Mountain Murder Investigation by Karen Kirst

Author:Karen Kirst
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-01-04T23:15:26+00:00

* * *

The closet smelled of paper and disuse. A thin strip of light slipped in at the base of the metal door. The rest of the cramped space was dark.

“That’s strange. I thought I turned the light off.”

The other occupant answered the professor from farther away, his words muffled. The desk chair rolled and creaked. Drawers slid open. Were they settling in for a long discussion?

Aiden shifted, his arm bumping hers, and she became keenly aware of his heat and bulk. They stood facing each other, almost touching. There wasn’t room to move. Wasn’t safe to move either, because they could knock something off the shelves marching up each wall.

Closing her eyes, she breathed in his woodsy scent and relived the kiss that had wiped her mind clean like a swipe over a dry-erase board. It had been reckless and unwise—and she wanted to repeat it.

She bowed her head, the brim of her hat catching on his shoulder. Her forehead unexpectedly found a place to rest on his firm chest. His hands closed over both of hers in warning. A ragged breath shuddered through him, and she forced her head up. His fingers slid away, and she sank her teeth into her lower lip.

The minutes stretched into an eternity. When she thought she might suffocate, the pair finished their meeting and left the room.

Aiden pushed open the door and sucked in air, as if he too had found their hiding place stifling. He reached over and adjusted her hat, his liquid brown eyes burning into her. Had he been fighting the same yearnings as her?

Raven dismissed the notion. He hadn’t been pleased in the slightest about her lapse in judgment yesterday. He hadn’t spoken more than necessary the rest of the night. Breakfast this morning had been awkward.

“Let’s go through the rest,” he said. “Then get out of here.”

She retrained her focus on the task. As she’d suspected, they came up empty. The desolation in his expression gutted her. They didn’t yet have evidence to warrant an arrest for the shooting incidents. Nor did they have anything to back up Aiden’s claims.

“The maintenance area is in the basement. There’s an office where odds and ends are collected, a sort of lost and found. Maybe it got put there.”

She didn’t have the heart to dissuade him. “Lead the way.”

Aiden led her to the fire escape stairs instead of the central set they’d used before. They descended without passing another person. On the bottom level, he pushed open the bright blue door and met resistance.

A tall, slender gentleman grunted and stepped out of the way. She cataloged his shoes, dress pants, shirt and tie.

Aiden didn’t look up. “Excuse us.”

The man’s breath hissed out in disbelief. Raven lifted her head and instantly recognized him. Desmond Whitlock. She snatched Aiden’s hand. He looked up. Shock spread over his features.

“Coming back here is the last mistake you’ll make.” Hatred burning in his eyes, Desmond reached beneath his suit coat. Aiden called out a warning, and together, they ran deeper into the belly of the building.

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