The Hidden

“Actually,” Brett said, sitting next to her, “it really is. Scarlet, it’s going to be okay.”


“Yeah, right. All I know is, if you guys leave me alone anywhere, even for a minute, I’ll show you how good I am with a gun by shooting off your toes,” she threatened.

“We won’t leave you alone,” Diego promised.

Silence fell.

Diego turned to Jane. “Okay, let’s go ahead and get the picture Scarlet thinks looks most like her stalker to Lieutenant Gray. You can email it to Krewe HQ, too, so they can keep trying to figure out who the hell he is.”

As he spoke, his phone rang.

It was Gray.

“We’ve got another body,” he said grimly. “And this one is fresh.”

*

Scarlet didn’t know what she was going to do with herself. There wouldn’t even be any visitors to talk to, because no sooner had Diego hung up than Ben had called to tell her he’d decided not to open the museum that week.

“Just feels too awkward,” he’d told her.

Frankly, she hadn’t even thought about opening, but then, her brain didn’t seem to be working very well.

“So...another body,” Scarlet said. She bit her lower lip lightly. “Man or woman?”

“Woman,” Diego told her. He wasn’t looking at her. He was looking over at Matt, and she realized they were doing that thing they did, silently dividing into teams so they could go to work. She wondered who would be staying here with her.

She wasn’t sure who she wanted it to be. She decided that what she really wanted was to quit, leave the case to the professionals and maybe board a cruise ship to an exotic island.

That, of course, wasn’t happening.

“The journals,” she said, as if she’d just made a great discovery. “We can keep studying the journals.”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Meg said.

“You know, it doesn’t always have to be you who stays,” Scarlet said to her. “We’re not playing girls against boys here.”

“Honestly, none of us were thinking of it that way,” Meg assured her. “But you and I have already started on the journals, so it only makes sense for us to keep going. Besides, I’ve always enjoyed research. Adam said he has a bunch of paperwork to catch up on but he’ll stop by if he finishes in time.” She turned toward Jane. “You need to get some sleep, but when you wake up, you’re free to join us.”

“We need to get going,” Matt said.

“Who found her?” Scarlet asked, worried. “Not Ben, right? And where was she found?”

She knew she wasn’t going to like the answer when she saw the way Diego looked at Brett.

She groaned before he had a chance to speak. “Near here, right?” she asked.

“Just down the mountain from the ranch,” Diego admitted. “Hikers found her in the woods.”

“How was she killed?” Scarlet asked.

“Shot,” Diego said. “That’s all I know.”

“A young woman?” she persisted.

“Scarlet, we have to go now,” he said.

“Of course,” she said, standing. “Jane, can I help you with anything? They have a room ready for you at the main house.”

“I’m fine, thanks. I’ll take my computer, but I’ll leave my portfolio here for now. I’ll show everyone my sketches later. I’ll get my bag from the car on the way.”

Matt and Brett went with her as she left the room, but Diego paused, looking at Scarlet. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine—honestly. I’ve just got a lot to think about, that’s all,” she assured him. “Go—do your job. Find out who’s doing this.”

He nodded, looking as if he wanted to touch her, hold her, reassure himself that she really was all right.

He had to go, but she could tell that he really was torn between staying with her and leaving to do what he had to do.

Finally he gave her one last look and left.

She turned to Meg and forced herself to smile brightly. “Coffee? I hear it goes well with research.”