damp from perspiration, his shirt dotted with moisture.
He still looked sexy as hell.
But he was only here because of the Grave Digger’s return.
And she was just a tool to help him find the woman he loved—Mindy.
BRAD CONSIDERED correcting Lisa’s interpretation of his relationship with Mindy, but once again refrained. What purpose would it serve?
Lisa would never see him as anything but the man who’d asked her to testify against White, then nearly let her die.
And Mindy’s life might depend on him keeping his objectivity.
“Do you have any word on Mindy?” He squeezed his fingers across the bridge of his nose to stem the headache developing behind his eyes.
“I’m afraid not,” Captain Rosberg said. “The tail is still on the last man she dated, Terry Bitterton, but Bitterton stayed home all day, then signed into the hospital at three. He claims he and Mindy only went out twice for drinks after their nursing shift ended.”
“Did you get a read on him? Does he seem upset about her disappearance?”
“More worried that we think he’s a suspect. According to him, they were just friends.”
“He could be lying. Or maybe he wanted more than friendship,” Brad said.
“We’ll see,” Rosberg replied shortly. “How about you? Has this visit to the Langley woman paid off?”
Brad shot a glance at Lisa, his chest tightening at the sight of her in the kitchen. Steam rose from the stove, the homey atmosphere and cramped quarters making him uncomfortable. Lisa stirred spaghetti sauce, the smell so enticing his stomach growled and his mouth watered. Although her back was to him, he’d watched with admiration as she carefully cut fresh tomatoes, garlic and other ingredients and added them to the pot. She’d prepared a salad and had removed from the freezer a loaf of bread that appeared homemade. The scene looked so domestic that for a moment he’d felt as if he should leave, that he didn’t belong here.
Another part of him savored the delicious smells and cozy cabin. He could easily imagine a fire in the stone fireplace in winter, he and Lisa curled beside the flames with a picnic and bottle of wine—
“Booker?”
Brad cleared his throat, wondering where that ridiculous image had originated. He’d never had a romantic picnic with anyone, and wasn’t about to start dreaming of one now. “She remembered a man named Vernon Hanks who used to hang around White. He disappeared a couple of months after they met. I’m going to search the national database now to see if I can find anything on him.”
“Hmm, maybe it is a lead,” Rosberg said, and Brad realized that the man had been skeptical about his reasons for rushing to see Lisa.
“I’m also investigating everyone I might have ticked off in the last few months in case this guy kidnapped Mindy to seek revenge on me,” Brad said. He filled Rosberg in on his conversation with Ethan, as well as Lisa’s new neighbor, then promised he’d check back in. Rosberg agreed to do the same, then Brad hung up and accessed his computer.
A few minutes later, he’d learned a few things about Hanks, but nothing important. Certainly not where he was now. Damn.
Could Hanks be the killer?
Brad had told Rosberg, Ethan and himself that he wanted to drive here to tap into Lisa’s memory, but deep down in his gut, he’d had a more selfish reason for coming—he’d needed reassurance that she was safe. The fear that gripped him when he thought of Mindy at the mercy of another madman was horrific, but nothing compared to the terror that had seized him when he thought the man might track down Lisa.
She thought he was driving back to Atlanta after dinner.
How would she react when he broke the news that he had no intention of leaving her alone tonight?
Not when a copycat killer was on the loose and her life might be in jeopardy.
LISA HAD NEVER entertained a man for dinner at the mountain cabin. The sheer presence of Brad had resurrected old fears, yet at the
He still looked sexy as hell.
But he was only here because of the Grave Digger’s return.
And she was just a tool to help him find the woman he loved—Mindy.
BRAD CONSIDERED correcting Lisa’s interpretation of his relationship with Mindy, but once again refrained. What purpose would it serve?
Lisa would never see him as anything but the man who’d asked her to testify against White, then nearly let her die.
And Mindy’s life might depend on him keeping his objectivity.
“Do you have any word on Mindy?” He squeezed his fingers across the bridge of his nose to stem the headache developing behind his eyes.
“I’m afraid not,” Captain Rosberg said. “The tail is still on the last man she dated, Terry Bitterton, but Bitterton stayed home all day, then signed into the hospital at three. He claims he and Mindy only went out twice for drinks after their nursing shift ended.”
“Did you get a read on him? Does he seem upset about her disappearance?”
“More worried that we think he’s a suspect. According to him, they were just friends.”
“He could be lying. Or maybe he wanted more than friendship,” Brad said.
“We’ll see,” Rosberg replied shortly. “How about you? Has this visit to the Langley woman paid off?”
Brad shot a glance at Lisa, his chest tightening at the sight of her in the kitchen. Steam rose from the stove, the homey atmosphere and cramped quarters making him uncomfortable. Lisa stirred spaghetti sauce, the smell so enticing his stomach growled and his mouth watered. Although her back was to him, he’d watched with admiration as she carefully cut fresh tomatoes, garlic and other ingredients and added them to the pot. She’d prepared a salad and had removed from the freezer a loaf of bread that appeared homemade. The scene looked so domestic that for a moment he’d felt as if he should leave, that he didn’t belong here.
Another part of him savored the delicious smells and cozy cabin. He could easily imagine a fire in the stone fireplace in winter, he and Lisa curled beside the flames with a picnic and bottle of wine—
“Booker?”
Brad cleared his throat, wondering where that ridiculous image had originated. He’d never had a romantic picnic with anyone, and wasn’t about to start dreaming of one now. “She remembered a man named Vernon Hanks who used to hang around White. He disappeared a couple of months after they met. I’m going to search the national database now to see if I can find anything on him.”
“Hmm, maybe it is a lead,” Rosberg said, and Brad realized that the man had been skeptical about his reasons for rushing to see Lisa.
“I’m also investigating everyone I might have ticked off in the last few months in case this guy kidnapped Mindy to seek revenge on me,” Brad said. He filled Rosberg in on his conversation with Ethan, as well as Lisa’s new neighbor, then promised he’d check back in. Rosberg agreed to do the same, then Brad hung up and accessed his computer.
A few minutes later, he’d learned a few things about Hanks, but nothing important. Certainly not where he was now. Damn.
Could Hanks be the killer?
Brad had told Rosberg, Ethan and himself that he wanted to drive here to tap into Lisa’s memory, but deep down in his gut, he’d had a more selfish reason for coming—he’d needed reassurance that she was safe. The fear that gripped him when he thought of Mindy at the mercy of another madman was horrific, but nothing compared to the terror that had seized him when he thought the man might track down Lisa.
She thought he was driving back to Atlanta after dinner.
How would she react when he broke the news that he had no intention of leaving her alone tonight?
Not when a copycat killer was on the loose and her life might be in jeopardy.
LISA HAD NEVER entertained a man for dinner at the mountain cabin. The sheer presence of Brad had resurrected old fears, yet at the
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