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His skills in the sketching department put hers to shame.
“These are excellent. You captured a lot of detail.” She passed the notebook back.
“I’ve had a fair amount of practice.” He ripped out the pages and handed them to her. “You’ve got me for the whole day. I assume you want to concentrate on this room?”
In other words, after today he didn’t plan to hover or try to take charge.
Good. Having Sarge looking over her shoulder was bad enough.
“Yes. Let me haul in my tools and evidence containers.”
“I’ll give you a hand.”
She didn’t argue.
He fell into step beside her after they exited, but as they neared the front corner of the house, he stopped and dropped to one knee.
“What’s wrong?” She halted too.
“I spotted that earlier.” He indicated a shiny object in the grass next to the stone garden edging, partially hidden under debris from the fire.
“Why did it catch your attention?” She leaned down.
“Seems like an odd place to find such an intricate piece of glass. Look closer.”
She maneuvered herself to the ground beside him, ignoringthe protest from her hip and knee, and got up close and personal with the irregular, one-and-a-half-inch triangular shard. “It could be cut crystal.” And the location was odd.
“I wonder if it’s part of a drinking glass. Someone could have dropped it during an outdoor party.”
“I think it’s too thick to be from a glass. Besides, most people don’t entertain outdoors with fine crystal. If that’s what it is.”
“Do you think it’s worth documenting?”
Clearly he did, or he wouldn’t have brought it to her attention.
Was this some sort of test? An attempt to get a handle on her abilities?
She sent him a sidelong glance and found him watching her, his face mere inches away. At this proximity, it was impossible to miss the gold flecks in his irises or the faint aroma of aftershave that tickled her nose. And the magnetism he’d exuded earlier was amplified tenfold.
He tipped his head and raised an eyebrow. “No?”
What?
Forcibly shifting gears, she replayed their last exchange.
Oh. He’d asked about documenting the glass.
“Yes.” Her voice rasped, and she swallowed. “I, uh, agree it seems out of place.” Though truth be told, she’d walked past it all morning without ever noticing it.
Maybe her skillsweren’tup to par.
He spoke again, as if he’d read her mind. “The sun caught one of the facets as I passed by earlier. Otherwise, I would never have spotted it.”
His reply was matter-of-fact, but his comment felt like a reassurance.
More than a tad unnerving to think he could pick up on her thoughts so easily.
“Sometimes fate works in our favor.” Like the skateboard-toting kid who’d told her about the guy with the drone.
