“What?” he asked curiously when she kept staring at him. He silently added her purchases to his massive haul.

A blush heated her cheeks. “Nothing.” Coward.

She shifted her feet, determined to tell him the truth that she was caught off guard by his beauty, but he’d already strode away and pulled out his wallet.

She scampered after him. “I’ll get my things.”

“Too late.” He sent her a grin. “You can get the next purchase.” He turned to the store clerk. “We’ll wear the coat and boots out.”

She hesitated. Growing up, her father had always vehemently rejected anything he saw as charity and it made her equally bad at accepting gifts.

She swallowed tightly. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

“Think of it as a belated Christmas present.”

“You sent me a Christmas present.”

He shrugged. “It wasn’t much.”

He’d sent her the most gorgeous leather-bound journal and a fountain pen. She treasured them and carried them everywhere. That reminded her…

“Can we head to the university after this?”

The guy behind the till frowned.

Eban pulled out his credit card and she could tell he was pretending not to wince at the massive bill. He’d bought a down jacket, good boots, mitts and pants and shirts too. A hat. Underwear. Her eyes kept widening. How long was he planning to stay? And was it wrong of her to be excited by the prospect even as she felt guilty about the reason and the price tag?

“Is it essential?” he asked.

“Yes. I left my laptop at the lab last night along with some notebooks. I went straight to the party from work and didn’t want to carry anything that might get stolen.” She shook the image of Martin’s dead body from her mind. “I’d like to be able to work from home if I have to.”

He nodded but did not look enthused at the prospect.

“Hey.” The clerk’s eyes bugged and he took a step back. “You’re the girl who killed that student.”

Darby fought the urge to flinch at the horror in his eyes. “No, I-I didn’t.”

“Ever heard the concept innocent until proven guilty, pal?” Eban snatched the receipt and the bags and ushered her out in front of him. “Let’s go before that moron calls the press. Let’s pick up food along the way because I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

Darby glanced behind her and saw the guy on his cell phone, recording their departure. Nausea swirled inside and the last thing she wanted was food. Since returning from Indonesia, she’d fiercely guarded her privacy and anonymity. Now it looked like a wasted effort, and she had no idea how she’d be able to live here, in this community unless the police found the real killer.

Chapter Twelve

Eban was grateful for the warmth of his new black parka as he followed Darby across campus and into the impressive white building that housed the Geophysical Institute. He was surprised to see how many lights were still on. People obviously made a habit of working late.