“Where’s the witness?” Ryan turned to look at the patrol officer who had brought them in.
“Over there.” Mike nodded outside to the opposite side of the driveway. There was a woman crouched down, sitting on the curb with her knees up and her head between them.
Nerves fluttered uneasily in Ryan’s stomach, and she shoved them away as she headed back outside, leaving Dane to supervise the crime scene. Of the two of them, she was the people person. There was something about the woman that was familiar, but she ignored it. She was dressed plainly, in jeans and a sweatshirt. Something moved, catching Ryan’s attention. Then she realized it was a dog. A beagle, to be precise.
Mike gestured to her, and Ryan started walking forward. “The witness’s name is Olivia Evans,” he started.
Ryan stopped listening. She stopped walking, too. Her stomach had given up on butterflies and turned into a fierce ocean storm instead. Nerves thrummed through her body, and her heart was racing. Her throat was dry, her palms sweaty. Was it nerves? Or desire?
With Liv, she never knew.
“Olivia, this is Detective Olsen.” Mike introduced the woman as she stood and turned to face Ryan.
Memories flashed through Ryan’s mind like a projector had laid them out.
Their mouths meeting, their bodies twining together.
Ryan reaching out to help her, and Liv pushing her away.
The moment they joined together.
The moment they broke apart.
“Liv,” Ryan managed.
“Ryan.” Liv seemed equally stunned.
Liv looked just as beautiful as she had been in high school. Dark hair, tied back in a ponytail. Sharp brown eyes, piercing Ryan’s blue ones even now. Her upper lip was thinner than the bottom one, but still kissable. Her nose was as sharp as her eyes, but it worked on her face.
Liv’s face was pale. Shock. Ryan had seen that expression on many witnesses. Soon her body would start to shake, and the world would feel too small. She gestured to one of the paramedics, grabbing a warm blanket and wrapping it around Liv’s shoulders.
Even after ten years apart, after everything that they had been through, the physical response was still there. Ryan’s blood was heating, warmth pooling in her middle. Shit. She hadn’t seen Liv in a decade and she could still do that to her.
“You found the body?” Ryan tried to shift into professional detective mode. Concerned, caring, and disconnected, all at the same time.
“Yeah.” Liv exhaled.
Ryan nodded, trying to draw more out of her. But as ever, Liv was a closed book. She was short, about five foot four, with a slender body that was curved at the chest and hips. Her breasts were perfect, just big enough for Ryan’s hands, and her body had fit so well against hers.
And there Ryan was, failing at the whole professionalism thing. Shit. This was so not the time and place.
“What brought you here?” Ryan decided to start generic.
Liv cleared her throat. She also didn’t meet Ryan’s eyes. “I came to visit Cairo.” She shrugged awkwardly. “She always comes into my coffee shop on a Wednesday and when she didn’t show, I decided to bring her favorite pastry to her in person.”
“Did she know you were coming?” Ryan asked. She was taking notes now, because a documentation of the conversation was as important as her memory. She knew Cairo, they had gone to high school together and she had been one of Liv’s friends.
“No.” Liv shook her head to punctuate her point. “I didn’t call.”
“Do you have her number?”
“Yeah.” Liv touched her pocket, presumably where her phone was. “We texted occasionally when I came back.”
Ryan nodded, jotting that down as professionally as she could. “And when did you return to town?” It was a question Ryan knew the answer to. Dane had been the one to break the news that Liv was back, and that she had taken over the coffee shop. Not that it had provided Ryan any incentive to go there. No, she had been trying to avoid this exact situation.
This time, for the first time since they had seen each other, Liv met her eyes. They were like molten chocolate, burning straight into Ryan’s middle. Not that Ryan could read what her face said. Liv was as guarded as any royal jewelry. “I came back a month ago.”
Ryan wanted to ask more, wanted to ask why, but it wasn’t relevant to the conversation and she was already pushing her luck. She sped through the next few questions, discouraged by Liv’s answers. No, she hadn’t seen anyone suspicious. No suspicious cars, either.
Then Liv’s eyes went unfocused, a hint of a frown on her face.
“What?” Ryan looked at her sharply.
“There was a strange woman at my coffee shop.” Liv tightened her grasp on the leash she held, winding it around her hand. The beagle hadn’t moved from beside her. “I didn’t recognize her, and I don’t think she was a local.”
Ryan nodded, jotting this down. “Could you give me a description of her?” It may have not been anything, but it wasn’t like they were in the way to get a ton of strangers. It was only those passing down the highway who needed to stop for gas, or a snack from the gas station.
“Blonde hair, blue eyes. Professionally dressed, like a lawyer or businesswoman.” The adorable crinkle that Ryan loved appeared above Liv’s nose as she thought. “Probably mid-thirties.”
Ryan nodded. “Anything else you can tell me?”
Liv met her eyes again. “No.”
Ryan nodded again, putting the pen and small notebook back in the pocket of her coat. “Thanks. Would you like a ride home? One of our patrol officers can take you.”
Liv shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Ryan studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Thanks for your cooperation.” Then she turned on her heel, heading back towards Dane who was near the door. The patrol officers would have already
