Heart of the Matter by Marta Perry Page A

the tile. He’d stayed at the computer long after the editorial offices had grown quiet, familiarizing himself with every tidbit of information that might possibly affect the investigation.
    Speaking of tidbits, his stomach had finally convinced him it was time to quit. Lunch was a distant memory, and he wouldn’t achieve anything useful by checking out the snack machine.
    He paused automatically at the newsroom door. His attention sharpened. Someone was still there. In a few quiet steps, he had a clear view.
    Amanda sat at her desk, her attention riveted on the computer screen. A strand of that sleek brown hair swung forward, brushing her cheek, and the glasses she habitually wore for computer work had slid down her nose, giving her a slightly disheveled look. Charming, but not her usual polished veneer.
    Staying late to work didn’t fit with the image he had of her as the belle of the social ball. But then, he’d already figured out that there was more to Amanda Bodine than his snap judgment of her.
    She’d found the courage to stand up to him today. While he didn’t welcome opposition, especially from a subordinate, he had to admire the grit it had taken.
    He’d come down too hard on her, that was the truth, and it had been nagging at him for a couple of hours now. That conscience his grandmother had instilled in him could be a troublesome thing at times.
    He didn’t want to feel that he’d been unfair to her. But he couldn’t ignore the truth.
    Besides, he still needed her. Threatening to fire her wouldn’t encourage her father to come across with any information.
    He realized he was gritting his teeth, and he forced his jaw to relax. Mending fences was clearly indicated. He’d never been especially good at that.
    He walked toward Amanda’s desk. At the sound of footsteps she looked up, startled. When she recognized him, she slicked her hair back behind her ear with one finger and slipped the glasses off her face. He couldn’t mistake the aura of defensiveness that wrapped around her.
    “Amanda.” He lifted an eyebrow, trying not to look intimidating. “What keeps you at the office so late?”
    Her eyes widened, as if his genial tone was cause for astonishment. “I…I came back after supper to do a little work.”
    He leaned against the corner of her desk, moving a silver-framed photo so that he wouldn’t knock it over, looking at it as he did so. Amanda and her twin, her parents, the two older brothers, all in jackets and jeans and looking windblown as they walked on the beach. A nice family portrait. His gut tightened.
    “Doing some research for a story?”
    “Not exactly.” Her lips pursed, as if trying to decide how much to tell him. The sight distracted him for a moment.
    He managed a smile. “It doesn’t matter to the boss if you’re doing some early Christmas shopping online.”
    That surprised her into a smile, and some of the wariness evaporated from her face. “It’s nothing like that. I’m looking into some family history for my grandmother, and I can get better access to records through the newspaper.”
    “Family history?” He perched on the edge of the desk. It was proving easier than he’d expected to get past the barriers he’d erected between them this afternoon. “I should have thought your grandmother was an expert on that.”
    “She is the family historian, but…” She paused, fiddling with the silver chain that hung around her neck. He had a sense that she was weighing what and how much to tell him.
    “But what?”
    “It’s sort of a…a bit of a family mystery.”
    The stammer was a dead giveaway that poised, incontrol Amanda didn’t want to tell him about it, whatever it was. That just increased his curiosity.
    “A mystery?” he said lightly. “Sounds intriguing. Tell me about it.”
    “Well, I…” She bit her lip. “It has to do with a distant relative who dropped from sight during World War II. My grandmother is determined to find out what happened to