Trust by Design (Colorado Trust 2)

“Is it still there?”

She nodded, but a frown knit her brow.

“What?”

She shook her head and got to her feet. “Nothing. It’s fine. It’s still here.”

“Like everything else appears to be,” he muttered.

“I know. I don’t get it.” Her gaze darted toward the hall. “Did you find anything else?”

“No. Yours is the only office with a break-in.”

“Great. I’m the lucky one.”

Maybe that’s all this was. Her bad luck of the draw with some kids or a low-bit thief looking for some money.

Except the laptop didn’t make any sense with that theory. Not to mention, he’d seen plenty of items in more than half the other offices that would’ve made any one of them a more lucrative risk. There had to be a specific reason hers had been chosen.

The ding of the elevator drew her wide gaze.

“That’s the police,” he said. “I saw them pull in.”

She visibly relaxed, and he put a reassuring hand against the small of her back as they both headed out into the hall. Of the two cops who approached, the male officer was shorter, with sandy-blond hair and a stocky build. He introduced himself as Officer Mueller, and his female partner as Officer Nilsen. She was a bit taller, and wore her brown hair pulled back in a low ponytail. Both looked about to be in their early thirties.

After Gina introduced herself and Dean, he hung back and let the professionals do their job. While the woman peppered her with questions, the man took some pictures, and dusted the door handle and visible surfaces of the desk for prints. He cautioned not to get her hopes up since even most petty criminals these days were at least smart enough to wear gloves.

“I still don’t have any clue why my office,” she told them. “Other than the mess they made, nothing was taken. Not even my computer was moved, or appeared to have been unlocked from security mode.”

Officer Mueller finished with the desk and sidestepped to study the laptop. “I can process the lid for prints here, but if it hasn’t been moved, I doubt we’ll find anything. If you want us to check the keyboard, then I have to send it in to the lab.”

“How long would that take?”

“A week, maybe closer to two.”

Dismay wrinkled her forehead. “I have all my work on there. Besides, if they were wearing gloves like you said…”

“Exactly, but still, it’s your call. Right now, we’ll finish up here and file the report. It’ll remain open in case any similar B&E’s are filed or you have any more issues.”

“I’d rather keep my computer. I was packing to move out of the office anyway.”

Officer Nilsen nodded, then advised her to err on the side of caution and change all her passwords, as well as get new credit cards.

Forty-five minutes later, they gave the all clear to clean up, crisscrossed the door with crime scene tape simply to act as a deterrent since she couldn’t lock her door until the glass had been replaced, and departed for the elevator.

The bleak expression on Gina’s face tugged at Dean’s heart, but one blink later it was gone and she squared her shoulders. He was about to offer to follow her home when she swept the papers on the conference table into a stack, then overturned one of the boxes with her foot so she could drop them inside.

“You’re doing this now?” he asked in surprise.

She swept her gaze over the mess on the floor that had been trampled numerous times by them and the police. “I can’t leave it like this.”

He supposed he understood. She kneeled down to start cleaning up the floor. After a quick glance at his watch, he took a knee across from her. When she lifted her head toward him, he raised his eyebrows. “Do you care what kind of order these are in?”

“No, but you don’t have to stay.”

“If you’re staying, I’m staying.”

“Dean—”