“Of what?” he said aloud. But he knew. They were looking for bloodstains or personal items, even DNA. From Megan. No doubt they would find a hair or two, maybe a forgotten tube of lipstick or earring or something personal she’d forgotten, but there would be no evidence of crime. Because there was none.

He hadn’t harmed her that night.

Nor ever before.

But there was still something missing, something he couldn’t completely recall, a forgotten detail or two of that night that teased at his memory, almost surfacing, but not quite. “What?” he whispered, but whatever was plucking at the strands of his memory was gone, retreating quickly.

He slipped the sling over his shoulder and was about to call Bobby for a ride when he realized he didn’t have his phone, either. No wheels, no means of communication other than the hotel phone. “Great,” he muttered, about to leave when he spied the bracelet, a single band of glittering clear stones that he assumed weren’t real diamonds, left on one of the side tables next to the bed.

Sophia’s.

In a flash, he remembered her astride him in the bed, her long legs bent at the knees as she straddled him, the bracelet still catching the half-light washing in from the window. He’d reached up with his good hand to touch her smooth abdomen, stretched taut, the skin silken beneath his fingertips as they skimmed the underside of her full breasts where her hair fell in a sexy tangle, her erect pink nipples peeking through the blond tresses.

Now, his breath caught in the back of his throat as the image faded. He swallowed hard.

What the hell have you gotten yourself into?

Rebecca, Megan, and now Sophia?

That was the problem. He loved beautiful, smart women. In Sophia’s case, he couldn’t help but notice her. She was everywhere he turned. At the shop, at the café, in town, wherever—it was almost as if she knew instinctively where he’d be, almost as if she were in two places at the same time. Impossible, of course, and maybe it was just his rationalization for not being able to avoid her, to be enchanted by a blonde with an impish spark in her eye, a quick wit and easy smile. She was funny and clever, and he found himself looking forward to being with her. She laughed a lot, a tinkling little giggle that brought a smile to his face. She’d been beyond charming when he’d first met her at the inn, when she’d come looking for a job, and he’d been unable to resist her, couldn’t resist her still.