Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 Karen Whiddon (best fiction books to read TXT) 📖

“If you had the complete diary, somehow attributed to Darcy Owens, and this—a missing and matching page—then we can possibly say that she wrote this. Then, it would have to be tested for the date, and examined by a handwriting expert...”

Luis held up his hands. “I get it, Chloe. You’re thinking like a lawyer—”

“I am a lawyer,” she interrupted.

He continued, “You want what’s admissible in court or to find problems with evidence that might be challenged, but that’s not what we need now.”

Julia said, “What we need is a name to go with whoever is the Watcher. You worked at Darcy’s high school, right? You must remember if there was anyone with whom Darcy was close.”

Chloe slowly shook her head. “That was more than a decade ago. I’m not sure that I recall much that would be helpful.” She reached for the yearbook and flipped through the pages. “Let me see if anything jogs my memory.” With a sigh, she held out the book after a few minutes. “Sorry, I can’t be more helpful.”

Julia took the offered book and left the office. As she walked up the stairs, she said, “Let’s put this and the diary entry into the evidence locker. Then we can regroup and devise a new plan.”

The door to the sheriff’s office was closed and locked. A handwritten sign hung on the door—Gone for the Night.

He lifted the paper from the door. “You’d never see something like this in Denver. The patrol room was never quiet, much less empty.”

“Do you miss all the busyness of your old life?” she asked while entering a combination into the lock.

Luis didn’t even consider his answer. “Not at all.”

Holding the door open, she said, “After you.”

Chuckling, he paused as he passed her. “Thanks.”

Their gazes met.

Adrenaline rushed through his system, until it felt as if his blood ran with an electric charge. Swallowing, he looked at the floor and focused on the corner of a cracked tile. “You have a code for the evidence room?” he asked, hooking his thumb toward a small door in the corner.

“Of course.” Julia entered a code on the door’s lock and turned the handle.

The evidence room was little more than a closet—three walls covered by shelves that were filled with boxes. She pulled the door closed, leaving them safely ensconced with all the evidence...and cut off from the rest of the world. A card with case file numbers, dates and the suspect’s name was attached to the end of each box. Half of one wall was reserved for Darcy’s files.

Luis removed the most recent box and slid the diary entry and yearbook inside. He then wrote a note about the material and ended the notation with his initials. In the small space, Julia’s breath washed over his shoulder. He turned. She was there, close but not yet touching. Her aroma—musk, wildflowers and an underlying note that was wholly female—surrounded him. Luis was slightly drunk on her scent.

The room was suddenly too small. The air was too hot, and his skin was too tight. In a flash, he saw them tangled in an embrace. Felt her naked thighs wrapped around his waist.

What was he thinking? Julia was...well, Julia.

His friend. His confidante. His companion.

He couldn’t be having fantasies about her while they were locked in a tiny closet. And yet, his eyes were drawn to her lips. He inched closer.

What the hell? He had to get away.

Reaching for the handle, Luis pushed open the door. He stepped into the squad room and moved to the opposite wall. Sitting on the desk’s edge, he drew in a lungful of air.

“You okay?” Julia asked while closing the door and engaging the lock. “You look like you got spooked in there.”

He shook his head. “I’m okay.”

“You sure? Is your ankle bothering you?”

“It’s fine.”

“What is it, then?”

What was he supposed to say? That he wondered what it would feel like to hold Julia in his arms? Or that he was dying to find out how her kisses might taste?

“Maybe I’m just hungry. We never stopped for lunch.”

“You go home. Get something to eat. We’ve done good work for the day and can pick up tomorrow where we’ve left off.”

“Come with me,” he said, rising to his feet. “You haven’t eaten, either.”

“I’ve got work to do. Calls to make.”

“You need to eat sometime, otherwise you won’t be effective. You know that,” said Luis. And, sure, what he said was true. Julia needed to eat to stay healthy. But there were other reasons why he encouraged her to join him.

Simply put, he liked spending time in her company.

And, yeah, okay, she was really easy to look at.

Early on, Luis had drawn a line that kept them both safely in the friend zone.

But what happened when the line between friends and lovers was becoming harder to maintain?

CHAPTER 12

Julia knew that Luis was right. If she wanted to be effective, she needed to eat. Without fuel, even the fastest car in the world would quit running. Despite piles of work still waiting for her attention, she gave in. Together, Julia and Luis walked down the street to the diner, Sally’s on Main.

Every seat at the long counter was occupied. All of the tables were full, as well. The scent of something salty and fried hung in the air, and Julia’s stomach grumbled painfully.

Sally, the owner and namesake of the diner, approached. “Evening, folks.”

“How’s Sarge?” Julia asked.

“He and Gunner are settled. It’ll be nice to have him around the house for a few days.” Then she asked, “Is it just you two or will others be meeting you?”

“Just the two of us,” said Luis.

A table in the back cleared out. “Give me a second to get that cleaned off for you.”

“Thanks, Sal,” he said. Within a minute, both Julia and Luis were seated and had been served drinks—water for Luis and a steaming cup of coffee for Julia.

“Sally and Sarge,” said Julia, smiling. “I like them as a couple.”

“Sure,