Shiver

She closed her eyes. Breathe—in and out, in and out. She tried to ignore the intense gleam in his eyes and the hard lines sculpturing his jaw. They made her anxious. They made him look as if he could become unhinged at any moment.

“So, what type of stuff do you write?” he asked, pinning her with another of his dark, primitive stares.

“All types,” she muttered, and dropped her gaze to wide shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist where tight jeans molded thick thighs. With dark blond hair and eyes as brown and rich as a cup of espresso at Emeril’s, the combined effect definitely made the man a risk. She’d have to be extra careful around this one. He could do too much to her senses without even trying.

“Published?”

“Enough to make a living.” She watched under lowered lashes as he popped a few more pralines and drank down his tea in large gulps. He exuded an overabundance of confidence and moved with the grace of a panther. A dangerous mix, and she had a good idea he could be equally ferocious.

A trickle of moisture ran between her shoulder blades. She glanced at the clock. “Look, I’ve got to go soon. Are we about done?”

His gaze, cool and assessing, studied her. “A young woman—twenty-five, blond, beautiful, married and happy—her whole life in front of her, was found dead in the Quarter with this around her neck.” He held up the plastic baggie containing Devra’s locket.

But she couldn’t look at the necklace; she was too focused on the man’s eyes, the deep brown of them melting in pain. He’d known this woman well. “I’m sorry,” she offered, though she understood it wasn’t enough.

It never was.

His eyes narrowed and his pretense of charm and suaveness disappeared, replaced by something uglier, something desperate and frustrated. “I want to know how this necklace wound up around her neck.” He slammed his glass onto the counter. She jumped, refusing to meet his eyes. There was nothing she could offer that would help him or that woman.

“When was the last time you saw your necklace?” He was close—too close—stealing her energy, her breath, her feeble hold on her senses.

She stared at the locket through the plastic, focusing on the small rose etched on its face, on anything but him. “Last Saturday, at the Children’s Hospital.”

“You sure?”

“Yes. I mean…I think I am.”

“Can you think of any reason why your necklace would have been found on a murder victim?”

Because I’m next? “No,” she whispered. She looked up at him, her gaze colliding with his. Big mistake. His doubt, his anger, riding so close to the surface, frightened her. “I don’t know. Maybe she found it,” she offered in a voice barely above a whisper.

“No one has ever seen her with it before. Plus, it has a picture in it of a couple I’ve never seen. I know her. She wouldn’t wear a locket with someone else’s picture in it.”

Devra nodded slowly. Of course she wouldn’t.

“Who are they? The couple in the picture.”

She hesitated, her tongue seeming to thicken and fill her mouth.

He stepped closer. She could smell him now…rich, spicy, male.

“Who are they?” he repeated.

“My parents.”

“Where do they live?”

“Washington State.”

He pulled a notepad out of his back pocket. “Their names?”

She hesitated.

He looked at her, waiting, coldly calculating.

She said the names she hadn’t uttered in fifteen years. “William and Lydia.” William and Lydia Miller. But she wouldn’t tell him that much, not if she could help it. He closed the notepad and shoved it back into his pocket. She let out the breath she’d been holding and waited for him to back away.

He didn’t.

“Is that all?” she stammered.

His piercing gaze looked right through her. “Is there anything else you’d like to tell me?”

“Like what?”

“Do you have a record?”

An ice pick of fear pierced her heart and sent a cold shiver pulsing through her. She knew what was coming, knew what he’d ask next. He stepped closer stealing her air. “Have you ever been arrested?”

Chapter Two

Every natural-born cop instinct Riley had sang in tune. “Why are you rubbing your wrists?”

She didn’t answer and refused to look at him.

A telltale sign? His adrenaline kicked into high gear. “You won’t mind coming downtown to answer a few more questions, perhaps take a set of fingerprints?”

Her eyes shot to his. “What on earth for? I didn’t have anything to do with this woman’s murder. I didn’t even know her.”

“How do you know you didn’t know her? I haven’t shown you her picture yet.”

