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Tapping the side of his head, he said, “Don’t tell me that steel-trap mind of yours didn’t suspect that when you found it.”
A breath whispered across the back of her neck, and Jessica pressed a hand against her heart pounding in her chest. Shehadthought that.
“So, it crossed your mind.”
She gulped down the last sip of wine. “It did. Why would Morgan’s killer want to tease me like this if he weren’t also connected to Tiffany’s death?”
“Hang on.” Finn splayed his hands on the table, thumbs touching. “We don’t know that it was Morgan’s killer who left the card, and even if it was her killer who left it, that still doesn’t mean he had anything to do with Tiffany’s murder. He could be playing games with you, with the cops.”
“Creepy either way.” She dragged her purse into her lap and shoved her hand inside to grab her wallet. “I’m going back there.”
“Wait. What?” Finn’s blue eyes widened. “Now?”
“Maybe he knows I took the card. Maybe he’s still hanging around there. Maybe he left another clue.”
“You think you’re going to catch him in the act?” He tossed a few bills on the table before she could open her wallet. “I know I mentioned coincidence, but that’s not gonna happen.”
Leveling a finger at him, she asked, “Don’t you want to see where I found it?”
“You’re inviting me to come along?”
“Would be good to get a cop’s…an ex-cop’s perspective on that altar to Morgan.”
“You just told me I’d lost my cop’s instincts.”
“That sort of thing never goes away, does it? You had it back then, that’s how you found Tiffany, and you still have it.” She dropped her wallet back into her purse. “Let’s go.”
They headed for Finn’s vehicle, which enjoyed a parking place on campus. As they approached the mud-splashed Jeep, Jessica said, “I see you still enjoy the outdoors.”
“Took a trip this past weekend. Didn’t have time to clean it up before class.” He opened the passenger door for her. “Don’t mind the dog hair. Bodhi rides shotgun.”
He slammed the door, and she brushed a little light-colored fur from the seat. If his dog rode shotgun, that probably meant he didn’t have a wife—not that she hadn’t already surreptitiously checked out his left hand.
He slid behind the wheel and started the engine. “I’m not sure what you expect to find out there.”
“Can’t tell you, but after I found the card, I got out of there. I felt like I was being watched, didn’t give myself a chance to look at the other items.” She clasped her hands between her knees. “Maybe I meant to take you back there with me all along.”
“Yeah, barging into my lecture hall shooting questions at me is the way to do it.”
“Bought you a beer, didn’t I?”
“I paid for those drinks.”
“Oh, yeah. Next round’s on me.”
He gave her a glance from the side of his eye, but his lip quirked upward. Maybe he liked that idea.
They stopped talking, each immersed in their own thoughts, as Finn drove the short distance to the crime scene—Morgan’s crime scene. Earlier, Jessica had parked near her sister’s murder site and followed the river on foot to Morgan’s. This time, they traversed the trail to Morgan’s memorial in about ten minutes.
The same eerie feeling permeated the air, even with Finn tromping on the trail behind her. The forest seemed to be holding its breath, the critters silent and watchful.
The sound of the gurgling river broke the stillness, and Jessica quickened her pace. Daylight still filtered through the tops of the trees, but the long shadows signaled the setting of the sun. She didn’t want to be there in the dark—Finn or no Finn.
She almost tripped into the clearing, and Finn put a hand on her hip. “You okay?”
“Maybe we should’ve waited until morning for this expedition.” She rubbed the goose bumps on her arms, pretty sure they’d popped up because of the location and not Finn’s touch.
“Let’s make this quick.” He flung an arm out toward the pile of teddy bears and flowers. “You have a look at the cards again, and I’ll take some pictures with my phone that you can study later.”