Alone (Bone Secrets, #4)(4)

“We were at Stanford at the same time,” said Seth. “Haven’t really seen much of each other since then.”

Not since one night at a conference in Denver.

Victoria saw the same thought in his eyes.

He still thinks about it, too.

“I didn’t know you were considering the position here,” she heard herself say. How could she have known? She avoided office politics the same way she avoided office socializing. Her dinner with Lacey and Dr. Campbell tonight had been an anomaly. A result of Lacey pressing her and a bit of guilt that her boss was retiring, and she knew she’d be skipping the formal retirement party. A small dinner had seemed logical.

“I’ve been keeping the process quiet,” said Dr. Campbell. “It was time to bring it out into the open, watching him interact with the staff and get a feel for the office. Come take a look at this one, Seth.” He gestured at the younger man and headed over to the first girl.

Seth met Victoria’s gaze once more and then followed. She watched him walk away, recognizing every distinctive motion of his body. She hadn’t thought about him in years. How could he be so immediately familiar?

Her lower back felt damp. How unfair that the one man in the world she couldn’t have was the only one who made her feel lovely.

“Wow,” murmured Lacey for Victoria’s ears. “How attractive is he? He looks like a younger Pierce Brosnan without the crooked teeth. You’ve got some explaining to do.”

“We barely know each other,” she lied. Lacey would notice his teeth.

“Bullshit.”

“I haven’t seen him in forever,” Victoria amended.

“Well, he looks ready to renew your friendship.”

“He’s married.”

“I didn’t see a ring.”

Really? “You looked for a ring?” Victoria eyed the other woman.

“Of course. I’m female.”

“You’re engaged.”

“Engaged to the most amazing man in the world. But that doesn’t mean I can’t wonder about other people’s marriage status. I’m not looking for me, but when I see a man who looks like that and is a doctor to boot, I wonder if he’s married. Maybe I want to set him up with a good friend.” She winked at Victoria.

“He’s married,” Victoria repeated. She looked past Lacey’s shoulder to where Seth squatted with Dr. Campbell next to one of the sad bodies, deep in discussion. The tilt of his head set off sparks of memories, as did the width of his shoulders. Years of separation were evaporating every second. Next she’d be asking him to go for a run, forgetting they hadn’t run together in ages. It’s only been five minutes… after nearly twenty years.

Dr. Campbell’s words about retiring ricocheted in her head. Could Seth be her next boss?

Oh Lord. Could she handle that?

Seth gestured at the dead girl’s face, asking a question of the tech at the adjacent body, and Sarah moved over to open the girl’s mouth. Dr. Campbell shone his flashlight in the girl’s mouth.

“What are they doing?” Lacey muttered, her focus on the two men. The medical examiner looked over his shoulder and gestured at Lacey to join them. If there was a question about something in the mouth, Lacey was the woman to ask. Victoria followed her to the body.

“Whatcha got?” Lacey asked as she bent next to her father.

“She’s got something covering her teeth,” Seth said.

Lacey peered into the open mouth. “Looks like clear retainers. Can I have a pair of gloves?” she asked Sarah.

Victoria glanced at Seth and was surprised to find him looking directly at her. She met his look squarely. She couldn’t get a read on his thoughts. He must have known she worked in the Oregon medical examiner’s office, but he couldn’t have known she’d be here tonight. Was he surprised? She broke eye contact in time to see Lacey pry one of the clear retainers off the top teeth with a loud snap.

“Not retainers,” Lacey commented. “Invisalign. Invisible braces.”

Victoria had seen them on TV. The appliances moved teeth into alignment with a series of progressive rigid trays. A feat of dental engineering that hadn’t been available when she went through two years of metal orthodontics. “So she’ll definitely have some dental records somewhere.”

Lacey nodded, her face thoughtful as she studied the two closest girls. “How come they aren’t wearing shoes? They don’t look poor, the makeup and hair is perfect, nails are manicured…” She stopped as Seth abruptly shifted his position to view the soles of the feet.

“Perfectly clean,” he stated. “Where in the hell are their shoes? Or did they fly in here?”


Seth watched Victoria talk with the other forensic specialist. The woman hadn’t changed a bit. Still tall, immaculate, polished long black hair, and all-seeing with those intense brown eyes. Would she have pretended not to know him if he hadn’t said anything?

He didn’t like his answer.

Victoria Peres had every reason to give him the cold shoulder, yet she was being her professional self. Even in college she’d been ahead of the curve in maturity and poise. She’d stood out in her anatomy class with her intelligent questions. He’d known at once that she was a woman going places.

And she had. She’d traveled the world to study anthropology. Either digging for old bones or observing social situations. He’d read her magazine articles and tracked her professional life online. Then he’d heard about the opening at the Oregon medical examiner’s office. His daughter had left for her first year of college, so there was no point in his staying in Sacramento. He applied, hoping to cross paths with the woman he couldn’t forget.