Page 59 of Shadow Sabotage
“Oh, yes,” she agreed, nodding.
“This is my first time in the area,” he continued, his tone casual. “Makes me want to come back in the winter. I bet this is a fabulous place for winter sports. Skiing, snowmobiling…”
He trailed off, giving her a warm smile.
I bit my lip to hide my grin. I knew exactly what he was doing.
But Leslie was only focused on him. “You absolutely should come back in the winter,” she agreed, her eyes lighting up.
“If I do, will you take me snowmobiling? I’ve always wanted to try it.” He winked at her.
She laughed and trailed a finger up his bicep. “I’m afraid you’ll have to find someone else for that. I preferindoorsports.” The look she gave him was full of meaning.
Gag me.
He chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She kept her arm in his, brushing her body against him as they walked toward the front door together. Both of them seemed to forget I even existed.
Jealousy, fierce and furious, flared inside me. I was grateful their backs were to me so that I didn’t have to maintain my poker face for one more second.
Chapter Twenty
Vance
“Nice work in there,”I said, offering Deputy Hawkins a compliment as she slid into the front seat.
She scowled at me. “Ididn’t do anything. Although, I’m not sure you did, either, unless you want me to congratulate you on picking up a surefire date any time you want it. Didn’t know flirting was part of the job.” Daggers shot out of her eyes.
I looked at her, amused. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were jealous.”
“Jealous? Please.” She rolled her eyes and huffed.
“If you want me to flirt withyou, all you have to do is ask.” I winked.
“I’m not interested in Leslie Evans’ leftovers,” she said, shooting me a look.
A look that was still so full of fire I began to wonder if she actuallywasjealous.Thatwas a very interesting thought.
“When you’re questioning someone, you use the best tool for the job.” I shifted into reverse and began backing out of the longdriveway. “Leslie was clearly someone who responds to flattery. She’s also protective of her son and was giving us rehearsed answers instead of opening up. Best move in that situation is to be nonthreatening, make her feel like I’m on her side. Makes it more likely I’ll get something useful.”
“You’re probably right,” she admitted. “I’ve noticed Sheriff McGrath takes that approach a lot, too. Not the flirting, I mean. But making people feel like he’s on their side.”
I shrugged. “I’m not surprised. He’s an elected official. It’s his job to make people feel like he’s on their side—even when he’s not. Sometimes, winning trust is half the battle.”
She screwed up her lips. “Winning trust is not my strong suit.”
“I think you’re wrong about that.”
“Really?”
“Rob trusts you,” I pointed out. “So did Elsa. Even Sheriff McGrath trusts you. He wouldn’t have assigned you this case otherwise.”
“True.” She sighed. “But I could never have been as nice to Leslie as you were.”
“At least you know yourself,” I said, grinning. “But you did a decent job covering up your obvious disdain for her. You didn’t screw anything up by opening your mouth like you were dying to do.”
She scowled again.