“Because I don’t know very many people here,” she said defensively and started to pace the room. “And I certainly don’t know any female police officers.” She stopped and looked at him with cold fear widening her eyes.

Gotcha, sweetheart. “I don’t believe I mentioned the young woman was a cop.”

She just stood there, staring at him.

“Right about now an explanation would be good,” he prompted. “How did you know she was a cop?”

A loud knock at the front door reverberated through the house. Devra jumped. Riley swore under his breath. “That would be my partner.”

“Oh,” she murmured, looking scared and relieved at the same time. He was aware of her soft step as she followed him through the living room and toward the front door.

How had this woman known Michelle was a cop? She’d been working undercover. Any bystander would have thought she was a prostitute. This woman knew a lot more than she was letting on. All he needed was a little more time alone with her and he’d have her singing.

He stood back and allowed her to open the door. Tony strode in, looking flushed and wiping the sweat off his brow. “It’s hotter than Hades out there. Are you about done here? The captain just called and said he wants to see you pronto.”

Riley turned. “Devra Morgan, Detective Tortorici. Grab your purse, looks like we’re going downtown.”

Tony raised a questioning brow.

She sputtered a protest, outrage crossing her face. “I can’t go. I’m due at the Children’s Hospital for story time. I have to be there.”

“I’m sure they can find someone else to read Green Eggs and Ham this morning.”

Unyielding, she stood with her hands braced on her hips. “No. There isn’t anyone else. The nurses are too busy. The children look forward to my being there. It’s important to them and to me.”

Her sudden display of backbone interested him. Was it disappointing the kids that had her all charged up, or the fear of going to the station?

Tony stepped forward. “Why don’t I accompany Miss Morgan to the hospital, then bring her by the station when she’s done?” He offered one of his smooth Italian smiles. “That way, Riley, you can go see the captain and she can still read to the kiddies.” He gestured wide with his hands.

Always the diplomat, Riley thought, but this time it wasn’t going to fly. “I’ll take her to the hospital,” he insisted. “We’ll come in to the station right after.”

Tony’s mouth twisted with disapproval.

“I’ll get my purse,” Devra said.

Riley watched her hurry down the hall. Once she rounded the corner, he lowered his voice. “Look, Tony. You and I both know what the captain is going to say the moment I walk through the door.”

“Yeah, what I already told you this morning. You shouldn’t be working this case. You’re too involved to be objective.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m going to accompany Miss Morgan to the hospital. She knows something and she’s this close to breaking.” He pushed his thumb and forefinger close together. “I won’t let her out of my sight. After she’s done, I’ll bring her in to give her statement.”

“And what am I supposed to tell the captain?”

“You’ll think of something. I can’t let this slippery little fish slither off the line. Not after I so expertly baited the hook. She knows something, Tony, and I mean to get it out of her.”

AS RILEY parked the car, Miss Morgan leapt out and all but ran to the front of the building. He followed her into the hospital, easily keeping pace. She could run, but she couldn’t hide the truth from him for very long. Discovering secrets and solving mysteries were his forte and he wasn’t about to let this case be any different. He entered the sliding glass doors and followed her into the elevator.

She pressed the button for the fifth floor, then kept her gaze glued to the flashing lights as they rose. “How long have you been coming here?” he asked, trying to get her to open up. The more she talked, the more that deep sultry voice of hers gave away.

“Three years,” she answered without taking her eyes off the illuminated panel.

“Impressive.”

She didn’t respond.

“Which floor is the cafeteria on?”

She turned, irritation pursing her lips.

“You know. Coffee?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never been.”

“Don’t eat or drink?”

She turned back to the doors, ignoring him. He smiled at the back of her head. He was getting to her, making her mad. That’s when she’d give away the game. He’d give her a little line, let her think she was slipping away, then jerk back and reel her in.

The doors opened.

Placing a hand on her rigid elbow, he walked her to the door of the Child Life Center where a group of kids—some in pajamas, some in wheelchairs, some sitting on the floor—was expectantly awaiting her arrival. He tightened his grip before she could enter the ward. “Can I trust you alone for a minute? I need a cup of joe.”

