Grace did a double take. “Another connection between the two of them in addition to the seeds.”

“Yes.”

“And Fred’s death also appeared to be natural.” She exhaled. “I’m not getting positive vibes about this.”

“Me neither. I went over Wilson’s file, but other than the few similarities you noted, I didn’t see any other commonalities. The link with my suspect is curious, but I can’t figure out the significance of the seeds in this scenario.”

“Maybe there isn’t any.” She frowned and caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Maybe there’s no connection between any of these disparate facts.”

He studied her. “You’re not ready to accept that, are you?”

How was this man she barely knew able to read her so well?

“No. Not until I do more digging.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“I think I’ll take a look at deaths of older residents classified as natural in the counties in this area over the past couple of years, especially ones where the deceased shared characteristics with Fred and Mavis. See if anything jumps out at me.”

“That could be time consuming.”

She smiled. “Unlike you, I don’t have a house to rehab. I can devote a few evenings to this.” Even if her sisters would be all over her about spending time with the dead rather than the living—if she shared her plans with them. Which she had no intention of doing.

“I admire your dedication.”

A surge of pleasure swept through her at the compliment. “What can I say? Like my sisters, I was born with the truth-seeking gene.”

“Now I’m intrigued.” He leaned forward, laced his fingers on the table, and gave her his full attention. As if her impromptu visit hadn’t disrupted what was no doubt a packed schedule. “What do they do?”

“My oldest sister is a police detective in St. Louis. My middle sister is the host of an issues-oriented radio show, also in St. Louis.”

“Impressive family.”

“Yeah. As the baby, I had hard acts to follow.”

“I was including all the Reilly sisters in my comment.”

Oh.

Her pulse picked up, and her fingertips began to tingle.

If she didn’t get out of here fast, the blush she’d managed to contain thus far was going to break free.

“Although I am curious about one thing.” He studied her. “You seem awfully young to be a board-certified forensic pathologist.”

“Not really. I’m thirty.”

“But you have three years tenure with the county. From what I know about the schooling required for your job, the math isn’t adding up. Were you a child prodigy?”

“Hardly. But I did skip a couple of grades and I finished college in three years. I came here straight from my fellowship work.”

“I stick by my original assessment. Impressive.”

“More like driven. What can I say?” She gave a self-deprecating shrug. If they talked any more about her fast-track achievements, the faint flush on her cheeks would turn crimson. “And now I’ll let you get back to work.” She picked up her tote from the floor and stood. “Besides, I have another autopsy this afternoon in the next county.”