Page 75 of Cry Baby
Silver.
Tiny.
I reached for an evidence glove from my pocket before kneeling beside it.
An earring.
A thin silver hoop with a small black dagger charm hanging from it.
My pulse stumbled.
No…
It couldn’t be.
I turned it over in my palm.
The tiny nick near the clasp.
The scratch running down one side.
I’d seen it before.
Jailbait.
He’d worn it the night at the bar.
I’d noticed it because it looked out of place against that innocent face he liked to wear.
Nobody else had seen me pick it up.
I looked over my shoulder.
The photographer was busy.
Ryan was talking quietly with the medical examiner.
No one was watching.
Every instinct I had screamed to drop it into an evidence bag.
Log it.
Do it by the book.
Instead…
My fingers closed around it. The cool metal disappeared into my pocket, a knot settling in my stomach.
I hated myself for it.
I also knew exactly why I’d done it. If Jailbait had left this behind, I didn’t want it buried in property intake for the next week while paperwork crawled through the system.
I wanted to look him in the eye first.
I wanted to see if he reached for the ear that was suddenly bare.
I rose slowly, slipping my hands into my pockets before anyone could notice. Ryan walked over.
