Explosive Attraction - By Lena Diaz Page 0,24
too many times to count. And she was often in the police station to be interviewed by the detectives, including Rafe.
But she’d never been in the police station as a witness to a crime, until today.
The sketch artist sat across from Darby now. Sandy seemed nice enough, but Darby still couldn’t relax. The idea of trying to describe a man who’d tried to kill her, and was still out there somewhere, had her clutching her hands in her lap to keep them from shaking. The confidence she normally felt deserted her. “The nose is wrong, but I can’t figure out why.”
Sandy picked up her eraser and rubbed it across the drawing, leaving a white open area on the page where the nose used to be. “Take all the time you need.”
“His nose looked a lot like mine,” Rafe said from the doorway. “Except it was slightly crooked at the end, if that helps.” He was holding a large, brown paper sack and a cardboard drink carrier with three cups. He set them on the desk. “The guys finally brought subs. Sorry it took so long to get lunch.”
Sandy watched him closely, studying his face as her pencil moved across the pad of paper on her lap. She sketched in a new nose on the drawing, then held it up for Darby’s inspection. “Better?”
A chill swept through Darby. Until now, the sketch hadn’t seemed like a real person’s likeness. But now, looking at that familiar face, all the fear and helplessness she’d felt in the boat, the marsh, the hospital, came crashing back.
Her throat was too tight to speak, so she gave a small nod.
A thoughtful look crossed Rafe’s face. As if coming to a decision, he pulled one of the sandwiches out of the bag and held it out to Sandy. “Would you mind eating somewhere else? I’d like a few moments alone with Dr. Steele.”
“No problem, Detective Morgan. I could use a break anyway.” Sandy rose from the chair behind the desk, leaving her pad and pencil. She grabbed her soda and sandwich. “I’ll be back in, what, half an hour?”
“That’ll work,” he said. “Thanks.”
“Thanks for lunch.” She raised the sub in salute and left the office.
Rafe closed the door behind her, moved one of the sandwiches to the edge of the desk so Darby could reach it and sat down across from her. “I ordered you a diet soda. Forgot to ask what you wanted to drink, but I figured diet was safe. My sisters love the stuff so I took the chance you might, too.”
She smiled her thanks and scooted her chair closer so she could use the desk as a table. They ate in silence, and it wasn’t until she finished her sub that she realized she’d practically inhaled her food.
Rafe’s blue eyes lit with amusement, as if he knew what she was thinking. “Don’t be embarrassed. Your manners were impeccable.” He laughed when she scowled at him. “You had to be hungry. You haven’t eaten since we ordered room service around this time yesterday.”
She wiped her mouth and set her napkin down. “What about you?” She waved at his half-eaten sandwich, which he hadn’t touched in several minutes. “Aren’t you hungry? Are you feeling okay? The concussion—”
“The concussion is not an issue. I don’t even have a headache anymore. Besides, I snacked earlier on some vending machine food.”
She tossed her sandwich wrapper in the garbage can. “Were you able to find anything out about the investigation? Are there any leads?”
“I’ll answer that in a minute. First, you have something important to take care of.” He took his cell phone out of his pocket and held it out to her.
“What’s this for?” she asked, hesitantly taking the phone.
“With everything happening so fast, I didn’t think to offer earlier.”
“Offer what?”
“To let you call your family. They have to be worried about you. Even though your name wasn’t released to the press, the location of the warehouse bombing was. And your family has to be worried that your office was just across the street, especially since they haven’t heard from you.” He stood. “Is ten minutes enough time?”
He was halfway to the door when she called out to him. “Wait, I don’t... I don’t need ten minutes. I don’t even need one. But...thanks. Really, I appreciate it.”
A look of understanding crossed his face as he took the phone and sat down again. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you didn’t have a family. I shouldn’t have assumed anything.”
“No, I...ah, have