She ran cool water over the scalded patch on her hand. “I’m fine.”
When she turned off the water, Coop pulled more towels off the roll, and handed them to her. “I’m so sorry. Does it hurt much?”
She dabbed at her hand with the towel. “I’m fine, really.”
“I expected to see Eva.”
She shrugged. “I’m an early riser. Thought I’d go for a run.”
When she looked at him, once again he felt the tug of those fascinating eyes. Bone tired, his groin tightened in response, and his heart rate kicked up a notch. Down boy. Down.
She nodded toward the pot. “It’s fresh but may not be to your liking. I’m afraid I like it stronger than most folks. Since you weren’t back yet, and I didn’t know when you’d return, I made it to suit my taste.”
At the end of her rambling dissertation, she took a breath and reached for her mug, the tinge of a blush racing up her cheeks like a fever, eyes darting around the kitchen.
“I’m sure it’s fine. Besides, I’ll need the extra kick today.” He grabbed his favorite cup and took his time filling it before taking a cautious sip. His eyes widened in surprise. Perfection. He took another sip and savored the rich flavor as it passed over his tongue. “Umm…thought Eva was the only woman around who knew how to make good coffee.” His body vibrated with new life. “I was wrong.”
She glanced up, surprise and pleasure etched on her face. “Thank you. I, um, grew up drinking my dad’s cop-coffee as he called it. It’s what got me through med school, my residency and stuff. Can’t drink anything else now.”
He nodded, reluctant to leave, though he knew he needed to get a move on.
She sipped her coffee. “I guess –”
“Where’s Jack?”
“What? Oh, um, hiding under the table. I don’t think he wants to run today.”
Coop stooped over to check out the dog.
Jack lay sprawled out, head on his paws, eyes closed.
“Hey Big Fella, how’s it going?”
A light swish of his tail on the floor was the only indication he wasn’t dead. Coop chuckled. “Some bodyguard you got there.”
Sam set her cup on the counter, looking everywhere but at him. “Yeah, well, he has his moments. Besides, if he didn’t trust you, it would be a different story all together.”
Coop could certainly vouch for the protectiveness piece. Propped against the counter, he blew across his coffee before taking another drink, idly wondering if the warm feeling pulsing though his veins was the caffeine or the company. “I’ll need you to come down to the office later and give a formal statement.”
She nodded. “Any particular time?”
“Whatever works for you, but the sooner the better.”
“No problem.” She eased one hip against the counter beside him, compelling eyes now studying his face. “You’re exhausted. How long since you slept?”
For whatever reason, the hint of concern in her voice lifted his spirits. “I don’t even remember.” He drained his cup and set it on the counter. “Thanks for the coffee.” He turned toward the door to the dining room.
“Have you eaten?”
No mistaking it; concern. For reasons he chose not to examine, he liked it. “Junk food from the vending machine and piss-poor, uh, sorry, bad coffee at the morgue.”
“Eva left a sandwich in the fridge. I’m guessing sleep isn’t an option, but you really should eat it before you go out again. Trust me. I know what sleep deprivation and lack of decent food will do. You can’t be productive running on adrenalin and bad coffee.”
“I’ll get it on the way out.”
“Make sure you do.” She pushed away from the counter. “Doctor’s orders.”
His disposition took another upward climb. “Thanks, Doc.”
She nodded and walked out the back door, presumably for her morning run.
He paused, and snapped his fingers. Immediately, Jack opened his eyes and looked at him. “Go with her,” he said tightly, pointing to the back door. “There’s a murderer on the loose.”
Jack jumped up and waited for him to open the door before trotting out to catch up to Sam.
“No missing persons matching her description.”
While not surprising, JD’s report wasn’t what Coop wanted to hear. “Get out a teletype to Region 1. Prints will be in the system this morning. Maybe we’ll get lucky.” The dream’s warning popped into his head. “Look for anything similar.”
“Similar? You think there might be more?”
“Just covering all the bases. Cause of death is strangulation.”
Jimmy cleared his throat. “Was she raped?”
