She saw the quizzical look that came over his face as he glanced at her. About to ignore it, she reminded herself that she was the one who had brought the subject up in the first place. That meant she owed him an explanation.
“My mother took off when Nik and I were both really young. What I remember of my mother was a flurry of blond hair and really blue eyes. And a frown,” she added after a long beat. “An incredibly deep, down-to-the-bone frown.”
“A frown?” he questioned.
“Mother was always frowning,” she told Morgan. “Like she had bitten into a really sour piece of lemon.” Krys drew her shoulders back, a soldier bracing herself to go into a particularly tough battle. “How did we even get to this topic?”
There was an accusatory note in her voice. As a rule, Krys didn’t like remembering her mother. Didn’t like remembering how abandoned she had felt. Trying to shield her sister from that feeling was the only thing that had kept her going.
“You were pointing out how much our childhood memories differed from one another,” he told her simply as he pulled into the rear police parking lot.
Without realizing it, Krys tried to distance herself from him and from the situation he had unwittingly made her unearth.
“I think that was established. You had a loving mother who didn’t want to leave you. I had one who couldn’t get away fast enough.” She changed the subject so quickly, he nearly sustained whiplash. “Just who is this person you’re bringing me to see?” she asked.
Morgan pulled up into his assigned parking spot two rows in. “You know,” he told her, “it’s probably easier just to show you.”
After coming to a full stop, Morgan got out of his vehicle. Krys was already out on her side. It made him think of the phrase “hit the ground running.” It was undoubtedly her motto.
“By the way,” Krys said as they went up the stairs to the back entrance, “how long do you think they’re going to have to hold on to my car?”
She saw the side of his mouth curve and thought that didn’t bode well for her.
“Despite what you see on TV, it does take a bit of time to process a crime scene, especially a mobile one,” Morgan told her. “But I’m sure the chief will do his best to reunite you with your car as soon as possible, although that’s kind of a moot point right now,” he added.
“Why would it be moot?” she asked as they entered the building.
“Because, for the time being, I’ll be driving you to and from wherever it is that you have to go. I’m your shadow for now, remember?” he asked far too cheerfully.
“Then you were being serious earlier?” Krys had hoped that Cavanaugh was just exaggerating and that once they got the trace on Bluebeard underway, Morgan Cavanaugh, as handsome as he might be, would just slip into the background while she went about doing her job.
“Deadly serious,” he told her as they stepped into the elevator. “You should only pardon the pun.”
A few choice words came to mind, but she let them go. Seeing that he pressed the B button, she asked him about their destination. “We’re going to the basement?”
“I see nothing gets past you,” Morgan quipped.
“I thought all the major police departments were located above the first floor.”
“Who told you that?” Not waiting for an answer, he said, “Both the computer lab and the crime scene investigative departments are located in the basement.” Before she could ask why, he said, “They tend to think of themselves as being in a world apart from the other departments. And just so you know, this is also where the medical examiners do their work. The morgue was moved to the basement from an off-site area a few years ago.”
That sounded positively gruesome to her. “You mean the morgue’s down here as well?”
The elevator came to a halt, opening its doors to the basement. His hand on her elbow, Morgan subtly ushered her out.
“It has to be. Otherwise, the MEs wouldn’t have very much to examine except for each other,” he said as he led her down a winding corridor.
Coming to a swinging door, he pushed it open and then held it for her, waiting for her to follow him.
When she did, she saw that the hallway broke off into two separate directions.
“Which way?” she asked when he remained standing there, waiting for her.
Morgan smiled at her. “That way,” he said, pointing to the left, where the computer lab was situated. “Unless you want to see how the investigation into your car is coming first.”
She just wanted to get this over with. “We can save that for later,” Krys answered. “Take me to your computer genius.”
“Good word,” he said with approval. “‘Genius.’ Valri will like that.”
They went through another set of doors before they finally reached the computer lab. There were several desks in the area with computer monitors on them. The computers were all being manned by various computer techs, each with an abundance of degrees that would intimidate the average person.
The sound of keys clicking in staccato rhythm blended in with the sound of soothing instrumental music that was playing in the background.
Motioning for Krys to follow him, Morgan brought her over to an isolated area where a woman with hair the color of deep honey sat working, her fingers flying over the keyboard so quickly, Krys marveled that they didn’t somehow manage to tie themselves up into knots.
It wasn’t until Morgan stopped right in front of the woman’s desk that Valri even became aware of his presence in the area. Whatever greeting she was going to offer Morgan faded in the wake of her obvious surprise and, belatedly, her delight.
“Nikki! I’m surprised to see you back so soon,” Valri cried. “But I tend to lose track of time when I’m
