CHAPTER TEN
He found her in the kitchen, cutting up chicken breasts.
The smell of garlic and fresh herbs filled the air.
She looked up when he entered, and her smile was genuine but tinged with careful concern.
There were times when he almost preferred her being angry with him to the ever-present look of concern.
“Perfect timing,” she said, though they both knew he was slightly late. “Dinner still warm.”
“I'm sorry I'm late. It took me longer to get out of the office than I’d hoped.” He kissed her cheek and washed his hands at the sink. “This smells incredible.”
They ate dinner while Elena talked about her day at the pharmaceutical lab.
The Phase Two clinical trials were showing even better results than expected.
The Alzheimer's drug her team was developing seemed to be maintaining cognitive function in ways that exceeded their most optimistic projections. Miles focused, again reminded how interesting he found her work. Also, he was just thrilled they hadn’t instantly jumped straight into his end of things.
But of course, that’s where the conversation ended up. “Do you want to tell me how things went with the case?” she asked, seeming genuinely curious.
Miles pushed pasta around his plate. “Two people died today. The second was a florist named Janet Reilly. Same methodology as the school attack. The killer is using fluorine gas, introduced through small devices planted in the ventilation systems.”
“My God, that’s awful.” Her expression grew more serious. “Are you okay? Physically, I mean?”
“I'm fine. We used proper protective equipment. But this killer is moving fast, and their target selection is almost random. Anyone who uses synthetic chemicals in their work could be next. So that gives us a very wide range of victims. Based on the scant information we have right now, it’s almost impossible to predict.”
“I guess so. Jesus, that’s basically everyone.”
“Exactly.” Miles met her eyes across the small dining table. “That's what makes this so dangerous. And why I can't walk away from it.” He found himself becoming emotional, but managed to hold it together. “It’s why my mind stays locked on it.”
They finished dinner in relative quiet, both of them processing the implications of what he'd shared.
After cleaning up the kitchen, they went through their usual evening routine.
Elena checked her work emails while Miles reviewed his notes from the day's investigation. He did venture into his home office just long enough to type in some notes about the fluorine deaths to add to his previous research of the elemental murders he’d been researching, but he kept it short.
At 9:30, they headed upstairs to get ready for bed.
Their bedroom was simple and clean, with white walls and minimal decoration.
A queen-size bed dominated the space, covered with a soft gray comforter and white pillows.
Two matching nightstands held reading lamps and the books they were currently reading.
A single dresser against the far wall was topped with a few framed photos from trips they'd taken together. One of the photos had been taken by one of Miles’s best friends, hiding while Miles proposed.
The adjoining bathroom continued the same understated aesthetic. White tile floors and walls created a bright, airy feel. A single vanity with dual sinks sat beneath a large mirror. The shower was enclosed in clear glass, and white towels hung from simple chrome bars.
Miles brushed his teeth while Elena removed her makeup at the vanity.
They moved around each other with the comfortable choreography of a couple who'd shared the same space for three years.
But tonight, the familiar routine felt different, charged with the tension of the remaining conversations they needed to have.
Elena pulled her hair back with a soft headband and began applying moisturizer to her face. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Do you think about the periodic table murders more than you think about our wedding?”
The question hit him like cold water to the face. Miles paused with his toothbrush halfway to his mouth, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. When you're lying in bed at night, when you're driving to work, when we're having dinner together. Are you thinking about elemental deaths or are you thinking about marrying me?”
Miles rinsed his mouth and set down his toothbrush. The honesty in her question deserved an equally honest answer. “Lately? The murders. But that doesn't mean—”
“I know what it doesn't mean.” Elena turned to face him directly. “You love me. I know that. I have no doubt of that. But I also know that this case is consuming you in ways that our relationship isn't.”
They moved into the bedroom, and Miles sat on the edge of the bed while Elena pulled back the covers. The conversation felt more important than their usual discussions about work stress or wedding planning. This was about the fundamental direction of their life together.
“Elena, I do love you. More than anything. And I can't wait to marry you.” He watched her settle against the pillows, her dark hair spread across the white pillowcase. “But these cases are coming at the worst possible time.”
