She dropped her half-eaten spring roll onto the napkin and dusted off her hands. “I’m worried, okay? That’s why I’m doing this. That’s why I’ve spent the better part of this week ignoring my caseload and driving around town interviewing Vanessa’s friends and her sister and her co-workers. I’ve probably talked to more people than you, and I probably got more out of them, too. And I’m happy to share info, even though you’re being defensive about it.”

First, he was pissy. Now, defensive.

“What?” she demanded. “What’s that look?”

He’d definitely pushed her buttons, and now he wondered whether it was the right tactic.

He took a deep breath. “I’m not trying to be defensive. I’m just not used to civilians horning in on my work.”

“I used to work for the public defender’s office,” she told him. “I know how to investigate a case, and interview witnesses, and vet a story. I know how to sniff out bullshit and how to tell when people are lying.”

He nodded. “Good for you.”

“Is that sarcastic?”

“No. I mean it. I bet you’re a skilled interviewer.”

She watched him for a long moment. Heat flickered in those pretty green eyes, and he ignored the jolt of attraction.

She picked up a carton and held it out. “Have a spring roll.”

“I’m fine.”

She sighed. “Please. I can hear your stomach rumbling from here.”

She held out the carton like a peace offering, and he took a roll. She put a napkin in front of him and then a little plastic container of mustard.

“Careful, it’s hot,” she said.

He pulled off the lid. “So, what did Vanessa’s friends tell you?”

“Well, there were some common threads.”

He dipped the spring roll in mustard and chomped into it. Fire wafted up his nose, and his eyes filled with tears.

“Damn,” he choked.

“I warned you.”

She smiled as he swigged water.

“Almost everyone said Vanessa had seemed distracted lately.” She returned her attention to the noodles. “She was upset about something, but no one knew what, exactly. Her sister told me she’d seemed really stressed out.”

“How long had she been that way?”

“A month or two, depending on who you talk to.”

“So . . . since August.”

“Right.”

“That’s around when she came to see you.”

“Right. So, I’m thinking she was having some problems beyond what she told me in our initial meeting.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, but I’ve got some ideas.”

He finished off the spring roll and watched her, waiting.