by Karen Anders
But the peace she usually felt at the end of a routine wasn’t there. She couldn’t grasp it. She breathed evenly and tried to force it, but knew that wasn’t going to help.
She opened her eyes and huffed out a breath of frustration. It was what he’d said last night that was bothering her so much.
He was right. She had a good reputation as a forensic scientist, but surely wasn’t known for being adventurous.
But she wanted to be. Her fantasies were varied and in them she was bold and wild. One in particular featured Jericho, warm, melted chocolate and her tongue. Why couldn’t she be that way with Jericho?
Before she invited him to her bed she wanted to equalize the playing field. The best person to help her with that was one person who knew a lot about sex and how to please a man. Paige Dempsey.
Lana’s sister owned her own sex toy company and just last year met FBI agent Justin Conner who, believe it or not, had arrested her for fraud. It had all worked out in the end and they were soon to be married. So it was with a little trepidation that Kate paid the taxi driver and walked up the path to Paige’s quaint little house.
She knocked and waited patiently. Finally, Justin opened the door.
“Kate? What are you doing here? It’s—” he looked at his watch “—seven o’clock.” His sleepy eyes widened. “Is Lana okay?”
“Yes, she’s fine. I actually came to talk to Paige. Is she up?”
“Not yet, but I’ll tell her you’re here.”
He walked away and disappeared into the bedroom. Five minutes later, Paige came out, tying a robe around her middle. “Hey, Kate,” she said, hugging her.
“Hi, Paige. I’m sorry about barging in on you so early, but it couldn’t wait. I won’t have time to drop by tonight.”
“It’s no problem. Want a cup of coffee?” Paige smiled sleepily.
“Sounds great.”
After Paige gave Kate a cup of steaming coffee, they sat on the living room couch. Kate looked apprehensively at the bedroom.
“Don’t worry, Justin is in the shower. What’s up?” Paige asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
“You are aware of our souvenir dare, right?” Unable to sit still, Kate jumped up and began to pace.
“I am, and you guys are crazy, although Sienna and A.J. seem to be very happy. Not to mention Lana and Sean can’t keep their eyes and hands off each other. Who is your target?”
“Jericho St. James.”
“The guy running for D.A.?”
“Yes.”
“Wow. I’ve seen him on TV. He’s gorgeous and I love what he stands for. I’m planning on voting for him. Way to go, Kate.”
“I think he might be a little out of my league.”
Paige smiled wickedly. “Oh, Kate. No man is out of a woman’s league. Are you saying you aren’t sure about bedding him?”
“He said I wasn’t adventurous.”
“So.”
“He’s right. I’m not. I know who I am, Paige. I’ve always used my mind to get where I want to go. I thought about going to the bookstore and picking up a book about seduction, but was hoping that you could give me some pointers. I want to knock Jericho on his butt first.”
“Uh, before you get your hands on it?”
Kate felt the blood suffuse her face. “Right.”
“From what I’ve seen of our prosecutor, I’d say it’s a pretty nice ass.”
“Who has a nice ass?” Justin said, coming out of the bedroom.
Kate wanted to crawl under the table.
Paige rose and went to him, curling her arms around his neck and kissing his mouth. “You never mind, mister. This is women’s stuff.”
Kate saw the way Justin’s eyes caressed Paige’s face and she wanted Jericho to look at her like that. Really see her the way Justin saw Paige.
Justin left and Paige came back to sit down. “Look, I think you might have it mixed up. The body doesn’t govern sex, Kate. The mind does. Sure there are chemical reactions that happen, but it all starts up here.” She pointed to her temple.
“Like.”
“Take Jericho, for instance. Why do you think he’s sexy?”
“He is.”
“But pinpoint it.” Paige took another leisurely sip, letting Kate think about her answer. “You can’t, right. That’s because it’s a lot of things about him that you find attractive. His mouth?”
“Definitely. And he knows how to use it.”
“His mind?”
“Brilliant.”
“You see what I’m saying. We could go on and on, but it’s still the jumble of intricate things that make him sexy to you. Intellect is always sexy. From your mind comes imagination and you can incorporate what you think into what you do. Seduction is all mind. Believe me.”
“I should use my mind to seduce Jericho?”
“Exactly. Seduction requires art, attention to details and a devoted imagination.”
“How do I do that?”
“Push his buttons. Give him the promise of what he wants and then, baby, deliver.”
“Think about being adventurous and it’ll happen?”
“Sure. Go with what you feel, throw caution to the wind and take what you want. Do what you want. I don’t know any man who wouldn’t appreciate that in a woman.”
“I’ve never been good at that, Paige.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe you should think about it, Kate. Maybe then the answer you seek about how to seduce Jericho will come to you. Perhaps it’s not his body you want. Maybe you want his mind, too.”
“This is a dare and by the very nature of a dare, I have to overcome my fear of following through. It wouldn’t be a dare otherwise.”
“True but, God, Kate, don’t think too much, either. Sex is both a physical and mental thing.”
“Thanks, Paige.” Kate looked down at her watch. “I’ve got to go. I really appreciate all you said.”