Her gaze shifted slightly, and he knew she was considering bolting. But she nodded, her eyes locked on his, a beseeching vulnerability shining in their dark blue depths. The look unsettled him. She’d looked that way earlier, like a lost and scared kitten stuck high in a tree. And, for a minute, he wanted to rescue her, to cuddle her.

To protect her.

But he wasn’t in the protection business. No matter how tempting the idea sounded, no matter how tempting she was playing Little Miss Scared and Innocent, he would bet his lunch money she was anything but.

She pulled free from his grasp and entered the room, smiling briefly at one of the nurses. It was a nice smile that brightened her whole face. He watched as she transformed once again into a different person—warm and friendly, with sincere hugs and bright smiles. No little lost kitty here.

He was about to leave when a nurse with bouncy brown curls and a white cotton shirt stretched tight across her breasts walked into the hall, shutting the door behind her. “Are you waiting for Devra?” she asked.

He nodded, and smiled as he read the name tag pinned to her blouse. “I sure am, Betty.”

She smiled back, deepening her dimples to craters. “She’s wonderful with the kids. They really look forward to her visits.”

He leaned against the wall. “How long has she been coming?”

“Every Saturday for years now. She’s never missed a day.” She glanced over her shoulder at Devra through the glass. “The kids are very important to her, and vice versa. We’re lucky to have her.”

“She’s a very special person,” he drawled. “But then I think anyone who devotes their life to helping people is special,” he added, cranking his Irish charm up a notch.

“Aren’t you sweet to say so,” she cooed and flapped her hand at his shoulder.

“And Devra,” he prompted. “She’s just so busy with…”

“Oh, yes. Her writing, I know what you mean. And she must be a very good writer, too.”

“Really? Have you read…”

Betty’s mouth puckered into a pretty pout. “No, she promised to bring something in, but it must have slipped her mind. And I didn’t find anything under her name, so I assume she uses a pseudonym. I keep forgetting to ask her what it is, though.” She brightened. “Do you know what it is?”

“No.” He paused. “I just thought since you said how good she is…”

“Oh, well she must be because she entrances the kids so. They retell her stories to one another at night before they go to sleep, changing the endings and the characters, acting them out, just as Devra has encouraged them to do. And sometimes, for these kids, that kind of distraction is just what they need.”

“She sounds like a saint,” he said dryly.

The nurse laughed. “Saint Devra. Has a nice ring to it.”

Too bad he was having so much trouble hearing it. “She must have a lot of admirers. Other than the kids,” he prompted.

“Well, they certainly do love her. It’s funny you mention it, though. In all the time she’s been coming, I’ve never seen her with anyone. And here she’s had two gentlemen stop by in the past week.”

“Two?”

“Oh, yeah. Though, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.” A worried look crossed her face as she once again glanced over her shoulder at Devra through the glass.

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “Miss Morgan and I are just friends.” He smiled and dug his hands deep into his pockets, giving her one of those I’m-available-if-you-are looks.

The nurse tilted her head coquettishly. “Well, then, I suppose it’s all right if I let the cat out of the bag.”

He gave her a wink of encouragement.

“Just last Saturday, a man stood right where you are, watching Devra work with the kids. He didn’t say much, just stood there and watched her with this weird expression on his face. He disappeared right before she was done. When I mentioned him to her, she seemed a little surprised and a touch agitated. She was afraid of him, wasn’t she? Is that why you’re here with her? For her protection?”

Heaven help her if she really did need protection. Look how well he protected Michelle…not to mention his mother. He shook off the thought. More than likely, Devra was agitated because she didn’t want anyone linking her with her mystery man. Perhaps an estranged boyfriend? Or an accomplice.

“Can you describe this guy for me?”

“Well…he was ordinary-looking—dark hair, slim, average height. In fact, the only thing memorable about him was his eyes.”

“His eyes?”

“Yeah, they were real dark and deep-set—a little intense and spooky-looking. To tell you the truth, he was a little creepy. I could see why Devra would be afraid of him.”

“Was she?”

“It wasn’t anything she said, just a feeling I had.”

