The Object of His Protection - Brenda Jackson [36]
“I’m going, Drey. You don’t know your way around once you get inside. Besides, you won’t know what you should look for. You’ll need me to identify just what you need.”
He stared at her. She did have a point. “Okay, then, let’s get moving. Like I said earlier, you need to change into dark clothes.”
She nodded and then he watched as she rushed off toward the guest room.
They were both going to end up in jail, Charlene thought as she stood with her body pressed close to Drey’s while he used something that looked like a hair clip to force their way inside. And this might not be the best time to think about it, but she thought he smelled super good.
“And you’re sure there’s not an alarm system?” he asked her over his shoulder.
“I’m sure.”
It was dark but she didn’t need any lights to see the dangerous yet sexy glint in his eyes. She had noticed them on the drive over. Whether he admitted it or not, she knew he was enjoying this. She could just see the headlines now.
Former Police Officer Arrested for Breaking into Coroner’s Office.
She hadn’t figured out yet just how they would broadcast her part in it, but there was no doubt in her mind that they would. At that point she would have to kiss her job goodbye. She should never have insisted on coming, but then she couldn’t imagine watching a video while waiting for him to come back.
Charlene heard a click and knew Drey had gotten the door open.
“Right or left?” he asked her in a whispered tone.
“Left then straight for around 5 feet and then turn right,” she responded. They would not be turning on any lights other than a penlight he held in his hand. They would stop by her desk to get the key that would open the file cabinet where the autopsy reports were kept. They intended to get both Harmon’s and Joe Dennis’s autopsy records. Then they had agreed to search Nate’s office for the missing key.
“Okay, here’s your desk.”
Charlene nodded and within minutes she had the key to the autopsy room in her hand. “I got it,” she whispered. And then she gave him directions on how to get to the autopsy room from where her desk was located.
Reaching their goal was done with little difficulty, but that didn’t stop fear from flowing down Charlene’s spine. Although the coroner’s office didn’t have an alarm system, it did have a security guard on payroll who made periodic checks. The key was to get in and out between the security officer’s visits.
Drey whispered most of his words while she quickly opened the file cabinet and began thumbing through for the autopsy reports on Harmon and Dennis. The penlight had been replaced by a slim flashlight and within minutes they had retrieved the reports they wanted.
“Where to now?” she whispered close to Drey’s ear, trying to ignore the stirrings in the pit of her stomach. How could she be thinking of wanting him at a time like this?
They carefully made their way from the autopsy room toward Nate’s office. At one point they paused when they thought they heard a sound and discovered it was only the hum and click of the air-conditioning system.
Drey and Charlene began searching Nate’s office in earnest, making sure to return anything they picked up to its proper place. After a few minutes of searching they still had not found the key. However, they did come across a copy of Joe Dennis’s original autopsy report. It was in a folder with other documents labeled “To Be Destroyed.”
After searching high and low with no success in finding the key, Drey whispered, “Evidently the key has now changed hands. Let’s not waste any more time in here looking for it.”
Charlene was about to agree when they heard footsteps coming down the hall. Drey killed the beam from the flashlight immediately and pulled Charlene with him into a small closet in Nate’s office.
Charlene was standing behind Drey and clenching his shirt when fear gripped her. What if someone had heard them moving around in Nate’s office and had called the police? What if they had guns?
“Relax,” Drey whispered. “Your breathing