“Present and accounted for.” He held out his arms. “Come here.”
“I have every intention.” She was shedding her clothes as she crossed the room. “And you’d better account yourself well.” She slipped into bed and wrapped her arms around him. “I need you.” She kissed him and buried her fingers in his hair. “I really need you tonight, Joe.”
“You’ve got me.” He kissed her again and then moved over her. “Forever…”
*
“Good night … Eve.”
The words were soft, hesitant, drifting to her in the darkness.
She was sleeping so hard after their hours of erotic lovemaking that she was barely conscious of the words. She was still half-asleep yet she knew she had to answer. “Good night…”
Joe kissed the tip of her nose. “I thought we’d said our good nights, sleepy head.”
“Not you…”
“No? Who then?”
“No one really.” She cuddled closer as sleep overcame her. “Only Jenny…”
*
“I don’t like this,” Ron said bluntly, as Nalchek parked the squad car at the edge of the forest. “I don’t want to go blundering through those woods. You’re being too damn— You’re acting weird as hell, and they’re going to tote you off to the funny farm. You’re not going to find anything out there in the forest that forensics didn’t find.”
“Then why did you come along?” Nalchek grinned as he got out of the vehicle. “It’s because you know I’m sharp, and I sometimes notice stuff that others don’t. You wanted to be with me, so that I wouldn’t be able to say I told you so later.”
“I came along because for some reason I want to keep you from making an ass of yourself,” Ron said sourly. “Imagine that.”
“I’ll try,” Nalchek said. “But we’ve been together a long time, and you haven’t seen me make an ass of myself yet.” He grimaced. “Of course, there’s always a first time. But I don’t believe it’s going to be here.” He hesitated. “Look, you said you don’t want to go with me to that crime scene. Why don’t you stay here and keep an eye out for reporters and other folks who might think I’m as nuts as you do?”
“I don’t think you’re nuts,” Ron growled as he got out. “I just think you’ve got this … thing about that poor kid, and you’re not thinking straight.”
“So stay here.” He moved toward the trees. He smiled back at Ron. “It’s okay. Keep yourself busy looking over those dossiers you brought with you. I’ll be right back. Ten minutes. No more.” He disappeared into the woods.
Ron got out of the car and moved to stand in front of the patrol car. Then he moved to the edge of the forest and gazed uncertainly down the trail. Maybe he should have gone with him, he thought. Not that he could have helped. Not that there was any more evidence to gather. But Nalchek was his buddy, and cops supported cops.
Hell, too late now. He’d wait and try to smooth over any feathers he might have ruffled when Nalchek got back. Maybe they’d go down to that bar down the highway and have a couple beers and he’d try to talk sense into—
Pain.
So intense that he didn’t know where it came from.
Back.
Chest.
He looked down and saw the knife blade protrude from his chest.
He couldn’t breathe. He could feel the blood pour out of his mouth.
He fell to his knees and pitched forward.
Darkness.
CHAPTER
2
“Who is Jenny?” Joe poured Eve’s coffee and then his own.
Eve yawned. “I must have told you or you wouldn’t know her name.” She nodded at the reconstruction on the worktable. “Don’t you remember? I gave her a name last night.”
“It must have been after I went to bed. No, you didn’t tell me.” Joe sat down across from her. “You just said good night to her before you went to sleep. Not your usual custom.”
“No.” She was suddenly wide awake as that half-forgotten blurred memory came back to her. “Not my custom at all.”
Good night … Eve.