she abruptly demanded.
“Yes. Did you know her?”
Lynne shook her head. “I think she went to Pike High School but she was older than me.”
“I haven’t been able to locate anyone who will admit that they were more than distant acquaintances with the woman. And her husband isn’t talking.”
“Do you blame him? His wife was just found murdered.” She sent him a chiding frown. “The last thing he would want to do is have his grief splattered across the television.”
“That’s my point,” Parker insisted. “You would think he would want the killer caught before he strikes again. The more information we can provide to our viewers, the more likely we can stop the madman.”
“So you’re performing a public service?”
“That’s precisely what I’m doing.” Parker glanced toward the onlookers craning their necks for a better view. No doubt they were hoping to see the two of them in a heated argument. “Or at least that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m discovering the good citizens of this town aren’t the easiest people to interview.”
“We value our privacy.”
He turned back to study her with a faint frown. “I’m not the bad guy here, Lynne.”
She arched a brow, but she didn’t respond. Maybe he wasn’t the bad guy, but he wasn’t standing in the freezing cold to make the world a better place. It was all about ratings.
“Randi was killed the same way as Sherry?”
“Her throat was slit. And the sheriff’s department is trying to keep it hush-hush, but I have it from an inside source that she had a red ribbon tied around her neck, like Sherry Higgins.”
“Was she . . . ?” Lynne’s words faltered.
He easily read her mind. “Sexually assaulted?”
“Yes.”
He turned so his back was to the crowd and made sure that the microphone was turned off before he spoke in low tones. “She was abused with an object. That’s all the information I could get.”
Lynne shuddered. “So awful.”
“It is,” Parker murmured, then he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “How did your tranquilizers end up in their systems, Lynne?”
She leaned back, glaring at him in annoyance. Did he think he was going to catch her off guard? She dealt with patients who regularly tried to bite, gore, stomp, and pee on her. Besides, there was no way to be certain that the drugs had come from her clinic. Unless Parker knew something she didn’t? Before she could ask, however, there was the crunch of boots on the snow and a male voice cut through the tense air.
“Is there a problem here?”
Kir.
An unexplainable relief flooded through Lynne. It wasn’t that she needed a man to fight her battles. She’d been taking care of herself for years. Ever since her mother had walked away and her father had struggled to keep up with his thriving business while raising a young child. But she couldn’t deny that there was something nice in the sensation she wasn’t fighting this particular battle alone.
Parker wasn’t nearly so pleased. He frowned as Kir halted next to her. “You again?” His gaze traveled over Kir’s expensive leather jacket and then toward the SUV that cost more than most homes in Pike. His lips flattened. “I didn’t realize the two of you were so close.”
Without warning, Kir draped an arm around Lynne’s shoulders. “Is there a reason you should be informed?”
“I consider Lynne a friend.”
“Really?” Kir deliberately glanced toward the cameraman, who was stomping his feet to combat the cold.
Parker shrugged. “I’m just doing my job.”
Kir leaned forward, his expression hard. “Maybe you should do it somewhere else.”
Parker flashed a smug smile before turning to Lynne. “Call me if you change your mind about the interview.”
“I won’t,” Lynne said, but Parker was already walking away.
“I don’t like him.” Kir watched Parker motion for his cameraman to pack up his equipment and climb into the waiting van with narrowed eyes.
“You don’t even know him,” Lynne protested, pulling away from Kir’s arm. The desire to remained tucked against him was oddly tempting.
Too tempting.
Kir waited for the van to drive away before he glanced down at her. “He’s not from Pike?”
“No, he moved here a little over a year ago.”
“Where was he before that?”
“I have no idea.” Lynne shrugged. “He might have said something about his former career when he took over the anchor position, but I didn’t pay any attention. Honestly, I’m usually too busy to catch the evening news.”
Kir was silent for a minute, then, with a shake of his head, he seemed to put Parker Bowen from his