My breath caught in my throat.

Detective Marcus was watching me, his eyes sharp and observant.

“Everything alright, Mrs. Vance?” he asked.

“Just a blog notification,” I lied, my voice trembling slightly.

I slid the phone into my apron pocket, my fingers cold.

Footsteps echoed on the stairs, sharp and deliberate.

Julian walked back into the foyer, his face a mask of calm composure.

He did not look like a man who had anything to hide.

He held a brass key in his right hand, letting it dangle from his fingers.

In his left hand, he held a sleek tablet.

“I apologize for the delay, Detective,” Julian said, his voice smooth and reassuring.

He stepped between me and Marcus, effectively cutting off my view of the investigator.

Julian took the printed photo from Marcus’s hand.

“I wanted to pull up the original high-resolution digital file from my server upstairs,” Julian continued.

He tapped the screen of his tablet, displaying the same kitchen photo from my blog.

“I see exactly what caught your eye in the printout,” Julian said with a warm, easy smile.