Page 7 of Colton's Second Chance
Clyde Gates, clearly not wanting to press the issue, shuffled up to his wife and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go, Jean. We’ll let the lawyers handle it.”
“No! I—” Jean met the uncompromising glare from her husband and snapped her mouth shut. With a disgruntled huff, she shot Noelle a narrow look. “This matter is not closed.” Turning on her heel, the woman tromped outside into the icy November day.
After the door swished closed behind the older couple, Eli faced Noelle. “Are you all right?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m fine. But maybe you should get your hearing checked. I said I didn’t want your help.”
“I heard you.” He took a step closer to her, wanting to draw her into his arms and hug her, hold her, kiss her again after so many years apart. Instead, he curled his fingers into his palms, squelching the desire to reach for her. Her body language—arms folded over her chest, her jaw clamped tight, her eyebrows lowered—said she wanted no part of this reunion. He sighed.As if her ghosting you for the past thirteen years hasn’t sent that message already.“Maybe I didn’t like the way they were treating you, not listening to the legal facts.”
She grunted. “Nothing I haven’t dealt with most of my life.” She blinked rapidly and angled her head away, but not before he saw the bloom of her tears.
Compassion and longing shoved aside restraint, and he laid a hand near her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Noelle. I never knew you—”
“Of course you didn’t know. I never told you. On purpose.”
“If you want to go somewhere more private, maybe get lunch, we could talk about it. You could vent to me.”
She started toward the coroner’s office, effectively removing his hand from her upper back. “I never said anything to you because I wanted to leave it behind. So why would I talk about it now?” With one final glance at Eli, she strode briskly toward the inner sanctum of the medical examiner’s office.
“Because you’re upset, and sometimes it helps to let off steam?” he said, keeping pace with her. “Can we not be friends, even if you don’t want a deeper relationship?”
“Can I help you?” the receptionist in the medical examiner’s office asked as Noelle stepped up to her desk.
“Yes. I’m Noelle Harris. I’m Allison Harris’s sister, and I’m here to—” Noelle fell silent.
Eli angled his head toward her, and his chest squeezed, seeing her face crumple and tears break free from her eyelashes. He edged closer to her, his voice low and sympathetic. “Noelle…”
She raised a hand, holding him off as she sniffed. “I’m here to c-claim her body.”
The receptionist yanked a facial tissue from the box on her desk and handed it to Noelle. “Of course, dear. Let me gather the paperwork. I’ll need to see two forms of identification, please.” The woman turned to Eli. “Are you here with Ms. Harris, Agent Colton, or was there something I can do for you?”
“I, uh, originally came to speak to Scott Montgomery about the Fiancée Killer case, but I ran into Noelle—Ms. Harris—in the lobby. Is Scott around?”
Noelle blew her nose on the tissue and wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. “Fiancée Killer? Is that what you’re calling the case? Is that who killed Allison?”
Eli took another tissue from the receptionist’s box and handed it to her. “Well, that’s what we’re calling the case now. The local media coined the term, because all the victims so far are wearinga diamond ring. Or a fake diamond anyway, clearly meant to look like an engagement solitaire.”
Something in Noelle’s expression shifted. “Even Allison? She was wearing one of these rings?”
Eli hesitated. He could understand why Noelle had questions. Having been living in Seattle, she’d have only recently heard of the serial killer he and the rest of local law enforcement had been tracking. She’d have not been privy to the media coverage as each body had been found and the links in the case pieced together.
As Eli debated what and how much to tell Noelle, the receptionist said, “Let me just go get the forms for Ms. Harris, and I’ll see if the ME is available to speak to you, Agent Colton.”
Eli nodded his thanks to the woman then pivoted back to Noelle. “I can’t go into many of the details, but…yes. Allison was wearing a ring. That and…” he cleared his throat “…the way her body was posed when the searchers found her are why we consider her one of the Fiancée Killer’s victims.”
Noelle pressed a hand to her mouth, shaking her head. “Geez, that’s…sick. Does that mean she…had a relationship with this creep? That she dated him or—” Her nose crinkled as if she couldn’t stand to voice the other possibilities.
“We really don’t know that yet. And even as a family member, you’re not allowed to—” Eli stopped short, seeing the shift in her expression.
“Not allowed? Are you saying you won’t tell me what’s happening in the investigation to findmy sister’s murderer?”
“I’m sorry, Noelle. But there are rules and restrictions about how much information we can reveal to the public, including family members. Policies regarding how an investigation is handled are put in place to ensure the case isn’t tainted or suspects tipped off or evidence jeopardized.”
She opened her mouth as if to argue the point, but the receptionist returned at that moment. “Here we are. I’ll need you to fill out all of these forms, sign and date them. May I see your two forms of ID now?”
Noelle dug in her purse and produced her driver’s license and some other small card Eli couldn’t read from where he stood. The receptionist glanced to Eli then. “Mr. Montgomery is in the middle of an autopsy at the moment, but if you’d like to schedule an appointment to meet with him tomorrow, I can see what time is available.”
Eli sighed. He hated delays, especially now that the Fiancée Killer case was finally beginning to develop. “All right.”
