Page 46 of Her Only Hero

“Pasta, veggies, and sauce, is that okay?”

“More than okay,” he said and kissed my cheek. He backed away and poured himself a glass of milk. “So how did your place look? No signs of unlawful entry?”

“Everything appeared secure. Is that how you say it?”

Patrick chuckled. “Yes, it is. Are there any results from the case yet? I didn’t check in.”

I stopped stirring the sauce. “I called to update you.”

“What’s the update?” he said.

Was he intentionally avoiding accounting for my missed calls? I couldn’t let this go.

Boiling water overflowed and sizzled on the stove.

Patrick jogged over, slid the pot off the element, and turned the knob.

I grabbed a tea towel, wiped up the excess water, and wrung the cloth over the sink.

“I appreciate you making dinner.”

“And for making a mess?”

“There’s no mess.” Patrick slid his arms around me again. “I’m sorry I didn’t return your call. What did you want to tell me?”

“I wanted to give you an update.”

“Has the case finished sequencing?”

“Not yet. There was a computer glitch, but the repeat run should be ready first thing in the morning.” I grabbed Patrick’s hand. “Come,” I said and pulled him behind me. “I want to show you something in the bedroom.”

“Lead the way, darlin’.”

I laughed as we headed up the stairs. I sat on the bed, took the flash drive from my purse, and held it up.

“I thought you were going to show me something else, but I’ll play. It looks like a USB stick.”

I nodded and waited for him to ask more questions.

“What’s on it?” he said.

“I don’t know. It’s not mine.”

“Whose is it?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea.”

He scratched his nose and smirked. “Where did you get it?”

“I found it at my place,” I said. “Downstairs.”

“In the basement?”

“Yes. Above a ceiling tile. At a crossbeam.”

Patrick walked around his bed to get his laptop. “Let’s have a look,” he said and booted up his computer.

I handed him the drive. “You think we should?”

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