Page 6 of Close Quarters

“And it held up in court?”

“No, because it isn’t an approved technique yet. But it gave the lawyers a reason to appeal. Through that, the police reopened the cases and found additional evidence.”

Alex sat back and stared at her. “How did I not know about this?”

She shrugged. “I did most of the work after you left for the day. I would stay late. Or, I went to the university and worked on it there. It was separate from my duties in the lab, so it’s not really something you would need to know about.”

“So, all those late nights you pulled early this year and last year, you were working on that?”

She nodded.

He glanced out over the restaurant in a bit of awe. Both at her idea and her work ethic. He looked back at her. “I think once you get your Ph.D., I’m going to have to ask the county council to take forensics out from under my purview, your aversion to brown-nosing be dammed. You’re probably already better qualified to make the decisions for your department than I am.”

She grinned and stuffed a fry in her mouth. “I’ve been telling you that since day one.”

“Yeah, but now it’s true.”

Katie narrowed her eyes at him, but her smile spoiled the look. Alex glanced down at his plate, surprised to see all his food gone except a couple of fries. He thought he’d be in for a long, boring dinner he couldn’t wait to get away from. But the opposite was true. He didn’t want to go home.

Becca strolled back up to their table, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“You guys want any dessert?”

Katie patted her stomach. “I’m stuffed, so none for me.”

Alex cleared his throat. “I’ll pass too.”

The girl nodded and tore their check off her notepad, laying it face down on the table. “I can check you out at the counter when you’re ready.”

They thanked her, and she walked away. Alex reached for the check, his hand closing over Katie’s as she did too. Startled at the contact, he looked up at her. She stared back at him, wide-eyed.

He cleared his throat. “I’ll get the bill. You are a struggling grad student, after all.” He cracked a joke to dispel the sudden tension.

She laughed and withdrew her hand, motioning to the check. “Go for it.” He picked it up and slid toward the edge of the booth. “Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah.” She drained the last of her shake and picked up her purse, then slid out of the booth.

He paid for their meal, and they walked outside. Stopping in front of their cars, he fidgeted with the keys in his pocket, things suddenly awkward.

“I guess I’ll see you in the morning.” She jangled her keys.

Alex nodded. “Yeah. Um, have a good night.”

“I will. You too.”

They stood there for a moment longer before he backed away with a nod. As he climbed into his car, he glanced at her through the passenger window. Light from the interior of her car lit up her face as she got inside, glinting off her glasses and hair. Colorful tresses fanned over her shoulder as she closed the door. She was so far from his type, but he’d be damned if there wasn’t a knot of attraction in his belly now after their dinner together. Shaking his head, not quite sure what to make of this sudden infatuation, he looked away and started his car.

Chapter 2

Katie spared Alex a glance as he walked into the lab dressed for a hike. Her eyes about bugged out of her head as she took in his denim-clad legs and flannel-covered chest. A white, long-sleeved shirt peeked out from the neckline and the rolled-up sleeves of his button down. His forearms flexed as he flipped through his keys to find the one for his office door. He looked like a lumberjack. A sexy one.

When her feet took a step in his direction without her permission, she looked away and focused on putting the last few items into the plastic tote, so she could have one of her staff take it down to the loading dock and put it in the forensics’ van. Ogling Alex would have to wait; she had a job to do.

Getting the last of the supplies they might need for their expedition loaded up, she followed her techs to the dock. They put the last few totes inside and closed the doors. She rounded the vehicle to get in the driver’s seat but stopped short when she saw Alex standing there. He held up the van keys.

“I’ll drive.”

“What? No.” She held out her hand. “Give me the keys. It’s my van.”

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