Could Miss Morgan have known what the killer was planning? Perhaps he wasn’t pushing hard enough. Perhaps it was time to tighten the line. Riley took a picture of Michelle out of his wallet. “Have you seen this woman before?”

The nurse took the picture and studied it for a long moment, then handed it back to him. “Sorry,” she said. “She looks a lot like Devra, though.”

DEVRA WAS TRYING to concentrate on the children, but found herself hopelessly distracted. He was out there flirting with Betty. And Betty was enjoying it, laughing, her perfect curls bouncing, her long red-tipped nails flicking the air as she spoke. And it was bugging Devra to no end, though she couldn’t fathom why. She finished another page. She held the book up for the kids to see the pictures, then caught the detective looking at her. Quickly, she turned the page, and her attention, back to the book.

If she thought about it, she’d have to admit that he was handsome in a rugged, arrogant kind of way. She wondered what it would be like to have him look at her the way he was looking at Betty. But, after a second, she stopped herself. Thinking about that particular man in any capacity was dangerous. The sooner she put him out of her sight and her mind, the better.

She read another page. Someday, she would write books just for kids and leave the dark, ugly world of her nightmares far behind her. But, for today, she needed to say goodbye to the people she would miss the most when she left New Orleans—the children. Then she would hurry home, finish packing and disappear. Again.

She closed the book, gave the children extra-tight hugs as she said goodbye, then watched them pile out of the room. Everyone except Joey. “Did you get your necklace, Miss Devra?”

Confused, Devra looked down into Joey’s eager gaze. “What necklace is that, sweetie?”

“Your heart necklace.”

Her breath caught. Her locket. She glanced through the window into the corridor outside the room, but the detective was gone. He and Betty must have left to get that cup of coffee.

“I found it under the chair last week,” Joey continued. “I was going to give it to Nurse Jenkins to hold for you, but your friend said he’d give it to you.”

“My friend?”

“Yeah, the man that was here last week.”

Devra’s heart stilled at his words. She’d forgotten about the man Betty had mentioned. She had convinced herself the nurse had been mistaken. That he’d been waiting for someone else. What if she’d been wrong? What if he had been watching her?

“Did you get it back?” A tinge of anxiousness colored Joey’s voice.

Devra bent down so they were eye to eye and offered him a big smile. “I will very soon. Thank you for telling me.”

His smile went wide with pride.

“Can you tell me what this man looked like?”

“He was big.”

She gave him an encouraging nod. “Uh-huh.”

“And dark.”

“His skin?”

“No, his hair. And his eyes. He had the darkest eyes I’ve ever seen. They looked…” He glanced down at his feet, then looked back up at her with uncertainty playing across his gaze. “They looked dead.”

Devra recalled seeing eyes like that once. The image flashed through her mind, her stomach turned. She forced a smile through gritted teeth. “Thank you, Joey.”

“Joey, it’s time for your therapy,” a nurse called from the doorway.

Devra waved as he ran through the door to join the nurse. Her knees were beginning to ache and she realized she was still crouched down, her legs locked with an irrational fear. Joey had given her locket to a man with dark eyes. Dead eyes.

The eyes of the devil.

She shook off the thought and the fear. Tommy’s death had been a lifetime ago and far, far away. It couldn’t be the same man.

His killer had never been found.

The thought whispered across her mind. She shivered. The world was full of killers, a fact she knew only too well. Why had this one taken her locket? Had he killed that poor woman and then left the locket for the police to find? But why lead the police to her? Did he know about her dreams? Did he know her secret?

Evil lives within you, child. We need to flush it out.

Tears of frustration filled her eyes. The police would blame her for this woman’s death, just like before. Just like Tommy. She had to get away from this town. But first, she had to get away from Detective MacIntyre.

“Miss Morgan?”

His voice pulled her from her thoughts. On trembling knees she stood, smoothing down the front of her dress. Then she looked up into the detective’s face. He thought she was a killer, too. That’s why he wouldn’t leave her alone. He believed she was capable of the unthinkable. Just like everyone else, just like her family.

“Are you all right? Everyone’s gone.” Concern played around the edges of his voice, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He wasn’t fooling her. He didn’t care. No one did.

