They had to find something in these binders or her computer to help. They just had to.
Kinsley opened her computer while Dev looked on from across the table. Colin sat at the end, a binder open in front of him, and Jada and Sandy remained in the living room. Kinsley navigated to her spreadsheet listing every investigation she’d participated in since she’d started freelancing as a forensic engineer. She investigated things like accidents, product failures, components, material or structural issues, or even environmental contamination, but her specialty was building failures.
In college, she’d hoped to find a company she could work for and not have to strike out on her own, but the assignments for a forensic engineer in a single city were too infrequent to provide a full-time job. As a result, zero companies employed them full-time in the Portland area or in any other major city in Oregon. She wasn’t willing to move out of her home state to a more populus city where she might have a chance at employment with a company, so she had to go it alone and branch out to nearby states and travel frequently.
So even if Dev declared his love for her and asked her to marry him—a pipe dream for sure—she had to live close to an airport, and there wasn’t a commercial airport nearby. Or he would have to give up his job and move to Portland, which she would never ask him to do.
Did it even matter? There was no proposal. Not even a hint of wanting a relationship with her, and she wouldn’t break her promise to Jada.
Dev stood and cleared his throat. “Before we get started, you need to decide if you want to report the break-in to the police.”
Did she? She didn’t have a clue. “I guess I need to know what the benefits are to doing so.”
“Normally I’d say they would send out a forensic team to process your apartment.” Dev planted his hands on his hips. “But since nothing appears to be taken, at least nothing of great value, I don’t think they would authorize those resources unless we can prove it’s tied to the shooting. Otherwise, their resources are stretched far too thin to help.”
Colin looked up. “But if there’s any damage done, like the way they annihilated your mattress, and you want to file for insurance, you would need a police report.”
“Another reason,” Dev said. “Since we’re former law enforcement officers, it’s possible we could persuade them to do a more thorough investigation.”
All good points, but did any of them actually help? She really didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want the hassle of having to meet a police officer at her place to review the break-in, but then these guys had good points about why she should do it.
But what about the opposite? “And reasons I shouldn’t do it?”
Dev shoved his hands into his pockets. “The biggest downside is that our shooter could be keeping eyes on the property in case you return. Just showing up there could threaten your life.”
She swallowed. Once. Twice. Three times. Got control. She wouldn’t let this overwhelm her. “Wouldn’t it be possible for you or Colin to meet the police instead?”
“No,” Dev said, his tone lacking all emotion. “The officer would request to speak to the actual victim. No matter what the reporter of the crime—me or Colin or both—says, we’ll either bea suspect or unable to answer completelyand accurately as to any missing items. This wouldn’t be negotiable.”
His voice hardened as he spoke, leaving her even more uncertain. “Do you think it would be safe for me to go there?”
He didn’t answer immediately but jerked his hands from his pockets and planted them on the table with a thud. “One hundred percent safe? No. I’m confident that our team can escort you there and provide the best protection possible, but there’s always a risk to your safety.”
She believed they would protect her, but one stray bullet they couldn’t defend against was all it took to kill her. So, should she risk going?
Just the thought of it left her mentally numb, and she couldn’t make a decision right now. “I guess the first thing I need to do is look at the pictures you took. Maybe I can identify something that was stolen. That could help make my decision.”
Dev got out his phone and swiped the screen. “Viewing them on a bigger screen could help you not miss anything. I’ll transfer them to your computer.”
“Perfect.” She sat back and watched thirty photos appear in her download folder. She didn’t waste any time, but opened the first one.
“Oh, wow!” Her heart sank, and she clutched the external mouse with as much force as she could muster to keep from crying out in more distress.
Her small living area was in a complete state of disarray, exceeding Dev’s description of the situation. Sure, he’d told her about the mess, but seeing it in a photo was a whole other thing. Seeing her possessions—even if a lot of them were simply work files—touched by a stranger in the privacy of her home violated every sense of safety and security that her apartment had previously brought.
Even if they apprehended the person stalking her, could she ever feel safe enough to live there again?
Jada came to stand behind Kinsley and drew in a sharp breath. “Oh wow! I’m so sorry, sweetie. I hate this for you.”
“I…I.” Kinsley shook her head. “I really didn’t think it would hit me this hard.”
“Your reaction is normal,” Colin said. “It’s a violation of your sanctuary.”
Jada rested her hands on her shoulders. “So, bros, what are you gonna do about it? You can’t let this guy get away with what he’s getting away with. There’s got to be something more you can do to help her.”
Kinsley glanced up at Jada, whose face was contorted with the kind of anger a best friend would have when her friend was threatened. Jada wasn’t worried for her own life right now, which she should be, but she was focusing solely on Kinsley. Kinsley was forever grateful for her friend’s deep sense of loyalty and protectiveness.
She rested her hand on Jada’s. “They’re doing everything they can do. We need to cut them some slack. They want to keep both of us safe and figure it out so we can find this creep.”
