information was classified, and refused to disclose any information about the auction’s participants. Andrew and Toni were working with the DA to have a judge sign off on their request.
Placing the sticky note back in its designated spot, she leaned back in her desk chair. There had been no fingerprints on the murder weapon, and nothing else was out of place. The only thing they knew for sure was that Maria had known her killer because there was no sign of forced entry.
Toni and Drew had gone back to the crime scene more than once, trying to construct a timeline. How long had the person been inside the house before the murder took place? How did the person have time to go into the kitchen and get the knife?
There was a possibility that after letting the person in, Maria had taken a shower. That made sense. After all, the shower floor had been wet, and parts of Maria’s body were still damp. Had she been showering to get ready to go out with her lover while he’d been contemplating the best way to kill her? If whoever had murdered her had been there for the flash drive, he must have known where it was because nothing in the house had been disturbed.
Toni turned her thoughts to the weekend and hoped it would be better than the last one. She had planned to unpack boxes that Saturday and go to the concert that Sunday. Only she’d done neither. Instead, she’d gotten caught up in a movie, and before she knew it, it had become a Netflix weekend.
Out of the corner of her eye, Toni saw that Drew had returned from lunch. He had invited her to join him, but she’d declined, saying she still had a few things she needed to figure out. Besides, she’d eaten a big breakfast. But that hadn’t been the only reason, though. Being around Drew for a week was getting to her.
They’d both been busy finalizing interviews and following up on leads for the Tindal case, including several others they were working on. But during the drive to and from their destinations, they’d run out of non-personal stuff to talk about. And there were times just discussing work didn’t cut it. That’s when the silence would get oppressive.
And worse, it would drive up the desire. She’d felt it and knew he had, as well. There was no way he couldn’t. There were times when the silence seemed to have a life of its own—moments when their hands would accidently brush, or when they would stand too close to each other while taking statements or while pressed together in a crowded elevator. One day, he’d been so close, she could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck.
And then there was Detective Nathan Muraca, who was still trying to get her into his bed. He wasn’t making a nuisance of himself, thank God, but whenever he saw her, he would give her that look, letting her know he was waiting. Well, he’d just have to keep waiting. Once she made up her mind not to sleep with someone, that was it. And she hadn’t had any trouble making up her mind about Nathan Muraca.
Then there was Joanie, the dispatcher and office gossip. She’d just been cornered by Joanie again, this time at the snack machines in the breakroom. The woman seemed determined to finish filling her in on what Joanie felt Toni needed to know. Since no one was around the snack machines, Joanie began talking, darting her eyes around every so often to make sure she wasn’t overheard.
The woman finally got around to telling Toni about Drew. According to Joanie, Drew had never dated anyone who worked at headquarters. It was rumored a few years ago that he was dating some woman in another town, but no one knew any details. That lasted for almost a year, then for a good six months, he kept to himself. According to the rumor mill, he and the woman had broken up. Toni wondered how Joanie would feel if she knew Toni had been the mystery woman.
Joanie then proceeded to let her know which guys were single. Out of them all, she thought Daniel would be her best bet. The older woman had warned her away from Nathan Muraca, telling her that he bragged about his sexual prowess. That hadn’t surprised Toni.
“Figured out anything yet?”
Drew’s question forced her to glance over at him, and she quickly wished she