“What do you mean?”
“I spent three years tracking periodic table murders that everyone thought were unconnected accidents or suicides. Then Diana Hartwell was further proof that I was right, but she killed herself before we could learn about the larger organization. Now this fluorine killer proves the pattern is continuing, and I might be the only person who understands the connections. Those three years I’ve spent bogged down in it all…
three years that you tolerated, at that, might finally pay off. ”
Elena was quiet for a moment. “Oh, it wasn’t tolerating. Miles, I’m always happy to support you. I think I just…well, I have to somehow make myself accept that with this, you feel responsible for stopping them. Like you have to be the one to do it.”
“I’d feel responsible if I turned a blind eye to the opportunity to stop them.
” Miles pulled off his shirt and changed into pajama pants.
“I know it might sound as if I’m trying to make myself sound like more than I am, but I fear that if I don’t give this my all, dead bodies are going to keep piling up and I’ll always regret not sticking with it.
” He took her hand and locked eyes with her. “Can you understand that?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, of course I can. As selfish as it sounds… I just don’t like coming in second place.”
He shook his head and said, “You’re never going to be second place.”
She leaned in and kissed him softly. “Thank you. But if this is truly consuming you so much, do you think we need to postpone the wedding?”
“No,” he said. “We still have five months. I don’t see any need to change anything. Do you want to postpone it?”
“No. I want to marry you in five months exactly as we planned. But I also want to marry someone who's present for the process. Someone whose mind isn't constantly somewhere else.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
Elena brought his hand to her lips and kissed it. “I suggest we figure out how to make this work. I'm not willing to lose you to these cases, but I also couldn’t ask you step away from them.”
Miles squeezed her hand. “What would making it work look like?”
“Better communication, for starters. No more jumping into field investigations without talking to me first. I know you can't always predict when cases will develop, but I need to know what's happening in your life.”
“That's fair.”
“And wedding decisions take priority when you're home. When we're together, we focus on us.”
Miles nodded, though he knew that promise would be difficult to keep. The urgency of active investigations had a way of consuming every available moment. But Elena deserved his attention when they were together, especially during the months leading up to their wedding.
“What about the cases themselves?” he asked. “This fluorine killer isn't going to stop just because we're planning a wedding.”
“I know. And I'm not asking you to walk away from something this important.” Elena turned onto her side to face him more directly. “But I need you to find a better balance. I need you to come home to me, not just physically but mentally too.”
“I can do that.”
“Can you really?”
Miles looked into her dark eyes and saw the love and concern that had sustained their relationship through three years of challenges. She wasn't asking him to choose between his work and their marriage. She was asking him to find a way to honor both commitments.
“Yes,” he said with more conviction. “I can keep you in the loop about active cases when you ask or when things begin to escalate. And when I'm home, I'll focus on us. On our life together.”
Elena smiled for the first time since he'd arrived home. “And if you catch this killer before the wedding, you promise not to immediately start hunting for the next one?”
He couldn’t help but smile. “I promise… though I don’t have much control over when these people strike.”
“Thank you.” Elena moved closer to him, her body warm against his side. “I love you, Miles. And I'm proud of the work you do. But I also need to know that I matter as much as the cases.”
“You matter more than the cases.” Miles wrapped his arms around her, feeling the tension of the day begin to dissolve. “You matter more than anything.”
Elena tilted her face up to kiss him, and Miles felt the familiar electricity that had drawn them together three years ago.
Her lips were soft and warm, and when she deepened the kiss, he forgot about fluorine manifestos and periodic table theories.
For the first time in weeks, his mind was completely in the moment.
“I missed this,” Elena whispered against his mouth. “I missed having you here with me.”
“I'm here now.”
“Prove it.”
Miles smiled and kissed her again, longer this time, his hands tangling in her soft hair. Elena's fingers traced patterns across his chest, and he felt the familiar warmth building between them.
Elena switched off her own light, plunging the room into darkness. But Miles could feel her smile as she moved closer to him, her body pressing against his with unmistakable intention. Whatever challenges tomorrow's investigation might bring, tonight belonged entirely to them.