Page 8 of Colton's Second Chance
While Noelle carried a clipboard with forms to a chair in a corner of the reception area, Eli left a message for the forensic expert, Scott Montgomery, to come up to his office as soon as he was available.
His business finished, he had no real reason to hang around the medical examiner’s office. But neither was he ready to leave when he had this chance to talk to Noelle. She was still dabbing at her eyes and blowing her nose with the crumpled tissue as she completed the documentation for the release of Allison’s body.
She could deny it all she wanted, but she needed support today and an opportunity to blow off steam. Knowing Noelle was not from Shelby and hadn’t been back to Anchorage in years, he doubted she still knew anyone in Alaska, other than her aunt and uncle. They obviously would not be a source of comfort and strength during Noelle’s time of shock and grief.
Squaring his shoulders, Eli decided he’d wait in the lobby for Noelle. Whether she wanted his help or not, he would stand by her and give her all the support and friendship she would need for the coming days—because he knew burying her sister and hearing details about how Allison died would take its toll on Noelle.
Chapter 3
Noelle was emotionally drained after the confrontation with her aunt and uncle, signing the paperwork to claim Allison’s body…and running into Eli. She had to have the worst luck imaginable to have timed her trip to the ME’s office such that she ran intobothher hateful relativesandthe man she’d most wished to avoid while in Alaska.
Before leaving the medical examiner’s office, she donned her knit hat and zipped her coat, bundling up before heading out in the cold Alaskan autumn. She had her head down, pulling on her gloves when she heard someone call her name.
Her heart lurched as she snapped her head up and spotted Eli crossing the lobby. Of course he’d waited for her. She’d been foolish to think he’d give up so quickly and leave her alone for the duration of her stay, now that the initial contact had been made.
She grabbed for her composure with both hands, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin.
“Hi,” he said as he approached, his head tipped to one side as he studied her expression. “I’m glad I caught you before you left.”
“Isn’t that why you’re out here? You were waiting for me.” She turned and stalked outside toward her rented car.
He didn’t deny it. Instead, he bobbed a nod and caught her arm. “Wouldn’t you rather talk inside, out of the cold?”
Noelle shook her head. “Just tell me what you want. Why did you wait for me?”
“Because we haven’t talked in years. I’m interested in what you’ve been doing,howyou’ve been doing. And…well, after that scene in the lobby with your aunt and uncle, I really thought you might want to vent to someone. Blow off steam. I can’t drink on duty, but I know a place we can get lunch, and you can get a glass of wine or a Moscow mule if you want.”
Her pulse thumped.Moscow mulewas far too specific to be random. He’d remembered her favorite cocktail all these years. She didn’t want to be impressed or, worse,touchedthat he remembered that detail about her. Yet the tug in her core was undeniable. For him to have held on to that tidbit meant he either had a great memory for details or she’d mattered enough to him that he’d tried to remember such things about her. She hoped it was the former. As a cop—or rather an agent with the Major Crimes Division of the Alaska Bureau of Investigation—he would need an eye and memory for detail. She’d go with that.
She opened her mouth to refuse his invitation, when a new thought occurred to her.He’s in charge of the murder investigation.The serial killer investigation. If she was going to get details about what happened to Allison, who better to question than Eli? She could lean on their former relationship to beg the favor of inside information. Surely he wouldn’t deny her the truth about her sister’s case?
“Fine. We can get lunch. But I’ll take my rental car and meet you.” She aimed her thumb toward the small sedan she’d picked up at the airport after she’d landed last night.
Eli shrugged. “All right.” He gave her the name and address of the sports bar and grill he had in mind, and once in her car, she plugged the information into the rental’s GPS.
Ten minutes later, she and Eli were tucked in an intimate corner booth ordering drinks—coffee for him and a local beer for her. She’d have liked a Moscow mule, but she didn’t want him to know how on the nose he’d been.
After the waiter left, Eli smiled broadly and exhaled. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you, Noelle.” His brow dipped, and his expression sobered. “And also how sorry I am for the circumstances. When the report with the identification came through—” He dragged a hand over his mouth. “Well, it was a real shock for me, too. I can only imagine how hard this must be for you.”
“Difficult, yes. But… Allison and I haven’t been close in a long time. She’s my sister and I love her, but—” Noelle heard what she’d said and hesitated. “Shewasmy sister.” She leaned back against the booth cushions with a sigh. “Dang. The reality is still settling in. It’s so…unreal.” Flattening both hands on the tabletop, she pinned a probing stare on Eli. “So…a serial killer? Seriously?”
“Looks that way.”
He reached out, covering one of her hands with his. The warmth of his palm against her cold skin felt delicious. Reckless.
She slid her hand out from under his, scowling her disapproval at him. “Eli, this isn’t—” She waved a hand between them, searching for the right word. A date? She didn’t want to plant that idea if she had read him wrong. “We’re not—I don’t want—”
A weary look filled his eyes. “Yeah, I get that. But for old times’ sake, can’t we be civil? Maybe even be friends?”
She’d sound like a real witch if she denied him that much after all these years. Besides, if she wanted him to share information with her, it didn’t serve her cause to be adversarial with him. Puffing her cheeks out, she exhaled her concession. “Okay.Friends.”
She made sure the word carried weight, so that he got the message that was all she could be. All her heart could take. Telling him goodbye once had been the hardest thing she’d everdone. To foster false hope of a reunion and break with him again would destroy her.
The waiter brought their drinks, and Noelle took a few large gulps of her beer before lifting her gaze to Eli again. “Tell me about the case. For starters, why was Allison brought here to Shelby? Last I heard, she lived in Anchorage, and I’m guessing the ABI office there is bigger, better equipped.”
He arched a dark brown eyebrow. “Our office is smaller, yes, but we have access to all the same resources. And our people are top-notch. As far as why she was brought to the ME here in Shelby…” he paused and laced his fingers as he rested his hands on the table “…because Asher and I are the ones working the case. We’re based here. And she and the first body were found closer to Shelby than any of the other satellite offices.”
Noelle’s stomach flip-flopped. Between the penetrating and memory-evoking blue of his eyes and the unsettling facts she was grappling with, she wasn’t sure how she would eat anything. “How…how many other victims have you found?”
