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“Well, rookie, you don’t have to stay silent. But it might be good if you were to observe. Or...” he trailed off as a thought struck him.
“Or?”
“Or maybe I’ll have you go in with him.”
“Oh, no, seriously, I wouldn’t presume—”
Mark shook his head again. “No. I’m wondering how he would react to a woman.” He studied her. Of course, he’d first noted she was attractive, and like many young female agents, she seemed determined to play down her looks. But with her eyes, the perfect oval of her face, and a waving fall of red hair...
She’d be a beautiful victim in Carver’s mind.
And that could be helpful.
“Wear something a bit feminine and wear your hair down,” he told her.
She stared at him with surprise for a minute and then realized his intention. She didn’t balk. “That could be interesting,” she said. “I’ll even put on makeup.”
“I’ll talk to Ragnar tonight. We’ll send you in first.”
“Got it. I’ll be out here at seven. Red!” She turned to pet the dog good-night. “You’re a wonderful partner,” she told him.
Red woofed his agreement.
She got out of the car. Mark leaned to speak to her out the passenger-side window.
“Hey!” he called.
“Yeah?”
“I’m glad you had supportive parents and siblings.”
She smiled back at him. “Thanks.” She started to walk back to the car. “How did you first know you wanted to be in law enforcement?”
He winced inwardly.
“That’s a story for another time. I’ll see you in the morning,” he told her.
He revved the car as she walked up the path to her townhouse-style apartment.
It was a story he seldom shared.
A shower!
Colleen felt the spray of steaming water rush over her, and it felt delicious. She hadn’t realized just how much dirt she had been wearing until she watched it slide down the drain.
She hadn’t realized, either, that her hair had been studded with leaves.
Mark Gallagher hadn’t mentioned that.
But he probably hadn’t noticed. He had apparently—no, obviously—thought of her as little more than an annoyance at first, something like a gnat buzzing around his head.
But he’d been almost decent toward the end.
She hadn’t known Mark before, as she had yet to meet many of the agents. They tended to be all over the country, and sometimes, they were even asked to help on bizarre cases in Europe and beyond.
But she’d heard about Mark.
She’d walked into Angela Hawkins Crow’s office one day when the Krewe’s second-in-command had been on the phone with him. He had just solved a case out in Denver, brought it in without further casualties and left solid evidence for the prosecutors.
“That was Mark,” Angela had explained quickly. “We’re lucky to have him. The man was scouted by the pros when he was playing college football. He could be making a fortune now, but instead he’s with us.”
She didn’t remember what else she had done that day. She’d spent a week in the tech department and then the forensic department.
And then today...
She was grateful, but she was also nervous. She was on a major case, and most of all, she was grateful her “hearing” had allowed them to save a life.
But now...
Once out of the shower, scrubbed and clean, she slid into a nightgown, curled up on her bed, and turned on the television.
Carver was, in her mind, barely a human being. But he was a sick one beyond any doubt. And she was going to be sent in to lure him into talking.
Scary.
Jensen, her scruffy-looking rescue cat, hopped up on the bed.
“You smell that dog on me, huh? Hmm, maybe on the clothing I just took off, since I’m squeaky-clean after that shower!” she said to the cat. “The dog’s cool—supercool. I think you would like him. And I’ll bet he’d like you, even though you’re a cat!”
Jensen had always gotten along with dogs; both Colleen’s sister and her brother were dog people. Jensen got along with Megan’s shepherd and Patrick’s wolfhound. But then, Jensen was a huge cat, mostly Maine coon, and very above it all when it came to causing trouble.
“Jensen, I’m a little scared,” she told the cat.
He purred as if he understood and curled against her.
Animals, she thought, made the best companions.
Red was better than Mark Gallagher. Red just wagged his tail and sought out her attention.
Mark, on the other hand...
