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smiled and her cheeks took on a rosy glow. “And it is for that reason that I need to talk to you separately.”
    Chase’s eyes narrowed. He was not pleased. “I think I should stay…for support.”
    He was not going to win this. Mia had a feeling that it was a rare occurrence for Chase Montclair to be told no. “Your presence may force Erin to censor her recollection of the crime. Details may be omitted to spare your feelings. Chase, you need to have faith that I know what I’m doing.” His jaw clenched as she stared at him. “In my experience, it’s those details, those seemingly unimportant and many-times disturbing clues, which enable me to zero in on the suspect.”
    “Chase, I’ll be just fine.” Erin gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and a pat on the thigh.
    With his jaw slackened only slightly, he didn’t appear convinced. “Okay. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me. Can I get you ladies anything to drink? Water? Coffee?”
    “I’m good. Thank you, anyway,” Mia said.
    “Me too,” Erin said.
    Chase sighed. His excuse to return to the office and be present for Erin’s interview was squashed on the spot. Chase stood and walked toward the door. But before he made his exit, he turned and said, “Take care of my girl, Mia.”
    Erin blushed.
    Mia couldn’t help but feel envious of their relationship. She wondered if she would ever find something even remotely resembling the love and devotion she had just witnessed between Chase and Erin. The chances were slim considering her tendency to shut out the world. The truth was that she was a functional hermit. She may go to a job she loved during the day, shop for food, and run errands like a normal person, but that was all a façade, an illusion that she was living a fulfilling life.
    The sound of the door closing signified that the session had begun. Exhilaration and trepidation were competing for dominance. Mia had always enjoyed the challenge, the moment when all the pieces of the puzzle were laid out haphazardly, pleading with her to make them fit. But now the typical excitement she felt at the onset of a case was clouded by her own fear. It was impossible for her not to think about her mother. There would be similarities, details that would trigger painful memories she needed to keep tucked away.
    Mia looked at the woman across from her. Though Erin’s eyes radiated warmth, Mia couldn’t mistake that familiar shadow, a shadow that threatened to snuff out the light. Erin needed her help. And that meant putting her own issues aside. Actually, it meant stuffing her demons further into that dark chasm, where they couldn’t interfere and taint the present.

Chapter Seven
    E rin watched Mia scribble furiously into her composition book and wondered what kind of person chose to profile. Mia’s motivation and her skill to listen, analyze and identify intrigued Erin. She suspected that Mia had a story of her own, one that was rarely told.
    They spent the first hour discussing the years leading up to the rape, which included her parents’ passing. Erin told Mia about the night she learned they had drowned. She found herself going into vivid detail when she explained how her brother had looked as the police officer informed her that they were gone. With his eyes bloodshot, his body in shock, Paul Whitley had stood there as if the current reality was just a cruel delusion. Erin moved on and talked about how Professor Farrell, Josh Graham and a handful of other college friends had helped her through that dark period of her life.
    “Talk to me about Josh,” Mia said.
    Erin instantly felt guilty. He had visited her a couple weeks ago and had helped her move into her apartment. They had spoken only once since then. Yes, she had a lot going on, between her relationship with Chase and the rapist at large, but still. Would it kill her to pick up the phone and say hi to an old friend? She needed to rectify that situation. Erin mentally put that on her to-do