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He felt his eyebrows climb.
“The baby,” she clarified, as if he might have no idea what she was talking about. “I’ve decided I’m really happy about that. That’s less complicated, I think. Easier for me.”
“Because the dad won’t be around?” he ventured.
“Yeah.”
“You’re sure?”
She swallowed. One of her thumbs moved slowly over the top of her belly. “It’s…not possible.”
That could mean any number of things. Luke’s mind started turning over the possibilities, poking holes into the great mass of questions he had. But he forced his mind to step back and let it go. There was a father somewhere. Someone she loved or didn’t love. Someone she’d met once or known for years. It didn’t matter. It meant nothing. “I’m glad you’re feeling better,” he said simply.
“Thank you.”
A girl. Maybe Tessa would help him pick out a gift.
“Asher,” a voice said just before a hand dropped an envelope on his desk. “Your print.”
He was still muttering a thank-you when he ripped open the manila envelope and pulled out the paper. The name caught at him like barbed wire dragged across his mind. What the hell? He knew this name. How?
Almost frantic, he typed in the name and pulled up everything he could find. Still confused, he tossed the paper to Simone. “You know this guy?”
She shrugged and shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Shit.”
The guy had been processed at some point. He’d been fingerprinted, obviously, but there were no charges, just tickets. A few traffic tickets. One for drunk and disorderly years before, another ticket for possession of marijuana. Probably the guy had gone to the U. Is that why the name struck a chord?
He tapped a pencil against his forehead for a full minute. When that didn’t shake any thoughts loose, he pulled up Google and typed in the name. And the results hit him like a freight train.
Shit. This was serious. And he couldn’t say one word to Tessa. “I’ve got to call Denver.”
“What is it?” Simone asked.
“It’s a whole crapload of trouble, is what it is. And I think I know why those case files lost some of their contents.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“YOU’RE QUIET TONIGHT,” Tessa said as she pushed her fried chicken around on her plate. “Big murder investigation?”
He managed to crack a brief smile. “Nah. I just can’t seem to shut off work.”
“I understand. It’s hard to maintain interest after a full two weeks of dating.”
“Sorry,” he said, making an effort to relax. He aimed a pointed glance at the one lonely drumstick on her plate. “You’re pretty quiet yourself. Tired of me?”
“We’ll see. Maybe it’s your turn to bust out the fancy lingerie.”
“Did those Wonder Woman panties you had on yesterday count as fancy lingerie?”
“They seemed to do the trick for you, so they count.”
His smile lasted a lot longer this time. “I’ll try to step up my game, then.”
She laughed, but she still didn’t eat more.
“Dinner was great,” he said. “Thanks for cooking for me. I’m impressed.”
