Dangerous Lover by MAGGIE SHAYNE Page A

nerve and backed away, let his hand fall to his side, regretting it with every cell in his body. “I’m heading to the outhouse. Be right back.”
    She opened her eyes, and it seemed to take her an extra heartbeat to get her mind focused. “Right. Um, wait a sec. I have something you need.”
    Did she ever. He almost said it out loud, and decided against it even as she turned to rummage in her backpack. She pulled out a toothbrush, brand-new and still in its cellophane wrapper, and a tiny tube of toothpaste.
    He took them. “Is this a hint that my breath is bad?”
    â€œI haven’t been close enough to know,” she said.
    â€œMore’s the pity.” Damn, he should have censored that remark as well.
    But she didn’t react badly. In fact, she sent him a teasing smile with a twinkle in her eyes that said she agreed. “I buy them all the time, stick them here and there. Every bag, purse, backpack and suitcase I own probably has a new toothbrush lurking around in it somewhere. Pays to be prepared.”
    â€œYou’d have made a great Boy Scout.”
    â€œExcept that I’m a girl.”
    â€œI noticed.” He held up the toothbrush. “Thanks, Selene. Go to bed. I’ll be along soon.”
    â€œOkay.”
    He watched her all the way into the bedroom, then he shook his head slowly. Damn, he hoped she wasn’t planning to try to kill him. At least, not with a knife.

Chapter 6
    C hief Wheatly sat on the big sofa, mostly ignoring the mug of coffee Vidalia had insisted someone bring him, while other officers, Jimmy Corona and his long-time partner, fellow former Chicago cop Colby Benton among them, were upstairs, doing whatever it was cops did in cases like this. Vidalia didn’t want or need to know any details. She trusted Jimmy. And Colby as well.
    â€œAnd you’re sure you don’t know where Selene went?” the chief asked for the third time.
    â€œEarl, you saw the note, same as I did. It didn’t say where she went. Only that she wasn’t leaving town and would call.”
    â€œAnd you believe that?” he asked.
    Vidalia, who had been rocking in her favorite rocking chair at an agitated pace up until then, stopped rocking and lowered the ice pack from the back of her head to send him her patented Vi Brand death glare. “My daughter doesn’t lie, Earl.”
    â€œUp until a day ago you didn’t think she practiced Witchcraft either, Vi.”
    She turned the glare up a notch. He lowered his gaze. Maya came in from the kitchen with a cup of steaming tea, and Vi accepted it and resumed rocking. “You should be home with the twins,” she muttered.
    Maya sighed. “Kara’s up there. They’re fine.”
    â€œStill and all—” Vidalia stopped there as her son-in-law the cop—Kara’s husband Jimmy—and her son-in-law the lawyer—Maya’s husband, Caleb—came down the stairs, with Colby Benton close behind them. She sat up straighter in her chair. “Well? You find any clues up there?”
    Jim said, “We lifted some prints, but they’re probably not the intruder’s.”
    â€œI told you, he was wearing gloves,” she said.
    â€œWe had to check all the same, Vi.” Jim glanced at Caleb and Colby. “I couldn’t tell for sure if anything was missing, but I don’t think so. It’s more like the guy was looking for something specific.”
    The chief was on his feet now. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
    â€œWhy?” Vidalia said. “What do you think? Do you think this is connected to that stranger being stabbed out at the falls, Earl?”
    Earl Wheatly averted his gaze, which told Vi a lot more than his words did. “We can’t be sure of that. But it’s a possibility we ought to consider.”
    â€œChief, we checked the outgoing calls log on Selene’s phone. I’ve got the last number she