On a hunch Val typed pearls and hair products and bingo! “Hey, would you look at this. They put crushed pearls in expensive shampoos to make hair shiny. Particularly to make blonde hair shiny.” Val scrolled through the screen. “Holy moly! Look at what some of this stuff costs. Varies dramatically on the brand but none are cheap. Here’s one that’s nearly 300 a bottle. Absolute Blonde it’s called. Zoe will definitely have to follow up on this.” Val picked up her glass of wine, intending to milk it until the end of the evening. “So, Gabrielle Morgan disappeared from her home five days before she died, and in this time, she shampooed her hair with a pricey, specialty product for blondes?”

“I knew I was right when I said you were rivaling the best with your crime skills.” Gavin picked up a mussel, but kept his eyes on Val.

Val laughed. “Be careful how you say that!” She couldn’t help but think Gavin had something on his mind, something else he wanted to tell her. Shy smiles were intertwined with long devouring looks. What was it? It seemed like he was waiting for the right moment to pounce. Or was Val’s judgment clouded by the wine. Professional. This was a professional dinner. “What about DNA on the tape?”

“Only Gabrielle’s. Minor, salivary, no more than from touching her lips and epithelials from her skin. All points to Gabrielle. But…”

“But?”

“Cornstarch powder was also found. Like that used on the inside of latex gloves.” Gavin explained the findings to Val.

“Jesus, Mitch. Though everything points to murder–suicide, small things come up that make it crumble.”

The next hour slipped by easily. Dinner arrived and the steak was magnificent. The conversation ebbed and then flowed away from Gabrielle Morgan. Gavin’s gaze was growing more intense as he looked at Val. Dessert menus came.

As they sat looking at the choices Gavin said, “Val, there’s one more thing I want to talk about.” He sat forward and held her gaze. A shy smile spread across his lips. Val looked at him, eager to hear what he had to say, her pulse pounded. Gavin had been flirting with her all night. Should she flirt back, let him know if things were different… he not married… suddenly her phone chimed and she instinctively looked down. Val’s eyebrows knitted together and she tapped the screen to read the text she’d received.

“Something wrong?” Gavin asked.

“Jack asked if we knew yet if Gabrielle had yew poison in her system.” Val was about to text No but another text from Jack popped up. She kept her eyes down, reading.

We need to talk with the Ballards.

“Jack? Jack Styles? From the case last spring? He’s texting you about this case?” Gavin’s gaze on Val now intent.