“Go get ’em tiger.”
“HOW DID IT GO with St. James?”
Kate lowered the report she’d been reading, leaned forward and wrinkled her nose at the paper cup Eric had placed in the center of her disordered desk.
“Doesn’t look like a Grande Mocha to me.”
“It isn’t any of that latte crap. It’s coffee black and you, my dear, look like you could use it.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Banner, are you telling me I look like hell?”
“Whoa,” he said, putting up his hands. He gave her an engaging grin. “Guess I’d better behave.”
“Guess so. I like my latte crap very much, so show some respect.” Kate glanced toward the door.
Eric’s eyes followed the path of hers. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“What question,” Kate said, looking at the clock and then the door again.
“Expecting someone?”
Startled she looked at him. “No. No one.”
“Then why are you so distracted?”
“No reason. Let me fill you in on the analyses I did last night.” She hadn’t realized that she was waiting for Jericho to walk through the door. He’d said he’d see her. Anticipation curled in her stomach.
“You’re ducking the question.”
She gave him an annoyed look. “The last time I checked you’re neither my nursemaid nor my mommy.”
“This is interesting. You’ve always told me about your love life or lack thereof. Now you’re telling me to back the hell off.”
“Message received. Now to the analyses.”
“Must have been some night.” He waited a heartbeat. “Did you sleep with him?”
“You shouldn’t anger me, Banner.”
“Or worse yet, you didn’t.”
Kate stared hard at her friend, realizing that he knew her too well. “Eric! Focus. There’s really nothing to talk about.”
Eric regarded her, shaking his head. “I told you he was too much for you.”
Kate blurted, “
He’s not too much for me and I’ll prove it.”
“How?” Eric challenged.
She knew he was baiting her, but she couldn’t help herself. All her friends, including Jericho, thought she was Sister Kate and she was so sick of it. “By doing something adventurous.”
“Adventurous? Not a word I would use to describe you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “What words would you use?”
“Conservative. In control. Sedate.”
“Do you know that the synonyms for sedate are staid and dull?”
Banner raised his brows. “No. I didn’t mean that.” He shook his head. “And only you would point that out.”
“But that’s what you think I am—sedate.”
Eric looked contrite. “You do a great job, Kate. That should be enough.”
His demeanor didn’t satisfy her. She sighed. “Right. Gotcha.”
“You’re upset?”
She gave him a savage look. “No. Why should I be upset when my co-worker calls me dull and my other friends call me Sister Kate? Why should that bother me at all?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being conservative.”
“No. I guess not.”
“Kate…”
She held up her hand. “Just forget it. We’d better get to work. After all, an innocent man’s life is at stake here.”
Eric looked as though he wanted to say more, but he thought better of it. He sat in one of the chairs in front of Kate’s desk. “How can you be sure that Danny didn’t commit this murder?”
“I’ve known Danny for six years. I’ve lived in that building. Danny couldn’t intentionally hurt anyone. He’s not a violent man.”
“That may be the key word—intentionally. What if you’re wrong?”
She gave Eric a knowing look. “I’m not. I have a gut feeling about this. I have no doubt that Danny was in her apartment, but I don’t think he killed her.”
“Who do you like?”
“I’d rather not say right now because I haven’t done enough investigation.”
“Let’s get to work then.”
“I thought we should reconstruct the crime scene and figure out what happened.” Kate paused and sat back. “I’d say she was murdered in the bathroom.”
“Why?”
“She was found there. And there’d been a struggle in there—the mirror was broken. I got blood off glass fragments and drops on the sink. My guess is the murderer surprised her somehow.”
“You think the guy was in the bathroom?”
“Yes.”
“While Hamilton was there?” Eric mused.
“That’s what I think. Mrs. LePlante had her argument with Danny in the kitchen. Danny got agitated and left and went into the living room to get out the door. If Danny had strangled her, he would have cuts on his hands.”
“What makes you think he’d try to leave?”
“Danny doesn’t like confrontation. He’ll do almost anything to avoid it.”
“Including hitting someone with a candlestick?” Eric asked skeptically.
“If he felt threatened, then yes I think he would lash out.”
Eric nodded. “Okay, go ahead.”
“I think Danny hit Mrs. LePlante with the candlestick and knocked her down here.” Kate had done a rough sketch of the murder scene in her notebook. She flipped it open and pointed to the spot where they found traces of blood. “There was blood found on the carpet and I’d say it’s Mrs. LePlante’s. She touched her temple and left the bloody handprint there, got up and went to the bathroom to clean it up and bandage it, or may have decided to check it out in the mirror. Mmm. The mirror is right in front of the shower. If someone had been hiding there, she might have seen him.”
“You think someone was hiding in the shower?” Eric said, looking at the sketch.
“I do. I found some hair and fiber evidence there. Not many people wear clothes in the shower.”
“So she sees him and then what happens?” He handed the notebook back to her.
“She turns and tries to run from the bathroom, but he catches her near the door and slams her against the full-length mirror. It breaks, he cuts himself and he strangles Mrs. LePlante.”
