An older lady walks into the room, wearing what could be considered a maid’s outfit. “Yes, Mrs. Bridden?” she asks.
“Please take the children to the playroom and tell Mrs. Donovan I will be speaking with her later,” she grits out.
“Yes, ma’am. Come children,” Mrs. Norris says softly before leading them upstairs.
“I apologize for the interruption of my children. Now, you said something has happened?” She sounds like she’s asking, but her face doesn’t look like she’s asking.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry to inform you, but your husband was attacked on the train this morning coming in from Largo, Maine, and he did not make it,” I tell her.
“I see. Was anyone with him?” she asks.
“Yes, ma’am, his assistant, and she didn’t make it either,” I tell her.
“His assistant,” she says with a laugh. “You mean his mistress.”
“Ma’am?” I ask questioningly.
“Oh, you weren’t told? Yes, my husband was having an affair with his secretary, how cliche, right?” she says with a laugh as she walks the sitting room and goes to stand in front of the fireplace.
“What makes you think your husband and his assistant were having an affair?” I ask.
“She’s not his first,” she says simply with a shrug.
I look over at Nora, not sure how to respond to the coldness in her voice or demeanor.
She looks at her watch, then says, “I apologize Detectives, but I have a meeting in thirty minutes that if I don’t leave now for, I will be late, and I despise being late for anything,” she tells us as she walks back toward the front door.
“Yes, ma’am. Here is my card, the number to the morgue is on the back. Once you have a funeral home in mind, just let the coroner know, and he will ensure your husband is transported properly. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call,” I tell her.
She takes the card, looks at it, then says, “Thank you. I wish you both a good day,” as she opens the door, allowing us to walk out.
Nora and I get back in the car, and as I start it up, I say, “Wow, that was…”
“Odd,” she finishes for me.
“Yeah,” I breathe out. “She didn’t seem upset at the fact that her husband was killed.”
“No, not at all. I guess if he really was a cheater, though she probably feels she lost him a long time ago,” Nora says, and I nod before putting the car in gear and driving back to the precinct.
We get back to the precinct, and Commander Doyle is waiting for us as we walk in.
“Mcguire, Riley, your back, good. Meet in the conference room now,” he says, as he turns and walks toward the conference room, looking annoyed and yet relieved at the same time.
I look at Nora, and she shrugs her shoulders, following behind the Commander. I sigh as I follow them both.
Walking into the conference room, I’m stopped dead in my tracks. There are two people standing at the table, one male and one female, both dressed in suits. The male is shorter than me with dark hair, and the female is shorter than him, probably about five-five, maybe five-six. She has brown hair that is braided and pinned, so I can’t be sure how long her hair is, but that’s not what stops me in my tracks, it’s her eyes. They are as blue as the sky without a cloud in them.
I can’t help the immediate attraction I feel, it’s like an invisible current is pushing me toward her, though I’m standing stiff as a board by the door.
“Agents, this is Detective Nora Riley and Detective Shane Maguire,” I hear the Commander say, and it pulls me out of my trance long enough to shake some sense into myself.
I move a little bit away from the door but stay close to the wall. I nod in greeting as my mouth doesn’t want to open.
“Maguire, Riley, these are Agents Robertson and Morgan from the Maine Behavioral Unit,” Commander Doyle says as introductions, pointing each out. “I’ll leave you four to get acquainted,” he says before stepping out of the conference room.
“Is he always so pleasant?” Agent Morgan asks quietly.
I hear Nora chuckle as she says, “Sometimes.”
I watch as Agent Morgan gives Nora a smile, and I’m completely struck by the way her eyes light up from that one small gesture. Her beauty is something I have only read about in books.
I’m still staring as Agent Morgan takes a seat and opens the files, then she looks up at me and says, “Do you mind walking us through each murder?” Her voice is soft with a melody that is like music to my ears. I feel pulled to her like she is the pied piper playing a pan flute, but instead, it’s her voice that has me in a trance.
For one second, I’m pulled to her, but then her words register, and for some reason, I get upset, and without thinking, I say, “Did you not read the reports we sent?” I growl.
Chapter Five
MYA
The minute he walks into the room, it feels like all the air leaves my lungs. He’s tall, at least six feet, muscular, with brown hair that I want to run my fingers through and see if there is enough for me to tug on. My eyes lock onto his dark blue ones, and I immediately feel a pull to him.
The Commander seems a little rough as he makes the introductions, and I notice he couldn’t leave the room fast enough. I make a comment, but Detective Riley relieves my anxiety a bit by laughing, and I can’t help but smile.
I know I need to sit down before I make a fool of myself, so I grab the nearest file to me, trying to feign business, and ask softly, “Do you mind walking us through each murder?”
His response was not what I was expecting.
