Braddock nodded. “You know that makes him a suspect.”

  He was right. “Oh, my God.” The words he’d screamed at Lusk finally made sense. “He said something like, ‘You don’t know what you’ve done.’ ” Her gaze lifted to Braddock’s. “Do you think he could have killed her because he thought she was pregnant and would blackmail him or expose him?”

  “Before Banks was murdered, I would have said that was very possible. But the MO used to murder Shelley was the same one used on Banks. I can’t see any reason Cost would have killed Banks.”

  “True.” CJ made a disparaging sound. “I can guarantee he isn’t man enough to get close to that dog, much less use it as a murder weapon.”

  “Sounds like you and Cost have a history.”

  “Believe it or not,” CJ hated how this was going to sound, “back in college, Cost dropped Lusk and went after me for a while. Trust me, his motives were merely selfish. He dropped me soon after he had attained his goal. I guess Lusk still carries a grudge.” Poor Shelley. How was she ever supposed to have gotten her life back with odds like this?

  But she had been doing exactly that. There was no way to know if her determination would have withstood the pain of learning Cost had used her, had she lived.

  CJ dropped her head on the sofa back. How could so many people associated with the village be so crazy? Evil? Maybe it wasn’t all of them, just the ones she knew.

  What did that say about her?

  That she’d grown up in a dysfunctional, drug-abusing household.

  Sad.

  “I’ll have Cooper haul Cost in tomorrow just to rattle his cage.” Braddock smiled. “When she gets through with him, he’ll be a far humbler man.”

  CJ touched his arm. “Only if I can watch.”

  Braddock looked down at her hand on his arm, then lifted his eyes back to hers. That desire was there again. She should have moved her hand. Shouldn’t have just sat there staring at him. But somehow she couldn’t.

  He took her hand in his, gently explored it. She told herself to draw her hand away but she couldn’t. Then he leaned toward her, brushed his lips across hers. She eased into the kiss. Couldn’t resist.

  Banging on the door had CJ jumping back.

  Another round of pounding echoed through the small cabin. Braddock released her hand and went to the front window. He took a look, then opened the door.

  Detective Cooper waltzed in, her arms loaded with bags. “I came bearing gifts.”

  CJ felt her cheeks redden. Talk about bad timing. If Detective Cooper suspected anything was going on between CJ and Braddock, that could make them both look bad.

  Braddock took the Walmart bags from his partner. “What’s that?” He nodded to the big Priority Mail envelope beneath her arm.

  “Evidence.” She shot a look across the room at CJ. “I don’t know about you, but I could use some coffee.”

  CJ ordered herself to relax. “Sounds good to me.”

  “I know what that means.” Braddock set the bags aside and headed for the tiny kitchen.

  CJ moved to the table and watched as Cooper opened the envelope and pulled out a manila file folder.

  By the time Braddock returned with the coffeepot and three mugs hooked on his fingers, Cooper had a number of photos and reports spread across the table.

  “Thanks, partner,” she said as he set the cups and the pot on the rustic table amid her display.

  CJ leaned down, took a closer look. “Crime scene photos?”

  “That’s right.” Cooper poured herself a cup of coffee. “All believed to be Nash’s work.”

  CJ shuddered, drew back. She noticed that there wasn’t one of Shelley. She was glad.

  “Did you drive through the village before coming here?” Braddock wanted to know.

  “I did. Chief Spencer gave us the two cops you asked for. Metcalf is watching the alley behind the Patterson house and Wallace has the front.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded-up envelope. “By the way, Lusk stopped by and stuck this on your door.”

  “Why are they watching the house?” CJ had just assumed that since she wasn’t there, the surveillance wouldn’t be necessary. She accepted the envelope and opened it. “The key to the clinic.” Good. Part of her was glad she hadn’t had to face Lusk to get it.

  Braddock passed CJ a cup of coffee, then poured one for himself. “If Nash gets any ideas about checking out your story, he won’t have any luck getting into the house.”

