Page 84 of Taken Away

Heat curled again, lower this time, before she could stop it.

For one suspended second, neither of them moved. Neither looked away.

A heavy knock sounded against the glass.

Both of them jerked apart.

Sheriff Burke Scott stood outside the office. One look at his face erased every trace of humor from the room.

He stepped inside and quietly closed the glass doors behind him. The soft click seemed unnaturally loud.

Something about Burke’s face instantly set Bennett on edge.

Burke wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t making small talk. His expression was set, his eyes tired in a way Aubrey hadn’t seen before.

“Bennett.”

Bennett straightened.

“What happened?”

Burke paused, his gaze touching on Aubrey for a beat before he answered.

“We got the final report back from the Medical Examiner.”

A cold knot tightened in Aubrey’s stomach.

Burke’s attention shifted between them, then settled on her.

Burke took another slow breath.

"The Medical Examiner amended the report."

Silence settled over the room.

"Mabel's death..."

He paused.

"...has been ruled a homicide."

The word didn't belong beside Mabel. Not beside the woman whose office she was standing in. Not beside the mountains outside the window.

Not beside yesterday's burgers and laughter.

It refused to settle into anything her mind could understand.

Bennett stared at Burke, his jaw rigid, before he blinked as if trying to clear his vision. “What?”

“A homicide,” Burke said quietly.

“No.” The answer came immediately. Flat. Certain. Bennett shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense. I found her.”

His voice dropped. “She was in bed. She looked like she’d fallen asleep reading. The book was still there. Her glasses were there. Moose was losing his mind outside the door, and I still thought it was nothing.”

“Hell, Sara Parker was standing right there when Kincaid looked at her.” His eyes locked onto Burke. “I heard him. ‘Most likely natural causes.’ Nobody said homicide. Nobody even hinted at homicide. Those were his words. So how does this suddenly become murder?”

Burke exhaled slowly.