For his efforts, Darcy talked about growing up in Lion’s Bay, with most of her anecdotes featuring her sister, Danielle. He learned quickly that he’d pegged the sisters right. Darcy was the troublemaker; Danielle was the good girl.
Jared was sorry when the meal ended, wishing the day was already over so he could take her home to bed. The sharp bite of lust for her was always with him, but it was the sense that he was really inside her when they made love that he craved. She was cool and collected everywhere…except in bed with him. When he was inside her, he knew he had all of her. Every fascinating centimeter of her.
“I’m going to freshen up before we go,” she said when the check came.
“Meet you outside?”
“Sure.”
He’d just shouldered his way past the dwindling line at the front when his cell phone rang. Pulling it out, he didn’t recognize the number. “Cameron.”
“Deputy Cameron, Special Agent Michelle Kelley here. Your partner left a message that you had some questions for me.”
“Agent Kelley, yes. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I wanted to ask you about your impressions of Lion’s Bay and its residents, particularly anyone who struck you oddly.”
She snorted. “It’s a small town, Deputy. Everyone there is a bit odd in one way or another.”
“Right. Small town. What are the odds that two sets of Feds would end up there, investigating crimes with known MOs?”
“Zilch,” Kelley said bluntly. “But the MO of our Unsub was off. The basics were textbook perfect. It was the details that deviated to an unacceptable degree. I liked the mystery boyfriend, but we never got close to him. Never even dug up a name. In a town that small, where everyone knows everything, no one knew the victim had a man in her life. Not even the sister, who was—by all accounts—very close to her. But then, she hadn’t known the victim was six weeks pregnant, either.”
“Jesus.”
“Yeah, got to me, too. I don’t see how this is helpful to you, though.”
“Maybe it isn’t.” He adjusted his grip on his camera. “The arsonist is familiar with the area. He’s got a local’s knowledge, but no one is pointing any fingers. I thought maybe someone might’ve rubbed you the wrong way, give me someone to look at.”
“I’m sorry, Deputy. I wish I had something for you, but the residents of that town gave up nothing. That case still haunts me. What was done to the victim…She was so young and pretty. A vet, for God’s sake. Lived in Lion’s Bay her whole—”
“A veterinarian?” The sounds of the traffic and conversations faded from Jared’s perception, leaving a stunned silence. “Michaels?”
“Yes. Dr. Danielle Michaels.”
Chapter nine
Darcy slid behind the wheel of her car and tucked her legs in as Jared closed the door behind her. He rounded the trunk and reached through the open top to set his camera on the backseat, then climbed in beside her.
“Wanna stop by your sister’s place?” he asked, looking out the windshield. “She’s in Seattle, right?”
She took a deep breath, then let it out. “Okay.”
Backing out of the parking garage spot, she hit the road. Her grip was too tight on the steering wheel, but she couldn’t ease up. There was a block of ice in her gut and her throat was tight. It didn’t matter how many times she saw Dani’s headstone, it still had the power to break something inside her.
When they drove through the open wrought iron gates of the cemetery, Jared reached over and set his hand on her thigh. The knot inside her loosened. She set her hand over his and squeezed. “You’re not surprised.”
“I was when I found out.” He glanced at her, pushing up his shades so she could see his eyes. “Now I’m just glad you’re letting me in.”
“That’s why we’re here.”
His fingers linked with hers. “Is it so bad? Letting someone in?”
“No. I’m…grateful. It’s just…I can’t come here with my parents. They need me to be okay. And I try to be. For them.”
“But you’re not.”
“Dani was half of me.”
She followed the road for a couple miles, then pulled over to the side and parked. They got out and she led him across the lawn to the Michaels family plot. Jared didn’t say anything as she stood over Dani’s grave and felt her eyes burn. He just came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, setting his chin on her shoulder. They were there a long time, long enough for her to find her voice and tell him about the early-morning call that had irrevocably changed her life.