set a hand on the bumper.
“Uh, Ronan, it’s for you.” Cole grinned brightly.
“What do you mean it’s for me?” Ronan shot Cole a confused look.
“You said the gloves were off and they really are now. This car belongs to Jennifer Blake, nee Baldwin. She decided to return your call with an in-person visit.” Cole shoved his hands in his jacket pocket and rocked backward on his heels.
“Hold on a second. I never said the gloves were off!” Ronan growled.
“Uh, psychic.” Cole pointed between himself, Ten, and Carson.
Ronan rolled his eyes. “At least we have advance warning that she’s here.”
“What the hell is this?” Fitzgibbon asked as he jogged over to Ronan. “A staff meeting I wasn’t invited to? Oh, nice Mercedes.” Kevin sounded impressed.
“It belongs to one of Skye’s friends.” Ronan grinned at his former boss.
“What the hell are we waiting for?” Kevin slapped his hands together as if he couldn’t wait to dig in.
“Now, hold on a minute,” Ten began. “She came to us. We treat her with kid gloves while she tells her story. The last thing we want to do is overwhelm her. Let her take the lead.”
Ronan snickered. “You’d think I hadn’t been the captain of the Cold Case unit or something.”
“Ditto,” Fitzgibbon deadpanned.
“I’ll just be happy to get back to work,” Carson said. “I’m not cut out for this crime-solving schtick.”
“Agreed,” Cole looked both ways before crossing the street.
Ten followed along behind. He was going to need a few minutes to get himself together. “I’ll grab coffees. Jennifer already has one.” Instead of walking in through the store, Ten walked into the bakery.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Cassie greeted when Ten approached the counter. “Your usual?”
Ten nodded. “Same for Ronan, Kevin, and Jude.” He loved that Cassie had everyone’s favorite coffee memorized.
“Cole told me a little about this case. That poor girl’s family. All I could think about was if something like that happened to Laurel or Brady.” She sniffled.
“We’re all thinking that way, Cass. I just hope whatever this friend has to tell us about Skye will help the investigation, rather than slowing it down.” So far they hadn’t even been able to get the investigation off the ground.
“Whatever she has to say must be important. She walked in not ten minutes after you all left. I entertained her with stories about you and Ronan while she had a latte. After that, I moved her to the reading room.” Cassie set four coffees in a drink tray on top of the pastry counter.
“I can’t thank you enough for all you do for us. Not just helping with the shop, but by keeping us fed and caffeinated.” Ten grinned at Cole’s wife.
“And I can’t thank you enough for paying the bill.” Cassie laughed.
Ten grabbed the drinks and headed into the store. A couple of customers were milling around, and one was speaking to Carson in an excited tone. His friend was loving every minute of the attention.
The others were milling around the office waiting for him. “Coffee for everyone. Cassie said this woman has been here for over an hour.”
“She must have something important to tell us,” Fitzgibbon said.
“That’s exactly what Cassie thought,” Ten agreed.
“Make sure you’re reading everything about her, Ten,” Ronan said softly.
“Potential witness, Ronan, not a suspect.” Ten had planned to do exactly what Ronan suggested, after he explained his gifts to Jennifer. “Let’s do this.” He wiped his sweaty palms against the seat of his jeans.
Knocking lightly on the door, Ronan opened it. “Hello, Mrs. Blake. I’m Ronan O’Mara and this is my husband, Tennyson, and my investigative partners, Kevin and Jude.”
Jennifer stood and held out her hand. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled, and her green eyes glittered brightly. She was dressed in a black Chanel pantsuit complete with matching shoes and diamond earrings. Unless Ten missed his guess, the earrings probably cost more than his SUV. This was a rich woman, most likely with a stable of lawyers at her beck and call.
“It’s nice to meet all of you. I thought your name was familiar when you called. A quick search online reminded me of the Rod Jacobson murders.” Jennifer offered a smile to the group.
Ronan absently fingered the bullet scars on his chest. “We’re reminded of that case on a daily basis.” He managed a rough smile.
When everyone was settled, Ten opened his notebook to a fresh page. “From Ronan’s message, you know we’ve been asked to take a look at Skye Washington’s murder?”
Jennifer nodded. An enormous