“The pictures from the articles about the fire?” he asked with measured calm, though the question carried its own sting.
She nodded. “Seeing those, I did recognize you then and remembered you a little.”
He smiled. “I admit, I was pretty forgettable back then. Scrawny kid. I tried all the sports but wasn’t really good at any of them.”
“You’re not forgettable now.”
Brooke’s cheeks flushed slightly, like she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
Tyler leaned forward slightly. “Brooke—”
“I should probably get back to work,” she said, but she didn’t move. He needed to head back too. He’d been gone far too long for a coffee break. This would have to count as his lunch break.
“I was hoping...” Tyler took a breath, gathering his courage. “Do you want to have dinner sometime? Just the two of us?”
Brooke’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you asking me on a date?”
“Yeah. I am.” Even he was surprised by how easily the words came out.
She smiled, and it transformed her entire face. “I’d like that.”
Relief rushed through him. “Really?”
“Really. I’d like to get to know you better.”
He was about to respond when the bell over the door chimed. Tyler glanced up, and his happiness crumbled.
Edi and Adam walked into the coffee shop, both in uniform, both wearing expressions that said they were there for a reason, and it wasn’t coffee.
The conversation in the shop died down as people noticed the deputies. Edi’s face was grim, apologetic. Adam’s held barely concealed satisfaction.
They walked directly to Tyler’s table.
“Tyler Gillis,” Edi said, her voice formal but her eyes sad. “I need you to stand up, please.”
Panic hit hard. “What’s going on?”
“We need you to come with us,” Adam said. “We have some questions about the body found on Sunday.”
“We already went through all that,” Tyler said, but he was standing now, his body responding to the authority in their voices even as his mind raced.
“The victim has been identified,” Edi said quietly. “It’s Sheila Jones. You probably knew her as Sheila Mayers.”
Sheila Mayers from high school, the bank teller he and Edi had been talking to just days ago. The woman who’d laughed with them and suggested they all get together to hear a local band.
“No.” Tyler shook his head. “That can’t be right.”
“You knew her,” Adam said.
“Of course I knew her. We went to school together.”
“You dated her,” Adam continued. “She broke up with you.”
“That was years ago,” Tyler said, his voice rising. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with it.” Adam pulled out his handcuffs. “You were on the mountain where her body was found. You have a history with the victim. And you’ve been seen at her workplace, keeping in contact.”
“We were just talking! Edi was there too.”
