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He swore. “Don’t move. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Hold tight.”
The call ended.
While I waited for him, I sat at the dining table in the living area and opened the camera app on my phone. I fast-forwarded through the footage from this morning and last night. I’d gotten as far back as yesterday afternoon without seeing anyone other than Duke or me when there was a knock at the door. I hurried down the hall and yanked it open. Nate pulled me into a hug, and I buried my face against the side of his neck and breathed in his comforting masculine scent.
“It’s okay,” he soothed, rubbing my back. “We’re going to figure this out.”
I drew away, sniffling, and finally realized he wasn’t alone. Constable Mehrtens stood behind him, her expression neutral. Embarrassment roared through me. I prided myself on being calm and collected. It was one thing for Nate to see me fall apart, but I’d rather not have Mehrtens witness it too.
“I’m sorry.” I cleared my throat, trying to be more businesslike. “Thank you for coming.”
“We got here as soon as we could.” Nate searched my eyes as though worried I might be about to burst into tears. “Why don’t you show us where the ring was? Mehrtens is trained in evidence collection. She can dust for prints and check whether the thief left any trace of themself behind.”
I nodded and met Mertens’s gaze. The uniformed officer was younger than me and stood ramrod straight, reaching a height of perhaps five foot five. Her sandy-blonde hair was tucked into a tight bun at the back of her head. She held a small kit—presumably to collect the evidence.
“This way.” I waved them in.
Duke ran out of the living area and skidded to a stop near my feet. He ignored Nate in favor of barking at Mehrtens, who seemed taken aback.
“Sorry about that.” I grabbed him by the collar. “I’ll put him in the office until you’re done.”
I escorted the dog safely to the office and shut him inside with a couple of toys, then returned to the hall and led the two police officers to my bedroom. It was only as they entered that it occurred to me that Nate hadn’t been in here before. At least, not for a long time. Suddenly, I felt exposed.
Mehrtens put gloves on and began running through a meticulous process. Nate sat on the end of my bed and patted it for me to join him. I did, hyperaware that the man of my dreams and I were sitting on a bed together. Thank god for Mehrtens or my mind might go places I couldn’t afford for it to go.
“So, you noticed the missing ring this morning?” Nate asked.
“That’s right.”
“But you’re not sure when you last saw it?”
I sighed. “No, but probably within the last couple of weeks. I’ve gone through the security footage from last night and this morning, and nobody had come into the room other than me.”
“That’s a good starting point,” he said. “Do you mind giving Mehrtens access to the recording so she can check further back?”
“Okay.” I’d thought he might ask as much, and I was just grateful it would be Mehrtens watching me sleep rather than him. I’d be horrified to discover I said his name in my dreams or anything else humiliating.
“Can you describe the ring?” he asked.
I shrugged. “It’s a simple gold band. Just a standard wedding ring.”
Was it just me, or did his upper lip curl?
“Has anything else been stolen?” he asked.
“Not that I can tell, but I haven’t done a thorough search.”
“I’ll need you to do that as soon as you can.”
“Okay.” I’d get onto it when he left. A thought occurred to me. “I’ve had a couple of other things go missing lately. A blouse and a tube of lipstick. The other day, I thought it looked like someone had gone through one of my drawers.”
Nate’s cheeks were slowly turning red the way they did when he tried to suppress his temper. I knew he wasn’t mad at me, just the situation. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I bit my lip. “I told myself I’d misplaced them. I thought I was being paranoid because of Kennedy’s kidnapping. I’ve been on edge for months, so it made sense it was just an extension of that. And what was I supposed to say about the drawer? Nobody took anything. There wasn’t a crime to solve.”
“Unlawful entry.” He waved a finger at me emphatically. “Disturbing your peace of mind. If that’s not a crime, it ought to be.”
His miffed attitude brought a small smile to my face. “Yeah, it should be.”