  “Good point.” CJ hadn’t thought of that. Good thing she wasn’t a cop. She placed the key on the table. Braddock picked it up and tucked it into his pocket. “That’s one obstacle out of the way.”

  “Okay.” Cooper gestured to her display of photos and reports. “All of the murders, including Shelley’s and Banks’s, have similarities. The murderer took a souvenir of sorts. Tongue, ear, foot, hand, et cetera. With Kimberly’s murder, he did the same, but he also left a written message—like the E. Noon or No One messages that have been left this time.” Cooper shrugged. “Sort of, anyway.” She picked up the evidence photo of the note Braddock had gotten when his niece went missing and placed it atop the others. “The one thing that these two recent murders have in common that none of the others do is the staging. That’s the part that doesn’t add up to me.”

  “Maybe he’s trying to be clever,” CJ suggested. “He gets off on making other people look stupid. Maybe he thinks this is like an in-your-face thing directed at Braddock and you.”

  Cooper downed a slug of coffee. “That’s a definite possibility. He likes kicking us in the teeth. There is also the possibility that it isn’t Nash.”

  “But when you consider the most recent victims,” Braddock offered, “the one thing all three have in common is Tyrone Nash.”

  “And living in the village,” CJ added. “Each was involved in drugs and prostitution.” She steeled herself against the emotions that tried to pound her composure. “Shelley was turning her life around, but...” She moistened her lips. “Those activities were still a part of her recent history.”

  Braddock tapped one of the photos. “The other sticking point is there was no signature at the scene where Celeste’s body was discovered.”

  “Tyrone definitely killed her,” CJ protested. “He as much as said he did when he threatened me. Carter Cost had a motive for wanting Shelley out of his way, but even if he had killed her, he had no reason to kill Ricky or Celeste.”

  “Just because we haven’t found the signature yet doesn’t mean it isn’t there,” Cooper argued. “The ME may find something on or in the body that we missed.”

  “True,” Braddock allowed. “What we need now is to make Tyrone believe that CJ has something real on him. Maybe get him in a negotiating posture.”

  CJ was counting the hours until her meeting with Tyrone. She tried not to be nervous, but her efforts were failing miserably. “He’ll want at least a glimpse of the tape as proof.”

  “Exactly.” Cooper walked over to the bags she’d brought with her. “On my way here I stopped at Walmart.” She looked from CJ to Braddock. “We’re going to make some porn.”

  * * *

  “Okay.” Cooper sat back on the wood beam. “Hand the camera up to me.”

  Braddock stood on the bed and extended the handheld video camera to his partner. “You need anything else up there?”

  “That’ll do it.” Cooper flashed one of those cheeky grins of hers. “Everything else is up to you two.”

  CJ felt her pulse skip. This had seemed like a really good idea when Cooper had come up with it. But now CJ wasn’t so sure.

  “You’re still okay with this?”

  CJ met the question in Braddock’s eyes. Why was she second-guessing herself? It was the right thing to do.

  “I’m good. Let’s do it.”

  “You’re going to have to look naked,” Cooper reminded from her position on the ceiling beam.

  Yeah...that was the problem.

  Just stop. Do it and stop thinking. CJ peeled off her tee. Thankfully her bra was a nude color. Once she was standing there with nothing but the bra and her jeans, she didn’t give herself time to think. She climbed beneath the quilt on the bed and pulled it up to her chin.

  “You’ll need to keep your face over hers,” Cooper said to Braddock. “The hair color is the same, but we don’t want him to get a glimpse of her face.”

  “Uh-huh.” Braddock started unbuttoning his shirt.

  CJ stared at the ceiling, just past where Cooper sat on the beam. She could do this. They had kissed just a little while ago. Only a few days ago they’d had sex. It wasn’t a big deal. Cooper would be watching. The video camera would be rolling.

  It wouldn’t be real.

  Maybe that was the problem. Maybe she wanted it to be real.

