Helen tilted her head, studying him as though he were a puzzle. A deputy inspector couldn't just say yes to a stranger, yet something about his boldness, his ease after everything that just happened, made her hesitate longer than she normally would.
"Okay," she said after a pause, her voice calm but decisive. "But not right now, it'll have to be another time. I'm heading to work."
"Sure," Yohan replied quickly, hiding his disappointment behind an easy smile.
Helen opened her car door, then reached inside and retrieved a small card from her bag. With a practiced motion, she handed it to him. "You can call me later."
Her eyes lingered on his for a moment as he accepted it, the faintest curl at the edge of her lips
Yohan turned the card over in his hand, reading her name printed in bold: Deputy Inspector Helen S. Carter. The title alone sent a little jolt through him. She wasn't just confident—she was official, the kind of woman who carried authority everywhere she went.
