lead to an ID.”
“Good thought.” Mia stopped in front of the conference room. “I’ll start on it right after this meeting.”
“Actually—”
“Aha.” She pulled the clipboard to her chest. “Now I see why I’m getting the personal visit. You want me to drop everything now.”
“This is important,” he said, without a scrap of regret about torpedoing her day.
But Mia looked unmoved. “They’re all important.”
Jonah turned and gazed out the window. He nodded beyond the rolling green hills, in the direction of Austin. “You heard of the Charles Whitman shooting back in ’66? One of the first mass murders in U.S. history—the original school shooting.”
She nodded. “He killed seventeen people.”
“Before he climbed to the top of that clock tower, he paid a visit to his mother and bashed her skull in. Then he went home and stabbed his wife through the heart while she slept in their bed.” Jonah paused to let his words sink in. “The sooner we get an ID on this guy, the sooner we get a handle on what we’re dealing with.”
Mia cast an anxious look at the conference room, where it sounded as though her meeting had alreadystarted. “Point taken,” she said as the elevator dinged and some lab-coated people stepped off. “Here, I’ll ride down with you.”
Mia went to retrieve the blood sample, and Jonah returned to the reception desk. Ric wasn’t there yet, and Sophie’s fill-in was busy playing solitaire on her computer.
Jonah noticed the purple iPod at her elbow. He’d seen it last night. He wandered over to one of the lobby’s side doors and peered through the glass at the cluster of picnic tables beneath a leafy pecan tree. Ninety degrees in the shade today. Not much of a picnic spot, although somebody seemed to think so.
Jonah muttered a curse. He pushed open the door and went out to see Sophie.
Sophie focused on the picturesque landscape and thought once again that she really should take up yoga. Maybe if she learned to breathe better and twist herself into a pretzel, she’d have another tool in the arsenal she used to battle her tension headaches. She took another chomp of the Hershey bar she’d bought for lunch. She’d tried aspirin, classical music, and now chocolate, but nothing seemed to be able to get rid of the pounding that had been dogging her since eight A.M .
“Thought you were off today.”
She turned to see Jonah stepping into the shade of her pecan tree.
“Why would you think that?” Sophie adjusted her blouse and took inventory of her appearance. She was having a decent hair day, but her skin was dewy with sweat. And she didn’t kid herself about what a night of tossing and turning had done to her eyes.
“Little Miss Sunshine’s taken over your desk.” Jonah stepped closer. For an instant his gaze darted to her cleavage. “I figured you called in sick.”
Sophie stuffed the rest of the candy bar in her purseand swung her legs over the picnic bench, taking care not to flash him. “That’s Diane. She covers my lunch shift.” She glanced at the door behind him. “You here alone?”
“Ric and I drove out to deliver evidence.”
Sophie’s stomach knotted at the reminder of the case. As if she’d managed to forget it for a single minute since she’d woken up this morning.
“Mind?” He nodded at the bench.
“No.”
He took a seat beside her and leaned his elbows back on the table. “Hot out here for a picnic.”
She cast another glance at the building. She should get back, but she was dreading it. She distracted herself by checking out the man next to her. Jonah was huge—six-four, probably 230. A solid 230, not the doughy kind. Today he wore his typical detective’s uniform of button-down shirt and dark slacks with his badge pinned to his hip, just beside his gun.
Sophie looked away. Every time she got around Jonah, she felt a warm wave of security. Maybe it was his size. Maybe it was the badge and gun, although she knew plenty
“Good thought.” Mia stopped in front of the conference room. “I’ll start on it right after this meeting.”
“Actually—”
“Aha.” She pulled the clipboard to her chest. “Now I see why I’m getting the personal visit. You want me to drop everything now.”
“This is important,” he said, without a scrap of regret about torpedoing her day.
But Mia looked unmoved. “They’re all important.”
Jonah turned and gazed out the window. He nodded beyond the rolling green hills, in the direction of Austin. “You heard of the Charles Whitman shooting back in ’66? One of the first mass murders in U.S. history—the original school shooting.”
She nodded. “He killed seventeen people.”
“Before he climbed to the top of that clock tower, he paid a visit to his mother and bashed her skull in. Then he went home and stabbed his wife through the heart while she slept in their bed.” Jonah paused to let his words sink in. “The sooner we get an ID on this guy, the sooner we get a handle on what we’re dealing with.”
Mia cast an anxious look at the conference room, where it sounded as though her meeting had alreadystarted. “Point taken,” she said as the elevator dinged and some lab-coated people stepped off. “Here, I’ll ride down with you.”
Mia went to retrieve the blood sample, and Jonah returned to the reception desk. Ric wasn’t there yet, and Sophie’s fill-in was busy playing solitaire on her computer.
Jonah noticed the purple iPod at her elbow. He’d seen it last night. He wandered over to one of the lobby’s side doors and peered through the glass at the cluster of picnic tables beneath a leafy pecan tree. Ninety degrees in the shade today. Not much of a picnic spot, although somebody seemed to think so.
Jonah muttered a curse. He pushed open the door and went out to see Sophie.
Sophie focused on the picturesque landscape and thought once again that she really should take up yoga. Maybe if she learned to breathe better and twist herself into a pretzel, she’d have another tool in the arsenal she used to battle her tension headaches. She took another chomp of the Hershey bar she’d bought for lunch. She’d tried aspirin, classical music, and now chocolate, but nothing seemed to be able to get rid of the pounding that had been dogging her since eight A.M .
“Thought you were off today.”
She turned to see Jonah stepping into the shade of her pecan tree.
“Why would you think that?” Sophie adjusted her blouse and took inventory of her appearance. She was having a decent hair day, but her skin was dewy with sweat. And she didn’t kid herself about what a night of tossing and turning had done to her eyes.
“Little Miss Sunshine’s taken over your desk.” Jonah stepped closer. For an instant his gaze darted to her cleavage. “I figured you called in sick.”
Sophie stuffed the rest of the candy bar in her purseand swung her legs over the picnic bench, taking care not to flash him. “That’s Diane. She covers my lunch shift.” She glanced at the door behind him. “You here alone?”
“Ric and I drove out to deliver evidence.”
Sophie’s stomach knotted at the reminder of the case. As if she’d managed to forget it for a single minute since she’d woken up this morning.
“Mind?” He nodded at the bench.
“No.”
He took a seat beside her and leaned his elbows back on the table. “Hot out here for a picnic.”
She cast another glance at the building. She should get back, but she was dreading it. She distracted herself by checking out the man next to her. Jonah was huge—six-four, probably 230. A solid 230, not the doughy kind. Today he wore his typical detective’s uniform of button-down shirt and dark slacks with his badge pinned to his hip, just beside his gun.
Sophie looked away. Every time she got around Jonah, she felt a warm wave of security. Maybe it was his size. Maybe it was the badge and gun, although she knew plenty
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