"Also, the pictures were wiped clean of fingerprints. We checked every single one. Too clean. All we found was one partial fingerprint, and it wasn't this guy's."
"Whose was it?"
"We couldn't tell. There wasn't enough of it be able to identify anyone. But there was enough of it to eliminate Veseli. We also checked to see if the pictures were of kids from his school, but they're not. And finally, all the parents and teachers at his school have nothing but praise for the guy. He really doesn't fit the profile."
"Isn't that the typical profile? Someone you'd least expect?"
"Well, maybe. But still, it doesn't seem right to me." He got up. "I think this guy was framed." He wandered off.
Constance leaned back at her desk and held Nicholas Veseli's case folder in her hands. Both hands started to tingle, so she sat for a few seconds to let the sensation soak in. She dropped the folder in front of her and leaned over it. Now her entire body was tingling. Too weird.
After staring at the cover of the folder for at least a minute, she was ready for more. Time to find out why she was so drawn to the pervy principal. She opened the folder to the first page and looked at his picture.
That's when she screamed.
The office fell silent and people turned her way. A few came to her door with inquisitive looks. Constance sat for a few seconds of awkward silence, completely at a loss for words. Her heart pounded in her ears. Finally, she looked back down at the file folder on her desk.
How can this possibly be? Nicholas Veseli, the pervy principal, was the man from her dreams. In the flesh. Front and side views, along with full background material. She had found the man with the dragon tattoo. To be sure this wasn't another dream, she pinched herself.
Of course, this man might not have a tattoo-his chest wasn't visible in these photographs. And although his description did say he had blue eyes, the black-and-white prints didn't tell her whether they were the sparklingly bright blues from her dreams. She reminded herself that just because he looked exactly like her dream man didn't make him the one. And it was a good thing, too, because fate would never lead her to someone so wildly inappropriate, someone who she could never be with. Her parents would sooner send her to a convent than let her end up with a criminal.
Gina stepped into the office and sat across from Constance, a look of concern on her face. "What's the matter?"