“She color-codes her closet,” Denise said. “Also arranged by style.”
Bree made a face at Denise. “Whatever. At least now I know whoever did this rummaged through my clothes as well.” She watched the tech flicking the brush across her dresser, leaving a fine layer of dust in his wake. “Although I’d prefer you not dust my clothes.”
“No problem. Really hard to get prints off clothing anyway.” He returned the canister and brush to his bag, then took pictures of the surface before using large pieces of tape to lift the prints from the dresser. He pulled a portable biometric scanner out of his kit to take Bree and Denise’s prints.
“Are you able to access the military system?” Denise asked.
“We can,” the tech said, while taking a scan of her prints. “But it’s honestly easier to have your prints already handy and not have to waste time searching through the database for them.”
“How long will it take to run the prints?” Bree asked.
“A couple of weeks, probably.”
“So it’s not like on T.V.? You’re not going to be able to solve this case in fifty-nine minutes with commercial breaks?” Denise asked.
The tech laughed. “No, unfortunately, it’s not that easy. I hate it when I tell people how long it will take and they say,well, that’s not how they do it on CSI. Crime dramas are the worst thing that ever happened to my job.”
Denise and Bree walked the tech out and finished cleaning the living room, vacuuming the floor to make sure all the glass shards were up.
“What do you want me to do with the pictures?” Denise asked.
“Toss ‘em.” Bree pulled the fridge open. “Do you want a sandwich? I have chicken salad or egg salad.”
“Chicken salad.”
A knock sounded at the laundry room door as she set the containers on the counter. Jase smiled behind the glass.
“Why did you knock?” Bree asked.
Jase stepped close as he came in and leaned down to kiss her. Open mouthed with just a hint of tongue. Much too brief for her liking.
“I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me just walking into your house,” he said.
“We’ve had sex. I’m think I’m okay with you walking into my house.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We’ve had sex inmyhouse and bed. This is your house.”
She smiled. She liked that - the respect he was giving her and her space. He wasn’t taking anything for granted, no matter how intimate they had been.
She leaned up and kissed him gently. “You can come in without knocking.”
Jase grinned down at her. “Thanks.”
“Do you want chicken or egg salad?” Denise hollered from the kitchen.
Bree grabbed his hand and tilted her head toward the kitchen. “Come on, let’s eat, then I need to get a new mattress.”
At the furniture store, Bree waited for Jase to round the hood and open her door. He slowly lowered her body down against his, giving her a hot, opened-mouth kiss. Bree grinned against his mouth as he kissed her.
He lifted his head. “What’s funny?”
Bree ran a hand over the curve of his ass. “I can feel your happiness.”
“You can feel more of it later.” He pulled her away from the truck and shut her door. He laced his fingers with hers as he led her through the door of the store.
Tucked into the far back corner of the large showroom, a low, half wall separated the bedding section from the rest of the store. Subdued lighting attempted to create a relaxing, boudoir feel in the space.
A salesman approached them as soon as they entered. “Good afternoon, folks. Can I help you find something today?”
