’s office.

Following the path Liam had made, I pulled my hands out of my pockets and slid off my coat. Then I set it on the highest hook, right on top of Liam’s. I took a second to study the floor-to-ceiling shelves along this wall, and that’s when I noticed the Valor crest was well within arm’s reach if I was about a foot taller.

Turning toward the desk, I took note of everything I passed and Liam got up without a word. I sat in Gideon’s chair, letting my thoughts shift so Frankie and I could play our game of pretend.

Setting my hands on the arms of the chair, I crossed one leg over the other at the ankle and leaned back – just like I’d seen Gideon do a thousand different times on the footage we’d pulled.

I could see everything except the secrets at my back.

It was kind of weird, but who was I to judge?

From here, he could easily access the secret escape route and see anyone who came in here without having to look away from his work. He wouldn’t be able to see anyone coming from the private staircase, but he would be able to hear them long before they arrived.

Looking up at the ceiling where the AC vent was located, I considered the possibility, but it was too small for anyone other than a child to use, plus it would have knocked a bunch of shit to the floor if someone had dropped down from there.

Closing my eyes, I let my own thoughts fade completely, redirecting the persistent ones to create the empty space I needed to draw a different kind of picture.

Every detail we’d learned about Gideon was pulled from the back of my mind. All the body language I’d studied translated what I’d seen on the footage, and I cocked my head to the side slowly until my neck popped and the tension released.

All the projects he’d worked on, all the people he’d met with, and all the things he’d said over the last year percolated as I added small details of what we’d found to create the perfect picture, even if it was only a small piece of it.

There were some things only I could do – but understanding someone’s why…

That was something only Frankie could do and she couldn’t question the dead, so it was my job to take their place.

Taking a deep breath in, I let it all settle into my skin and then exhaled, opening my eyes as I did so.

My eyes were instantly drawn to the picture of Gideon and Melinda on top of my desk. We seemed happy, but I could tell it was fake even if no one else could. I uncrossed my legs and pulled myself toward the desk before picking it up for a closer look.

Melinda gave me this as a gift. She’d written a good luck note on the back of the photo, and I’d put it in my new office when I was promoted to president.

Setting it back on my desk, I placed my hands on the keyboard, remembering what I’d been working on, getting it ready for my brother so he could work his magic.

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