  The bed shifted. Her breath evacuated her lungs. Braddock slid beneath the quilt. His leg brushed against hers and heat shot through her veins.

  She blinked. His trousers were still on. They weren’t naked. It wasn’t a big deal.

  “Jesus, Braddock,” Cooper said, “you’re going to have to get on top of her so her face doesn’t show.”

  His dark gaze collided with CJ’s. “Yeah, yeah. I got it.”

  He sounded as nervous as she felt. This was ridiculous. They’d had sex, for Christ’s sake. They were adults.

  CJ thrust her arms around his neck and, deciding there was no turning back now, pulled his face closer. “We have to make this look real,” she muttered.

  “That would be nice,” Cooper shouted down.

  CJ felt her face flush. She hadn’t meant her to hear the comment.

  “Real,” Braddock echoed. “Yeah.”

  He dipped his head, brushed his lips across hers. She didn’t mean to, but she made a little sound...just a soft sigh. And she shivered.

  He drew back, stared down at her.

  She blinked.

  God, this was so awkward!

  He stared at her mouth a moment, then dove back in with his.

  The kiss went on and on. Deeper. Soft at first, then harder. CJ forgot about Cooper up on the ceiling beam. Her entire focus was on his mouth...the feel of his muscled body pressing into hers.

  “I’m sorry, guys,” Cooper announced.

  CJ’s eyes flew open. Braddock’s lips drew away from hers.

  He turned his head. “What?” The single word was rough, thick.

  CJ wasn’t the only one feeling the tension.

  “The kissing is great,” Cooper explained, “but you’re going to have to move around some if you expect this to look realistic.”

  Braddock turned his face back to CJ’s. He stared a long moment. The desire in his eyes made her heart thump harder.

  “Gotcha,” he mumbled.

  And then his mouth came down on hers. His body started to move, mimicking that up-and-down, grinding motion of love-making.

  CJ lost herself to the rising sensations. She didn’t even want to think how long she’d been without sex until a few days ago. Her legs wrapped around his and she lifted to meet his movements.

  Waves of pleasure washed over her, started her toward that plunge of release. She tried to hold it back...couldn’t. Braddock’s breathing was heavy between kisses. His body tense.

  “That should do it.”

  Braddock froze. CJ bit her lip to hold back a whimper. She blinked. Tried to catch her breath. Her entire body pulsed.

  “Help me out here,” Cooper called down to Braddock.

  He scrambled from under the quilt, climbed up to take the camera.

  CJ scooted off the mattress. Grabbed her blouse and pulled it back on. Her body was still strumming with pleasure. She was so close to...

  “I need some air.” Braddock stormed out of the cabin.

  Cooper dropped down onto the bed. She shook her head. “Men. They just can’t take the heat.”

  CJ managed a shaky smile. At the moment, she wasn’t exactly taking it too well either. She rammed her fingers through her hair. Straightened her clothes.

  Cooper prepared to copy her camera work onto a videotape and ensure it was good to go.

  As soon as the images flashed on the small television screen, CJ was out of there.

  “I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee,” she mumbled.

  “You might want to put some ice in that,” Cooper called behind her. “I think you both need to cool off.”

  Chapter Forty

  9:45 p.m.

  Cooper took her equipment and files and left.

  Braddock stared out the window long after she’d driven away in the Monster.

  He was avoiding eye contact and conversation with CJ.

  If he looked at her now, even exchanged a single word with her, he wasn’t sure he could control his baser urges.

  “Hello?”

  He flinched at the sound of her voice. Soft, tentative. He glanced over his shoulder to confirm that she’d gotten a call on her cell.

  Most likely Abbott.

  Braddock needed a walk.

  The last one hadn’t been nearly long enough.

  He stormed out the door. Walked to the narrow road that cut through the trees past the tiny cabins, making a long circle through the park. He didn’t go far enough to lose a visual on the cabin, kept his pace brisk and steady. Still, the walk, the night air did nothing to calm him down.

