Page 2 of Day of the Storm
“Yes, ma’am.”
2
Detective Sean Callumhad a hard time not watching the backside of his best friend’s baby sister. Autumn Jane Evers was all grown up now—and had been for a while.
He’d probably realized that fact around her twenty-first birthday. He’d looked up one day while having Sunday dinner with his partner’s family—Mike’s mother adored him and made no bones about it—and his eyes had met his buddy’s little sister’s. And that had been all it had taken.
She had perfect brown eyes. And a perfect smile that had fascinated him from that moment.
Everything about her was perfect.
She was tall, close to five nine, with warm honey-brown hair that she constantly battled to straighten—even though Sean loved the curls—medium-brown eyes, and the classic peaches-and-cream complexion. There were even small dimples on each cheek.
She’d gone from looking far too young to looking like the all-American poster girl for wholesome hotness.
It irritated the hell out of him. He’d been almost thirty that day—his birthday had been the week after—and far too old for her. In years—and experience.
Even if there had been any feelings on her side.
He was still far too old for the baby of the Evers clan. With seven older brothers, each born one year or so apart and all six foot three or taller, who hovered over her like she was their only baby bird, it was a wonder Autumn Jane—he hadn’t thought of her as A. J. since that day—had ever been allowed to date at all.
They took protective to a whole new level.
He’d been there when she’d first told them she was moving out and attending grad school in the field of forensic science, instead of medicine like both her parents.
He didn’t think her father spoke to her for three months after that.
They were definitely an old-school family in a lot of ways. Especially where Autumn Jane was concerned.
Autumn Jane was definitely not an old-school kind of woman.
She was quiet, but she wasn’t a pushover.
He carried her precious box to the conference room, one of the smaller in the new annex. It was a cinder block building, nice and sturdy. With four-inch-thick inner walls.
No one was risking the destruction of years’ worth of evidence again.
“Seriously, Sean? If you need something, fill out the correct form. I’m currently six forms behind.”
“What are you doing guarding evidence anyway? Where’s the officer who’s supposed to be handling this?” They had an armed guard who was assigned to watch who entered and who left the evidence vault. A protection that was mandated by Texas State Police headquarters in Wichita Falls after the previous troubles.
“Adam called off this morning. I drew the short straw.”
Sean wasn’t happy with that, but it wasn’t his place to say something.
The idea that the only thing standing between evidence in some of the state’s worst crimes was Autumn Jane Evers didn’t sit well with him. At all.
Autumn Jane wasn’t even armed.
He scowled.
There should have at least been a damned armed guard here.
And there wasn’t.
“Sean? You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”