Page 20 of Colton's Second Chance
“Yeah, vamoose!” Asher waved a file folder, swatting at the hip Scott had propped on Asher’s desk. “City desk is waiting on your report on last night’s Jane Doe.”
Scott snorted and slid off the desk. “Spoilsports. It was just getting interesting in here.” He nodded to Noelle. “Nice to see you again. Maybe we can get coffee and discuss your program some other time?”
She gave him a stiff smile. “Maybe.”
Once Scott was gone, she turned back to Eli, who was frowning. “What?”
“He was flirting with you.”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, he wasn’t.”
Asher scoffed. “He flirts all the time with Kansas, too. Drives me nuts.”
“Why would that bother you?” Eli asked.
His partner shrugged. “No reason. Forget I said anything.” Lifting a notepad, he deftly changed the subject. “We were talking about our latest Jane Doe.”
Noelle sat taller, her interest engaged. “You were saying she doesn’t fit the profile of the Fiancée Killer’s other victims.”
“Right. So just focus on what’s here—” Eli unplugged a flash drive from his desktop and handed it to her “—and here.” After rummaging through a stack of papers, he extracted a thick file. “Everything we’ve compiled on the case is in your hands now. Protect it. It’s confidential for a reason.”
She bobbed a nod. “Understood.”
“How long do you think it will take your program to analyze all that material?” Asher asked.
“Not long, once I get it all fed in. It’s transferring the data that will take a while.” She stood. “Well, I’ll let you get back to work.”She hefted the massive paper file. “I have a full day ahead of myself, it seems.”
Eli rose from his desk and escorted her back to the lobby. “Don’t wait until you’ve gone through everything to report back. If you spot anything irregular or telling, call me immediately. Last night’s Jane Doe may not have been one of the Fiancée Killer’s victims, but he’s still out there, and there’s no telling when he might kill again.”
Back at her hostel, Noelle set up a workstation on the tiny café table in the kitchenette. After brewing herself a cup of tea, she got to work, entering and double-checking the information in the files.
Though the input of data was tedious, she knew a sense of purpose. She was finally doing something useful while she waited for Allison’s remains to be released. The notion that she could even help narrow the scope of the investigation and bring the killer to justice fueled her when her muscles grew achy from sitting in the hard chair. After hours of staring at the laptop screen, her sight blurred.
Deciding she needed a break and a meal, Noelle ventured out from her hostel around four that afternoon. Darkness was already gathering as she strolled the sidewalk down the quaint town street. Before long, she found the bookshop Eli must have been referring to at their dinner earlier in the week.
When she stepped inside, a tiny bell tinkled over the door, and a voice called from the back of the shop. “Hello! Please have a look around. I’ll be right with you.”
Noelle headed for the fiction shelves, admiring the stationery display and greeting cards as she passed them. Stopping at the end of the first shelf of novels, she was engrossed in the selection of books when she felt something brush her leg. Startled, shegasped as she glanced down to find a cat rubbing against her shin. “Well, hello, kitty.”
She squatted to pat the feline, remembering that the cat was how the subject of the bookstore came up at dinner.
“Is Igor bothering you? I can put him in the backroom.”
She stood, shaking loose fur from her fingers, to greet the woman who approached from the back of the shop. “Not at all. I love cats, but my current landlord doesn’t allow pets. Igor was just convincing me it was time I moved to a more pet-friendly building.”
“Well then, good job, Igor.” The shop clerk smiled. “Can I help you find anything?”
“No, thanks. Just browsing.”
The bell jangled again, and both the clerk and Noelle glanced toward the door. If Noelle hadn’t already recognized the attractive brunette woman who breezed in, the store clerk’s greeting confirmed the new arrival’s identity.
“Hi there, Kansas! How can I help you? Are you ready for the next book in theOutlanderseries now?”
“Soon. I haven’t had a lot of time to read lately, but I have some time coming around Christmas to curl up by the fire and dive in. I’m actually here for a birthday card. The family is having a big dinner this weekend for Aunt Sasha’s birthday, and I need a card to go with the scarf I got her.” Kansas spotted Noelle, and her expression brightened. “Oh hi! Noelle, isn’t it?”
Noelle returned a smile. “That’s right. Good memory.”
Kansas turned her attention to the card rack but said, “I hear you and Eli have been spending a good bit of time together since you got to town. In fact, a little bird at the ABI office says you’re consulting on the investigation. Is that true?”
