Page 35 of Midnight Secrets

I didn’t want to believe the guy would be brazen enough to come back, but the boldness of his break-in told me it wasn’tbeyond the realm of possibility for the man to be sitting in the shadows, watching us.

But why?

What did Claire have that he wanted? Was it connected to the Hammond case? Or was it something else entirely?

Giving the neighborhood one last sweeping look, I went back inside Claire’s white two-story house. Kreiger was in the living room with Claire again, but they weren’t talking now. She had her face pressed against Pebbles’s head as she stared at the wall opposite the fireplace, lost in thought. Kreiger alternated watching her and the window. He glanced my way as I approached.

“Backup units are on their way,” he said.

“Good. Keep an eye out. I’m going to take Ms. Holmes upstairs.” My gaze flicked to her. She blinked at the sound of her name, but didn’t move.

“Claire?” I tipped my head toward the staircase.

“Oh. Right.” Feet now in motion, she moved away from Kreiger.

“Don’t touch anything,” I cautioned as we ascended the steps.

“Not a problem.” She clutched Pebbles to her chest.

Once on the second floor, I led her to the front bedroom that doubled as an office-slash-library. An oversize, velvety-soft, gray chair dominated the far corner by the window. A gray and cream throw sat haphazardly over the arm, as though she’d tossed it aside to get up after snuggling in with a good book.

Closer to us, an oak desk and gray leather executive’s chair took up space in front of a wall of bookcases, all of which were stuffed full. Small potted plants dotted the shelves, some of them cascading gently over the edge. On the floor, a pale pink and yellow, delicate floral rug covered part of the beige carpet. It was a rather cozy space.

Only the sheer cream curtains fluttering in the ice-cold breeze coming through the window ruined the atmosphere.

“He dove through that window when I came up the stairs.” I nodded toward it. “Is there anything in here with any value?”

Her midnight blue gaze ran over the room, a small frown dipping between her brows. “Not really. My laptop is still in my bag downstairs. I keep some records in the desk drawer, but anything truly important is locked in the filing cabinet in the closet.” She pointed to the closed door on the far side of the room.

I set my evidence kit on the floor and opened it, taking out a pair of black nitrile gloves. After putting them on, I picked up the fingerprint powder and a fluffy brush, then crossed to the closet and dusted the doorknob.

Leaning in, I squinted at what the powder revealed. “There are a couple of prints here, but they’re probably yours.” I glanced at her over my shoulder. “We need to fingerprint you before I leave.”

Mouth flat, she nodded.

Lifting the prints, I stowed the cards in the kit, then opened the closet. Her filing cabinet sat against the back wall amidst a suitcase and a plastic tote, seemingly untouched.

Once again, I dusted for prints, then tried the drawers. They were all locked.

“I don’t think he got into these.” I peered at the lock. “They don’t look tampered with. Where do you keep the key?”

Her mouth twisted. “In my desk.”

It was my turn to frown. That was a terrible place to put a filing cabinet key. It was the first spot anyone would look.

She huffed. “Don’t give me that look. I know it’s dumb, but this is Parker’s Landing. I’m not even sure why I keep the drawers locked.

I tipped my head. She had a point. I hadn’t been in town long, but as part of orienting myself to the area, I’d studied crime statistics. There really wasn’t much.

Leaving the closet, I asked her to show me where she kept the key. After dusting for prints again, I opened the drawer and found it. Exactly where she said it would be.

“Let’s see if you had a considerate burglar.” Key in hand, I traipsed back to the closet and unlocked the filing cabinet’s top drawer. Claire peered over my shoulder as I leafed through the files.

“It looks like it’s all there.”

Shutting the drawer, I moved to the next one, and then the next. The intruder hadn’t taken any of the contents.

“Let’s check your bedroom.” Closing the bottom drawer with a thunk, I stood up and led her from the room after collecting my evidence kit.

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