Page 77 of Claiming Ours
I blew a raspberry. “I saw it on a crime show once where they did it with a human who had bitten their attacker. Anyway, I didn’t get every tooth, but maybe there are bits of the attacker in what I found. I put it in the medicine fridge and planned to bring it to you later today. If anything, maybe we could get DNA or something. It’s a long shot, I know?—”
“It is, but I’ll take any shot at this point. Good thinking, Baylee.”
“When will we hear from the coroner?” I whispered, not wanting Hank to hear.
Oliver stood straight, bumping into Ethan slightly. He froze, the two exchanging an odd look before Ethan cleared his throatand backed up to his spot in the doorway. Oliver tracked his every move before shaking his head and turning back to me.
Interesting.
“He said he’ll have the autopsy results in the next week or two. Not that I have much hope in his findings. The man should’ve retired a decade ago, but there isn’t anyone there to take his place.”
“Being a coroner in Anchorage probably isn’t on the top of people’s bucket lists,” I said with a snort. I shifted to the side to get a full view of Ethan. “What about you? Did you find anything yesterday in your search for her campsite or gear?”
Pulling out the band tying his hair back, he ruffled the long dirty-blond strands and sighed.
“I didn’t find shit, Baylee, which makes no damn sense. Even if the storm had destroyed her tent, there would be debris or her pack, or fuck, a pair of underwear in the trees.” He looked down at Hank. “I was hoping he was in okay enough shape to go out on the trail with me. Maybe he could show me where they camped or lead me to something of hers.”
I gazed down at Hank, who turned his eyes up to mine. “I can’t allow that, Ethan.” His shoulders rounded as he nodded. “I’m sorry. His injuries aren’t terrible, but they could be with too much stress on the fractures, and he’d be in a lot of pain.”
“We don’t want that, do we?” Oliver cooed at Hank. At my laughter, he cut those almost black eyes my way. “Did I tell you I’ve always wanted a dog?”
My heart fluttered at his words. “Really?” He nodded. “Hank would be an excellent partner. He’s already proven that, and he could withstand the cold temps here.”
“Just tossing it out there.” He checked his watch and cursed. “I need to meet my dad to update him on all this. I’m opening a formal investigation into her death.”
Remembering the evidence, I swiveled the chair around to open the small fridge door and handed the baggie to Oliver. He nodded grimly, eyeing the contents.
With one more head pat to Hank, Oliver squeezed past Ethan, who didn’t move an inch, just stared at Oliver with an arched brow.
“Later,” Oliver grumbled.
Ethan leaned back as far as he could without toppling over, watching the deputy leave. When he straightened and turned back toward the office, I raised a questioning brow.
Huffing a humorless laugh, Ethan ran his fingers through the wild strands of hair, gathering it back into a bun. “It’s a long story.”
“Hank and I—” I stopped when Elvis trotted into the office and plopped down next to Hank. “—and Elvis have all the time. My next appointment is in an hour, and my guys are in Caper, so….” I gestured for him to spill the tea.
“You know how we sometimes go to Anchorage to….” He paused, biting his full lower lip. “Let off steam.” He grimaced while looking anywhere but at me.
“You mean with women,” I said, unable to stop my wide smile. “We’re adults here, Ethan. You don’t have to be embarrassed to talk about sex.”
“Yeah, well, it’s just that he and I had never….” Ethan cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. A red tint stained his cheeks and the tips of his ears.Holy hell, what happened to get the most even-tempered man so flustered?“We always did our thing separate. He had his fun, I had mine, and then we would head back to Anchor Bay the next day.”
I nodded, unsure of where he was going with the story. “Okay.”
“Yeah, so we went to this bar, and there was this fucking smoke show. Alone. He and I started talking to her, and weboth realized we were totally into her. There was just something about….” He sighed, a small smile forming. “Anyway, not sure how it all happened, but the three of us ended up together, and things got—” Ethan cleared his throat, that red tint now a deeper crimson. “—close.”
“Close?” I leaned forward, pressing both elbows onto my knees.
“As in… fuck.” He scrubbed a hand over his beard. “I’ve never been so damn close to another guy’s junk before, Baylee. We’re not all doctors here.”
I barked a laugh, startling the two dogs and Ethan.
“First, I’m not a people doctor. The only balls I see at work are usually when I’m removing them.” Ethan winced, and I swear the dogs did too. “Second, okay, I understand the awkwardness between the two of you now.”
“That and….” He mumbled the rest under his breath.
“What was that?”
