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The doorbell rang as the printer spat out the last page of the report. She put it on her desk then walked toward the front entrance, pausing when she saw Mitch at the front door. He was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, his bulging biceps peeking out from the sleeves.
“Hi,” she said, opening the door.
“Sorry for turning up unannounced, but I have a few questions I’m hoping you might be able to help with,” he said. “May I come in for a few minutes?”
“Of course,” she said, stepping aside so he could enter. She hoped the puffiness around her eyes and the redness in her nose was gone. She would look like a wreck otherwise. She ran one hand over her hair, smoothing it down. She wished she’d brushed it earlier.
He gave her a small smile, then stepped inside.
Their eyes met briefly and she looked away, regretting it immediately.
“So, what can I help with?” she asked. She was in no hurry for him to leave, but she felt awkward.
“I’m looking into the Brandon Ross lead and I wondered if you could tell me whether any of these social-media profiles are his,” Mitch said, passing her his phone.
Zoe’s eyebrows lifted. “He’s actually a person of interest? I thought you might think I was being overly judgmental of him.”
“I’m looking at him,” Mitch said vaguely.
Zoe nodded as she scanned over the profiles. She shook her head. “No, none of them are him, but I have some other accounts we can try.”
He nodded and she led him toward her office where her phone and laptop were. She opened her Instagram account and searched his name. She looked over the profile photos, but none matched.
“Hmm,” she said, then tried the other sites she had accounts for. “It doesn’t look like he has any. That’s weird, right?”
Mitch frowned. “Weird, yes. It doesn’t make him a criminal, though. I really need a photo of him.”
“Can’t you get a copy of his driver’s license through the police system?” Zoe asked.
“I did, but I’d like to see another photo,” he said, and she got the feeling that he was hiding something—or rather there was more to this lead than he wanted to discuss.
“Oh, wait here,” she said as she went to the basement and retrieved the box of photos.
Mitch was sitting on her office chair when she walked in, his eyes on the report.
“Sorry, I wasn’t meaning to intrude, it’s just...”
She waved her hand, dismissing him. “It’s fine, it was sitting right on the desk.”
“Do you read this for fun, or...” he asked, not looking directly at her, but she didn’t think that was because of guilt. He was simply looking over the study.
She grinned. “Part fun, if I’m being honest, and part work. I worked on a few big research studies on criminal profiling years ago. My name was never on them because it was agency work for the government, but I thought I’d put those skills to work and do a profile for you. Obviously, I don’t know all of the case details, but I’ll put together what I can and give it to you. I’m not involved in these murders”—she paused when she saw the intensity of his eyes—“and I’m going to prove it. I’m tired of being a passenger in my life. I feel like I’ve spent the last few years just reacting to everything that was thrown at me. But now I’m going to do something useful. Admittedly, though, I’m a bit rusty. After my husband’s death...” She shook her head as her voice trailed off. “I didn’t work, I took some time off. Who knows, I might even go back to my private practice.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re leaving Redwater?” he asked, and something in the tone of his voice made her pause. She studied him for a moment but couldn’t read anything in his expression.
“No, I meant I’d open it here. Or I’d work remotely and do video sessions with patients if possible. It’s time to start picking up the pieces of my life... rebuilding something. Well, building anew, I suppose—there’s no putting back the pieces of my old life.”
He nodded understandingly. He looked like he was deciding whether or not to say something, but when he spoke she was glad he was braver than she was. “I’m glad you’re staying,” he said.
Their eyes met and the air left her lungs. Her legs felt weak and she couldn’t remember when she’d last felt like this. With her husband, certainly, but that had been so long ago.
A small smile curled her lips. “I came to Redwater to start over. It’s time to make that happen.”
A slow grin spread across his lips and he’d never looked more handsome. She couldn’t look away, but she couldn’t look at him either. She didn’t know where to look.
She cleared her throat. “Getting back on track... I was looking through some boxes of Lana’s things this morning. I found this photo... strangely, Brandon Ross is in it.” She opened the box and pulled out the photo, placing it on the desk.
The scent of his cologne made her heart race a little faster and she forced herself to take a calming breath.
