“I found these in the kitchen cupboards.” I moved around the desk, noticing how one of those reddish eyebrows lifted in curiosity.
Micah rose from his seat, standing over me to see what I carried in my hands. Swallowing the lump that formed in my throat from his nearness, I pushed on with making my case.
“My grandmother only used this tin during the holidays. I packed it away years ago after her death. My grandfather wouldn’t keep anything in it unless it were important. Anyway, when I opened it, I found these two articles.” I handed them to Micah.
He scrutinized them, still not saying anything. Finally, his eyes rose to meet mine, and the feeling of being lifted and suspended in mid-air for a few seconds came on strong.
“Two articles of a missing girl.” He didn’t sound convinced.
“Yes, but look. The girl’s ring has been circled, and …” I paused and pulled out the ring. “This was in the tin with those articles.”
Micah stared at the ring, then moved his gaze back to the article in his hands. He did this a couple of times before a frown appeared on his face.
My heart sank.
“Could be hundreds of rings that look like this.”
I started to make my case as to why this ring was telling, but I never got the chance.
“I can see the connection, however.” His voice was contemplative as if he was formulating a strategy of how to look into this. My heart began beating faster because in the short few minutes I’d met this man, I knew he was the right one for the job. His demeanorspoke for him. He didn’t have to convince anyone he was competent. His body language, this office, his website, it all spoke for him.
“You’ll take the case?”
His gaze speared mine. “I didn’t say that.”
Slumping my shoulders, I let out an exasperated breath. “Now, who’s a waste of time? You could’ve said in the first damn place,” I rebuked, moving to snatch the articles out of his hand, but he quickly held them out of my reach.
I narrowed my gaze.
“You didn’t give me a chance to finish.” There was that smirk again. “I’ll need to do some preliminary work on it to see what I can shake out. There’s a chance you might be on to something.”
Hope welled in my chest, but I refused to let it show on the outside. Placing my hand on my hip, I looked him in the eye, asking, “How long is that going to take?”
“Are you in a rush?”
“Wouldn’t you be? If someone murdered your grandfather?”
He nodded. “Point taken.”
“Also, I’m only in town for the next three months. I’m working on selling my grandparents’ property. I know these things can take months and sometimes years to solve.”
“It won’t take that long,” he stated with so much confidence I was half ready to believe he’d solve it by the end of the week.
“Then you will take it?”
He nodded slowly, almost deliberately, and not for the first time since seeing him I wondered what he would look like without the bun. With his hair loose and free instead of tied up.
Clearing my throat, I took a step backward, needing a little more space between our two bodies. I hadn’t noticed how close we stood to one another.
“I have to go out of town for a couple of days regarding another case. While away, I’ll need you to gather some more information on your grandfather for me. I’ll have my team start looking into things.”
I nodded. “Maybe one of your other employees could handle this then?”
“No,” he stated sharply, cutting me off. “I’ll be lead on this case.” He stared me directly in the eyes as he made that declaration. His tone and gaze were so sharp it didn’t even occur to me to question his commitment.
“What type of information do you need me to look up about my grandfather?”
Micah Townsend spent the next fifteen minutes asking questions about my grandfather and telling me what he was looking for to know about him to start the case.
