Drained (Edgars Family #6) - Suzanne Ferrell Page 0,68

garage. She fought the urge to grab it back like a swimmer reaching for a lifeline in a tsunami. Strong. That was what she was going to be.

“Will Special Agent Smith be meeting us here, too?” she asked as they climbed out of the SUV.

“He said he had the address from Jake and would meet us here after he was done at the coroner’s office.” Aaron reached out and grasped her elbow at the door to the house.

“What?”

“Smith asked us to wait to talk with Paula until he got here. He wants to observe her and ask his own questions.”

A little tension left her shoulders. At least she had a little reprieve before telling Paula about their friend. “Okay. I can do that.”

Aaron tugged on her arm a little, pulling her closer. Her gaze met his, compassion and comfort in his grey-green eyes. Oh, she could so use some comfort.

“Come here,” he said with another gentle tug.

“I can’t. If I do, I’ll cry, and I don’t think I’ll stop.”

“After the day you’ve had, maybe it’s just what you need to do,” he said, stepping closer to her. “Get it out of your system before we go inside.”

Conceding he might be right, she slipped into his arms and wrapped hers around his very solid and warm frame.

“I warn you, I ugly cry,” she said seconds before giving into the emotional stress of finding Mia dead and having to break the news to Flora.

How long she stayed in the warmth of his embrace, holding his solid body against hers as the tears flowed and her body trembled in her grief, she didn’t know. Long enough for someone inside the house to get worried and come check. The door opened slowly, then she felt Aaron nod and the door closed as quietly as it opened.

Great. Now everyone will know I’ve been clinging to him and bawling like a baby.

“Matt won’t say anything,” Aaron quietly said right above her ear, his left hand slowly stroking up and down her back. “Besides, we have a lot to do. You’ll focus better now that you’ve gotten this out of your system. I need you at your best if we’re going to find this guy.”

She snorted a little sardonic laugh. “Like you really need my help. I’m not like Abby and her sisters-in-law. She’s told me the stories about how they helped their husbands in solving cases. I don’t have any special skills like them, I don’t know guns or explosives or medical stuff. My whole life I’ve manipulated people to help me. Played the helpless bimbo. Trust me, I’m the least capable woman out there.”

“That’s not true,” he said, pulling back and tipping her chin up with his hand to stare down into her eyes. “You might’ve been that woman once, but you’re not now. Haven’t been for three years. You’ve been very helpful on this case. We wouldn’t even have found Art in time to start investigating and collect viable evidence without you. The rats probably would’ve had him mostly gone by the time someone stumbled across him.”

“Eww, don’t remind me of the rats.” She couldn’t help the shiver that ran through her.

“See? It’s been days since we went into that abandoned factory and this is the first time you’ve shown a reaction to the rats.” He smiled down at her. “Most women would’ve run screaming at the sight of them the other night, but you were steady and kept your head.”

“Somebody had to go in there with you and Stanley,” she teased, lowering her gaze in embarrassment, and trying to deflect his complimentary assessment of her.

“And then this morning,” he continued, his face and voice growing more serious. “Not only did you see your second dead body in a week, but despite knowing it was a friend of yours, you focused on the situation and were able to help us establish more facts about our victims. Facts that may lead us to finding this killer. You also care. People have a way of opening up and talking to you.”

She started to protest, but he stopped her with a finger to her lips.

“Don’t deny it. Paula, Kirk F, the people at the shelters. They’ve all trusted you. You may not have military skills, but you have your own strengths,” he paused, until she was once more staring into his eyes, “strengths we’ll need to catch this guy. So, never doubt your importance to this case.”

“Okay, I won’t.” Brianna stood a little straighter, still a few