Page 4 of Hold a Candle

She’d already seen the pictures of the body with the coffee pot handle embedded in the man’s lower neck. Kearns had sent them to her when the man was carried out on the stretcher. The glass beneath the rounded spout of the coffee pot had nicked the carotid artery, and he’d already lost too much blood to be stabilized in the ambulance.

Her eyes were drawn immediately to the blood congealing in front of the corner area. There was a lot of it. Not to mention the mess they’d made trying to get the man out of the corner. With her new aversion to blood, it was good that Lucerne hadn’t come in.

Tommie Ruskag wouldn’t be beating debts out of anyone for his boss anymore. By tomorrow, there would be another enforcer to take his place. Tommie was a mean customer in a fight. Whoever had killed him had gotten lucky. Breaking the coffeepot and using it to stab his attacker had been quick thinking on his part. Not something Tommie would have been expecting, most likely.

Walking briskly into the office area, she stopped in front of the wooden desk. There were no papers strewn across it, or carelessly stacked piles falling off the sides. The filing cabinet in the corner was old but shining and well-polished. The huge potted plant hanging in front of the window near the visitors’ chairs was enjoying the morning sun. It’s variegated colors of green were healthy and growing. There were four blue-plaid cushioned visitors’ chairs with a low coffee table in front of them to create a pleasant atmosphere. It was all very neat and orderly, just like Jamie himself.

“Which drawer, Mr. MacNamara?” she asked, one eyebrow going up.

“Bottom left,” he replied.

Quickly, Pauley bent over, opened the drawer, and took out the silver, dented cashbox, and sat it on the desk. When she opened it, there were bills and cash inside. “I’d say they weren’t after the cash,” she remarked, glancing up at him. “How much is here?”

“Probably about 60 pounds and some change,” Jamie replied. “I never worry about the exact amount.”

“I’m surprised ye don’t have it down to the penny,” she observed with a taunting grin. “Ye just seem like that sort of person.”

He studied her with interest. “Ye might be surprised at how unorthodox I can be then, lass,” he taunted back, “given the right circumstances.”

Pauley would really like to know what those circumstances might mean because it was obvious from his teasing smirk that he had something in mind. However, she wasn’t about to ask. She could feel the pink stealing up her neck and turned back to the cash box to hide her face. How had he managed to make her feel like an awkward young girl again?

Snapping the lid closed, she placed the box in the drawer and gathered her defenses firmly back into place before she turned around to present her all-business demeanor once again. The back door was just opening and the crime scene team was walking in, a welcome relief that kept her from having to reply to his comment.

“Gentlemen, I’ll let ye know when ye can have the building back,” she said to Darro and Jamie.

“Is yer team responsible for cleaning up, or do I need to get someone in for that?” Darro asked.

“We’ll get a professional crime scene cleaning company in to take care of that for ye. It isn’t something victims should have to deal with.”

Darro nodded. “Aye, thank ye.”

“I’ll need my client list to make phone calls,” Jamie said. “Can I take the laptop? Or do ye need that for fingerprints?”

“Ye can take it after my team takes the prints.” She motioned to one of the girls with the team. “Natalie, can ye dust this laptop for fingerprints please? Mr. MacNamara will be taking it with him.”

A trim, auburn-haired girl with white booties over her shoes and a hairnet walked over. “Aye, Pauley, right away,” she replied with a cheeky grin.

Pauley narrowed her eyes. No matter how many times she’d asked Natalie to call her detective when at work, she just couldn’t be bothered to get that formal, even on a crime scene. Of course, Pauley was on a first name basis with all the crime scene people, but her own daughter was the only one who refused to stick to protocols.

Jamie caught Natalie’s impropriety and shot Pauley a teasing grin. “Pauley. I like that name.”

“It’s Detective MacBride,” she shot back smartly, her face flushing despite herself. She liked the way it sounded in his mellow, smooth voice. Walking towards the back door, she tried not to feel like his eyes were on her arse the entire time.

She refused to look back and check.

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