on an amber
hue.
Chelsea, what has gotten into you?
“ Sure come in. Would you like some coffee?”
“ Yeah, that would be great, thanks.”
“ I was just about to go upstairs and sit on the balcony, to
keep out of the way of ...” She pointed towards one of the techs.
“Do you mind if we sit up there to talk?”
“ I don’t mind. Wherever you feel most comfortable, Chelsea.”
It felt nice to say her name again.
Lucas watched her small, sexy form as he followed her
through the living room, which he’d only glanced at earlier that
day. The furniture was modern but welcoming and the couch just
begged to be snuggled into. With her.
She walked into the kitchen which was separated from the
living room by the stairs running up the middle of the
house.
He passed the table he’d spotted earlier with the paper
coffee cup. His memory had served him well and the cup was in fact
from the Coffee Break Café and sat exactly where he remembered it.
Lucas gestured to one of the techs to bag the cup.
“ How do you take it?” she called.
“ Milky and sweet, thanks.”
She emerged with two steaming mugs of coffee, passed one to
him, their fingers touching as she did so sending a jolt up his
arm, before proceeding up the stairs. Lucas climbed up behind her
so transfixed by the lure of her body that his mind clouded over
completely, full of her.
Stop acting like a school boy with a crush, Lucas. You have a
job to do.
The stairs led up to a setting much like downstairs. The top
level was split into two halves with a bedroom on each side and
what appeared to be another bedroom and a bathroom in the rear. At
the top of the stairs, a large window gave a fantastic view of the
city.
He assumed Elle’s bedroom had been to the left as there were
two techs collecting evidence and fingerprinting there. He gave
them a nod as he went past while Chelsea went to the right, through
her bedroom and out a sliding door. Lucas strolled out behind her
to discover the same sensational view from her balcony as he’d seen
from the window.
“ This is a beautiful house you have here.”
“ Thanks,” she said with a weak smile. “I’ve always loved
living here but now well …”
“ It’ll get easier.”
“ I hope so. Now what did you need to ask me Detec ... I mean,
Lucas?”
The sound of his name on her lips was intoxicating. She is
intoxicating.
“ I noticed a coffee cup from the Coffee Break Café
downstairs. Was it yours?”
“ Um no, it was probably Elle’s ...”
“ Do you know if she went there often?”
“ Yes, most days, I think. She started a new job a few months
ago in the same group of shops as the café. Um, Dazzle was the
place she worked. Anyway she used to go and have a coffee before
work or when she went on a break. She ate lunch there a bit
too.”
“ Do you think she might have met the new guy she was seeing
there?”
“ It’s possible. Now that you mention it, about a month ago she
told me about a blond guy who worked there or he might have been
the owner,” she paused. “Knowing Elle and it being a month ago, she
could have moved on. She was a ….free spirit.” She gave him a brief
smile.
His heart lifted into his throat. He cleared it and
continued.
“ Did you ever go to the café with Elle?”
“ A couple of times. She sometimes came and helped me at my
shop and we went and had lunch there. She always talked about the
food.”
“ You have a shop?”
“ Yes, I’m a florist.”
“ That would explain the gardens.”
She smiled again. “I guess it does but I’ve been neglecting
them lately.”
“ You can’t tell. They’re … nice.”
“ Why, Lucas, you do have a soft side after all.”
Did I just blush? He cleared his throat again. “Thanks, um, can you
think of anything else about the café that might be helpful? Did
you ever see the owner?”
“ No ... Wait! I’m sorry, I just remembered. I haven’t been
thinking very clearly. She told me about meeting someone when
hue.
Chelsea, what has gotten into you?
“ Sure come in. Would you like some coffee?”
“ Yeah, that would be great, thanks.”
“ I was just about to go upstairs and sit on the balcony, to
keep out of the way of ...” She pointed towards one of the techs.
“Do you mind if we sit up there to talk?”
“ I don’t mind. Wherever you feel most comfortable, Chelsea.”
It felt nice to say her name again.
Lucas watched her small, sexy form as he followed her
through the living room, which he’d only glanced at earlier that
day. The furniture was modern but welcoming and the couch just
begged to be snuggled into. With her.
She walked into the kitchen which was separated from the
living room by the stairs running up the middle of the
house.
He passed the table he’d spotted earlier with the paper
coffee cup. His memory had served him well and the cup was in fact
from the Coffee Break Café and sat exactly where he remembered it.
Lucas gestured to one of the techs to bag the cup.
“ How do you take it?” she called.
“ Milky and sweet, thanks.”
She emerged with two steaming mugs of coffee, passed one to
him, their fingers touching as she did so sending a jolt up his
arm, before proceeding up the stairs. Lucas climbed up behind her
so transfixed by the lure of her body that his mind clouded over
completely, full of her.
Stop acting like a school boy with a crush, Lucas. You have a
job to do.
The stairs led up to a setting much like downstairs. The top
level was split into two halves with a bedroom on each side and
what appeared to be another bedroom and a bathroom in the rear. At
the top of the stairs, a large window gave a fantastic view of the
city.
He assumed Elle’s bedroom had been to the left as there were
two techs collecting evidence and fingerprinting there. He gave
them a nod as he went past while Chelsea went to the right, through
her bedroom and out a sliding door. Lucas strolled out behind her
to discover the same sensational view from her balcony as he’d seen
from the window.
“ This is a beautiful house you have here.”
“ Thanks,” she said with a weak smile. “I’ve always loved
living here but now well …”
“ It’ll get easier.”
“ I hope so. Now what did you need to ask me Detec ... I mean,
Lucas?”
The sound of his name on her lips was intoxicating. She is
intoxicating.
“ I noticed a coffee cup from the Coffee Break Café
downstairs. Was it yours?”
“ Um no, it was probably Elle’s ...”
“ Do you know if she went there often?”
“ Yes, most days, I think. She started a new job a few months
ago in the same group of shops as the café. Um, Dazzle was the
place she worked. Anyway she used to go and have a coffee before
work or when she went on a break. She ate lunch there a bit
too.”
“ Do you think she might have met the new guy she was seeing
there?”
“ It’s possible. Now that you mention it, about a month ago she
told me about a blond guy who worked there or he might have been
the owner,” she paused. “Knowing Elle and it being a month ago, she
could have moved on. She was a ….free spirit.” She gave him a brief
smile.
His heart lifted into his throat. He cleared it and
continued.
“ Did you ever go to the café with Elle?”
“ A couple of times. She sometimes came and helped me at my
shop and we went and had lunch there. She always talked about the
food.”
“ You have a shop?”
“ Yes, I’m a florist.”
“ That would explain the gardens.”
She smiled again. “I guess it does but I’ve been neglecting
them lately.”
“ You can’t tell. They’re … nice.”
“ Why, Lucas, you do have a soft side after all.”
Did I just blush? He cleared his throat again. “Thanks, um, can you
think of anything else about the café that might be helpful? Did
you ever see the owner?”
“ No ... Wait! I’m sorry, I just remembered. I haven’t been
thinking very clearly. She told me about meeting someone when
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