Midnight Exposure (Midnight #1)(69)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE


“I don’t see anything exciting.” Reed sighed and scrolled through another set of pictures. “Lots of old buildings. Trees. Maybe we’re on the wrong track. These pictures are as boring as the town. No offense.”

“None taken.” Jayne reached for the laptop. “Let me have another go through.”

“Wait.” Reed squinted at the screen. A small dark shape lingered in a stretch of woods. “What’s this?”

Jayne leaned over his arm. Her hair brushed his face. “When I took it, I thought it was an animal. Let me blow it up.”

Reed rubbed a soft tendril between his fingers. Intent on her photos, Jayne didn’t notice. A sexy furrow popped up between her eyebrows as she frowned at the image. She tapped the keyboard. “It’s a man, I think.”

Reed reminded himself to back off and released her soft curl. He needed to focus on her case. He needed to put some space between them. But he wanted her to stay.

Shit. This wasn’t going well.

He blinked hard and concentrated on the image. Jayne’s life could be at stake. “Do you remember where you were when you took it?”

“Yeah. I was pumping gas. These trees are across the field behind the station near the edge of town.” She clicked the mouse a few more times, zooming and centering. “OK. This is weird. He’s wearing an ankle-length hooded coat. Does that look like fur to you?”

“It does. And he’s carrying something.” Reed stood and circled behind her. He rested his palm on her shoulder and leaned closer to the screen. Close enough to get a sweet whiff of the floral scent in her hair.

He studied the strange man in the picture. Odd. It seemed he was wearing a robe rather than a coat. Reed pointed to the man’s head. “Can you lighten this part here? His face is shadowed by the hood.”

“Not with this software. I had a more powerful program on my laptop.” Jayne went quiet and slouched in the chair. Her hand went to the back of her neck and she winced.

Unable to resist, Reed rubbed her nape and shoulders with one hand. The muscles were knotted under his fingertips. Her laptop was likely a very expensive piece of melted plastic, but he had no doubt Jayne was thinking about Hugh, not her computer. “Can you download something that’ll do the trick?”

“Probably.” She rolled her neck on her shoulders, switched to the browser window, and opened Google.

Reed stepped away from the table—away from Jayne—and refilled his coffee cup. The first sip burned all the way down. His stomach was on fire from too much coffee, and not enough sleep or food. He chewed four Tums and washed them down with another swallow. Sleep wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Cooking would give his hands something to do besides touch Jayne. “I need breakfast. Eggs?”

“Fine.” Jayne gave him an absent nod without taking her eyes off the screen. “This’ll take a few minutes to download.”

The phone rang as Reed poured a half-dozen beaten eggs into the frying pan. He glanced at the caller ID display. “Doug.”

“Blech.”

“I know he’s a jerk but we need his help.”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who royally pissed him off in Doc’s office.” Jayne crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in the chair. “And thanks for that, by the way.”

“Sorry. I was a little strung out,” Reed said. “But you weren’t exactly Miss Congeniality.”

Jayne huffed. “I tried, but he is a serious button-pusher. It’s a shame because the whole victim process is easier if the cops don’t hate you.”

Reed’s heart squeezed at the reminder of her past. No matter how many times karma knocked her down, Jayne got to her feet and forged ahead.

Reed punched the Talk key and gave Doug the rundown on what they’d found. To his surprise, Doug responded, “Fine. I’ll pick it up in ten minutes.” The phone went dead in Reed’s ear.

“Doug’s on his way.” Reed whipped a few more eggs and added them to the pan. Then he slapped four pieces of bread in the toaster and threw some bacon in the microwave. By the time Sheba announced the cop’s arrival, breakfast was ready. Maybe a meal would make Doug more amenable. Reed had been a cop long enough to know that as much as Doug wanted to be chief, this wasn’t what he’d planned. Doug’s personality made it difficult to pity him, but the cop’s life was going to suck for quite some time.

Reed swung the door open. Doug stood on the step. His snug uniform was wrinkled. Dark circles underscored his eyes. The smudges on his face and the smoky scent that wafted off him indicated he’d likely been at the scene all night and hadn’t been home since the fire.

“OK, Reed. Let’s see it. I don’t have all day.”

Reed breathed and bit off a response. He couldn’t expect Doug to be in a good mood, not after the last twenty-four hours. Still, this was going to be harder than he’d thought. “Come on in.”

Doug stepped through the doorway.

Reed led him back into the kitchen. “Hungry?”

Surprise, then suspicion, crossed Doug’s face. “Uh. Sure. Thanks. I was just on my way home to shower and grab some clean clothes. Been at the scene and on the phone with the state and county police most of the night.”