She stiffened. “Of course. I’m fine.” She walked past him without a second glance. The quicker she got away from him, the better. She kept her head down as she entered the elevator, planning in her mind which boxes she would pack first, which rooms. By nightfall, she and Felix would be on the road to a new life. A new beginning. Again.

“Will we be at the station long?” she asked casually.

He looked at her, quiet speculation shining in his eyes. “Not long.”

“Good.”

Within twenty minutes, Detective MacIntyre pulled the blue Expedition into the underground parking structure at the downtown headquarters of the New Orleans Police Department. But instead of taking her through the garage entrance, he walked her around to the front of the building through the main double doors and into the air-conditioned lobby. The long way.

Devra fidgeted with impatience.

“Hello, Nicci,” the detective said and smiled a greeting at the young black woman sitting behind a tall wooden counter.

“Hey, Riley. I’m sorry to hear about Michelle.”

“Thanks,” he murmured.

“Please sign in,” she said and, without looking at her, slid a clipboard across the counter.

Devra glanced questioningly at the detective, but he was too busy flirting with Nicci to notice. She scribbled her name on the sign-in sheet and slid the clipboard back across the counter. After another long minute of flashing teeth and big smiles, MacIntyre finally walked toward the elevator and pushed the Up button. It was amazing how women acted around him. Yeah, he was good-looking, but he was also the most infuriatingly arrogant man she’d ever met.

So what if he resembled Goliath with his bulging biceps and perfect pecs. The man was too cocky for words. He was exactly the kind of man any woman would love to see trip over his own shoelaces. As they entered the elevator, exasperation ballooned inside her. “Is this really necessary? I have things I need to get done today.”

“Yes. I believe it is,” he said without looking at her. He just stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, staring at the elevator doors.

“I already told you, I didn’t kill anyone.”

“Yes, you did.”

She gritted her teeth and bit back an expletive. She might as well be talking to a huge granite wall. Frustration burned inside her. “In fact, I know that I did lose my necklace at the hospital last Saturday.”

“Oh?” His eyebrow lifted a fraction of an inch.

“Yes. Joey, a little boy at story time, told me he found it last week.”

“Really,” he drawled.

Never had the southern Louisiana accent bothered her more than it did when this man opened his mouth. “Really,” she responded and stiffened her legs to keep from stomping her foot.

He turned and pierced her with a look so cold shivers cascaded down her arms. She stepped back, her heartbeat accelerating. It was amazing the effect he had on her. Too bad it wasn’t the same effect he seemed to have on all the other women in town.

His eyebrows arched in cold speculation. “You expect me to believe this little boy, Joey, left the hospital in the middle of the night and walked down to the Quarter where he killed an NOPD officer, then hurried back to the hospital. But not before leaving your locket clasped around her neck?”

“Don’t be absurd.”

“Exactly. I couldn’t have said it better myself.” He turned as the doors slid open and stepped into the hall.

Could he be any more obtuse? She took a deep breath and followed his long steady gait along the blue-carpeted corridor lined with cubicles on either side. At this point, she didn’t care who heard her, she just wanted him to stop and listen. She lunged forward, grabbed his bulging bicep and pulled.

It was like trying to move the Rock of Gibraltar.

“Excuse me,” she said through gritted teeth. This time, he stopped, and more than one head popped out from around a partition to see what the ruckus was about. “Joey told me there was a man at the hospital who said he was my friend. Joey believed him when he said he would return the locket to me. So, he gave the locket to the man.” She said the words as clearly and as succinctly as she could. Now all she could do was hope there was more to him than bulging biceps and a killer smile. Now all she could do was hope he’d focus on “the man” and leave her alone.

He stepped closer, looking down at her with that piercing gaze that made the oxygen suddenly evaporate from the space she was standing in. “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier while we were still at the hospital?”

“I don’t know. I guess your charm overwhelmed me and I forgot.”

He took another step toward her and, for a second, she thought he was going to throttle her.

“All right, I’ll send an officer down to talk to Joey. Maybe he’ll remember what the guy looked like.”