“Why?”
“That part I don’t know. Either it’s someone who hates her or he was there for a reason.”
“Robbery?”
“Possibly. But I always thought of strangulation as a very personal crime. Putting your hands on the victim and all, getting satisfaction out of squeezing the life out of her. We’ll know more when Mrs. LePlante’s daughter has had time to go through her things.”
“Is this what you’re going to give to Sanders, Parker and St. James?”
“Yes, once I’ve had time to analyze the blood and the fingerprints.”
Eric rose. “Let’s get on that now.”
They went out into the lab to the computer. “I digitized the fingerprints that we lifted from the candlestick, the kitchen, the bedroom and the bathroom.”
“Have you tried to match them to the suspect and the victim yet?”
“No.” Kate sat at the computer and pulled up the file with the most prominent fingerprint. “There were a few fingerprints on the candlestick, some were obscured, but I got two good ones.”
“I have the fingerprint for Danny Hamilton that was taken when he was booked,” Eric said, setting the print into the scanner.
Kate split the screen. She looked at her watch. “This is going to take about sixty minutes. Why don’t you go to lunch?”
“How about you?”
“I have one more thing to do, then I’ll go.”
“Okay. See you.”
Kate went over to her workstation and picked up a piece of rope. For another case, she needed to see if a victim had committed suicide by tying her own hands behind her back.
The door to the lab opened and Kate was glad that Eric hadn’t left for lunch, yet. She said without turning around, “Great. I need to tie your hands behind your back.”
“Then what are you going to do to me?”
Jericho’s deep voice set up reverberations so penetrating they seemed to liquefy her bones. She whipped around to find him standing in her lab.
How did he do it? Every time she looked at him, he took her breath away. He was dressed in a blue suit with tiny pinstripes of red. It was impeccably cut and tailored to his awesome frame. He was wearing a red tie and stark white shirt. He looked sharp and dangerous and oh so sexy.
She wished she could think of something equally sexy to say, but her mind was a blank.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to check your progress.”
“That’s different.”
“Why?”
“You rarely come to the lab. Whenever I have my reports, I go to you.”
“True, so I came because I wanted to see you. Sue me.”
“I doubt I would win.”
He smiled and moved closer to her, looking down at the rope. “I don’t mind being a guinea pig if you need help.”
Kate had totally forgotten what she had been about to ask Eric to do.
“Could you turn around?”
He did as she asked and she took a deep breath when her eyes fell to his broad shoulders. “Hands behind your back.”
He complied and she studied them, big, competent and often gentle when they touched her. She slipped the rope around his wrist and duplicated the knots that had been around the victim’s wrist. She visualized each loop as she made it, finally convinced at the end of the experiment that the victim of possible suicide couldn’t have completed tying the ropes herself.
She turned to the phone and picked it up and dialed Sanders. “Tom. I’ve just completed my review of the knots for the Jody Christiansen case. I would say that she couldn’t have done it herself.”
“Murder?”
“Yes. I’ll have my report on your desk this afternoon.”
“Thanks, Kate.”
Wh
en she dropped the phone back in the cradle, Jericho was standing there with his hands tied behind his back. It was an intriguing position for him to be in and made her feel just a tad more in control.
“Are you going to untie me?”
“Of course,” she said as she spun him around and took off the rope. “Sorry about that,” she said as he rubbed his wrists. “I get carried away when I make a discovery like that. I don’t want Tom to waste a minute.”
“It’s good to see that you’re dedicated to your job, even when you leave your boss tied up.”
“Does that mean a good evaluation next time?”
“A plus.” He grinned.
It was the first time that he’d ever done that. First time she’d noticed how sexy it was with those soft crinkles at the corners of his eyes. He’d laughed and he’d smiled, but he had never grinned at her. It transformed him and made him less intimidating.
His grin faded and his eyes traveled over her face and down her body. She fought the urge to adjust the hip-hugging black skirt, wondering at her bravado in pairing it with the georgette black shirt that showed a lot more of her black bra than she would have ever thought to do. But Lana had been persuasive when she’d insisted that this attire was perfectly fine for daywear.
She’d been right. No one else had even batted an eyelash and she’d gotten compliments on her clothing.
Kate dropped the rope out of her nerveless fingers at the soft gleam in his eyes. She bent to retrieve it and her heavy hair cascaded over her shoulders. Straightening, she placed the rope on the lab table behind her.
He reached out and snagged the loose strands. Threading the gleaming ends though his fingers, he said, “When was the last time you cut your hair?”
“I can’t remember,” she replied, her breath damming in her lungs as she watched him rub her hair between his thumb and first two fingers. “So silky.”
Just then the door banged open and Eric entered. Jericho dropped her hair.
Eric stopped when he saw Jericho. “Jericho,” he said by way of greeting. Then he said to her, “I’ve got a lot to do so I brought my lunch back here, thought you might need a hand with the fingerprint.”
“Lunch?” Jericho said, turning back to her. “I’m sorry that I kept you from eating.”
