My guess is that the invisible paragraph mark at the end of the paragraph is sized to the Topics heading font size.

If you select the Entire paragraph from the start to the finish does the shaded selection include a space after the 3? What is the font size or does that number disappear when the extra paragraph mark character is included.

If that isn't it, put your cursor after the 3 and press Enter - does that allow it tighten up to the preceding item. If not, have a look at the Paragraph format Space Before setting

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Andrew Lockton
Chrysalis Design, Melbourne Australia