Deadly Intuition(25)

Mandy moved from the chair she’d been sitting in behind James’ desk and bent down so she could get a better look over Sophie’s shoulders. “These numbers?”

Sophie nodded.

“Those are county codes.”

James straightened in his chair. “What do you mean?”

“Each department in the county has codes built into their printers and fax machines,” Mandy replied. “Each department has their own code. You can’t send or print anything without the codes appearing at the top of the document.”

“Why?” James asked.

Mandy straightened back up. “For various reasons. Some are for budget, so the accounting department knows how much money is spent on paper and ink and stuff like that.

“It’s also a way to track correspondence,” Mandy added. “If someone forgets to sign something, you can check the master list to find out where it came from.”

“There’s a master list?” Sophie asked.

“Yeah.”

“Who has access to the list?”

“I know Judge MacIntosh has one,” Mandy said. “It’s in his office.”

“Will he let you look at it?” James asked.

“I don’t see why not. I can look Monday.”

James smiled widely, motioning for her to rejoin him. He shot Finn a triumphant look. “And you thought our team would be the slackers.”

Finn rolled his eyes as James wrapped Mandy in his arms, pulling her into his lap. “I’m the one who found the document,” he said.

“And my blonde angel is the one who can figure out where it came from,” James countered, rubbing his nose against her neck.

Finn made a face, turning to Grady for support. “Can you believe this?”

Grady shrugged. “He’s not wrong.”



EVERYONE returned to their work – but that only lasted for about fifteen minutes. The constant kisses and heavy petting between James and Mandy became too much for Finn to bear at a certain point, and he sent them upstairs. Once they were gone, the three remaining members of their investigative team separated into different sections of the office to work.

Grady settled at the laptop on James’ desk, while Finn booted up another at the counter in the lobby. Sophie wasn’t sure what to do, so she perched on the corner of the desk and watched Grady work.

“What search engines are you using?”

“It’s a national database,” Grady replied. “It’s broad. It’s effective, but it takes a while.”

Sophie’s proximity to him was driving Grady to distraction. Again. Her lithe body was settled on the desk, only a few inches away – her toned, denim-clad thighs within touching distance – and yet he was forcing himself to remain focused on the computer screen.

Just breathe. She’s not on the menu, son. She’s not interested in you in that way.

Still, there was something about the way Sophie had been watching James and Mandy. Admittedly, the way they pawed at each other was mesmerizing in its simplicity. Even when you weren’t in their bubble, the emotion roiling off of them seeped into your very being.

Grady wasn’t a fool for love. He never would be. Even he found comfort in James and Mandy. He couldn’t explain it.

He wasn’t alone. Sophie obviously felt the same way. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the naked emotion reflected on her face as she watched them. So, he’d done what came naturally: He ignored it.

Grady was flummoxed. His body was screaming at him. He wanted to take Sophie to bed and not let her escape for days. Once wouldn’t be enough. A lost weekend, though? That sounded just about perfect.

On the flip side, they were working on something here. It was a real case. A big case. If he took her to bed for a weekend he would lose interest, and then where would she be?

Another glimpse at those thighs had his mind spiraling, pictures of them naked and wrapped around his waist running through his head. Why did he care again? If he bedded her, he would clearly lose interest, and then he would be off the hook. Wasn’t that the best for everyone concerned?



“IT’S LATE.”

Sophie jumped when Grady spoke. He’d been engrossed in his work for at least two hours. She’d tired of watching over his shoulder at some point, grabbing the paper files she’d bought to pore over again.

Sophie glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was late. She stifled a yawn. “I should be going.”

“I’ll follow you home,” Grady offered.

Sophie was unsure. “You don’t need to do that. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll follow you home,” Grady repeated, this time more emphatically.

Sophie sighed. “Suit yourself.”