  Giving up, he turned to the cabin. Knew he couldn’t stay out here too long. She would sense that something was wrong. Sure enough, she peered out the window as if he’d telegraphed that last thought straight through the walls.

  Just get it over with. Go inside and be cool.

  When he opened the door she was waiting for him.

  “That was Edward calling. He was worried.”

  Of course he was. “You told him you were okay?”

  She nodded. “He couldn’t believe what Lusk and Carter had done to Shelley.” She shivered, hugged her arms around herself. “I still can’t believe it.”

  He couldn’t do this. Spend another moment looking at her, talking to her. “We should get some sleep.”

  “Okay.” She tucked a handful of hair behind her ear. “You want me to take the couch?”

  “I can take the couch.”

  She moistened her lips. His gaze tracked the move.

  “Okay.” She walked to the bed, straightened the covers they had tousled.

  He looked around. Decided he’d grab one of the pillows from the bed.

  She turned at that same moment and they ran smack into each other.

  “Sorry,” she muttered.

  He gestured at the bed. “I just need—”

  Her. He needed her.

  She looked up at him with those blue eyes and he was lost.

  He grabbed her. Kissed her hard.

  Her arms went around him and she leaned into his chest.

  His fingers found the hem of her blouse, peeled it up and off. She struggled with the buttons of his shirt.

  “Forget the buttons.” He whipped the shirt up over his head and tossed it to the floor.

  The rest of their clothes followed that same path.

  He wanted to know all of her. Every inch. Every strand of hair. All of her.

  She’d managed something no one else had ever been able to do. CJ Patterson made him want something more than to catch the bad guy.

  Chapter Forty-One

  1407 Dubose, 11:30 p.m.

  “I can’t get in the house.”

  Tyrone turned to his most trusted eyes. What the hell did he mean, he couldn’t get in the house? That was unacceptable. When the King gave an order, it was to be carried out. “You breathing, ain’t you?”

  “The police.”

  His loyal soldier looked ready to cut and run.

  “They watching the house. Front and back. No way I can get in.”

  Rage erupted in Tyrone’s gut. “Five-O is guarding the damned house?” His soldier nodded. “Get out!”

  The man about broke his fool neck getting out of the room. What the hell?

  Tyrone paced the length of his prison. That’s what his house had become. He couldn’t leave without the trinity. The house had to be watched twenty-four/seven. There was no peace to be found no more. His foot soldiers couldn’t stay in line. Run their mouths more and more. His eyes and ears were falling down on the job.

  Some damned body should’ve noticed that doctor bitch digging around in Shelley’s house!

  Nobody saw nothing till it was too late.

  Son of a bitch! If there was one video, there might have been more. Then he could have cut CJ out of the equation.

  “Shit!”

  Now he had no choice. If he wanted Braddock, he’d have to deal with CJ. She was pissed bad at Braddock. She wanted the name of her sister’s killer. Tyrone could give her what she wanted. Then, by God, he was going to see to it that bitch had herself an accident.

  His fingers traced the scar on his jaw. She’d had it coming a long damned time.

  Tomorrow he would deal with CJ.

  He took a breath, cleared his head. He had other business to attend to. Cost better get his ass on the ball. Tyrone wanted that money. Just in case this shit went south. His liquid assets were a little low right now. Cash was necessary if worse came to worst.

  Braddock wouldn’t back off.

  If CJ had something on him, Tyrone might just finally be free of that asshole. His face twisted with the rage busting inside him. If he had his way, he would kill that bastard today. Cut off his nuts and shove ’em down his throat.

  None of this was necessary. Shelley and Ricky both would still be alive if they hadn’t stepped out of line. What did Braddock care if two pieces of shit got what was coming to them?

  No. Tyrone shook his head. This wasn’t about Shelley or Ricky. It was about that damned niece of his.

  Tyrone had thought the niece would teach the too ambitious cop a lesson. But it hadn’t. Just made him more determined to come after Tyrone.