“I’ll say this for Catherine—she didn’t have a bad temper. But she did have a great deal of pride. To have been shamed that way wouldn’t have gone down easily.” She studied Kelly. “That help?”

  Kelly grinned. “Yes, it does.”

  Edna May nodded. “Good. You get him.”

  Kelly prayed she could do exactly that.

  Edna turned back to Kelly. “And you need to get that good-looking detective, too.”

  Chapter 11

  A sh leaned against the outside brick of the mansion and watched as Kelly and Renee talked to Edna May Vanderslice. Edna—shriveled up prune of a woman—said something and the surprised expression on Kelly’s face made him smile.

  “That’s quite a lady,” Jacob Blackhorse commented.

  Ash turned and studied his old friend. They’d worked together with Hawk when Renee’s life had been threatened. Ash liked the quiet man, who was the head of security for Texas Chic, Emory’s company.

  “Who are you talking about?” Ash asked.

  Jacob frowned. “Edna May. Who’d you think I was talking about?” He glanced back at the group and a dawning light entered his eyes. He turned to Ash. “You thought I meant Kelly? So it’s true. You’re dating your ex-wife?” A slow smile creased his mouth. “Well, it certainly has caused talk at this party.”

  Great, he and Kelly were the hottest item of gossip among the moneyed.

  “What’s going on, friend?” Jacob asked.

  “So everyone believes that Kelly and I are an item?”

  Jacob studied Ash. “It rivals the talk about Catherine Reed’s murder and the death of her murderer.” He took a sip of his beer. “And I know that earlier confrontation between Kelly and the Procters is on everyone’s mind.”

  “I don’t know whether to be glad that our cover is working or not.” Ash ran his fingers through his hair.

  “So you’re not seeing each other again?”

  Ash wanted to squirm under Jacob’s intense scrutiny. “We’re running an investigation. What do you know about Andrew Reed?”

  Jacob hesitated a moment, then said, “Not much. He likes money and shows it off. And I don’t like him.”

  The little meeting across the patio between the ladies broke up. Kelly saw them and walked to Ash’s side. She greeted Jacob.

  “Did you discover anything interesting?” Ash asked.

  She glanced at Jacob.

  “I told him,” Ash explained.

  “Miss Edna was just another confirmation that Andrew Reed is a miserable human being.”

  Jacob laughed. “I agree with that assessment.”

  Kelly turned to him. “Really?”

  He shrugged. “It’s part of the job to endure unpleasant rich folks like Andrew.”

  She nodded, but Ash saw something else in her eyes that she’d learned.

  “What else did Edna May say?” Ash asked.

  Her gaze slid away from his. “Nothing.”

  He decided not to push her now. When he took her home, he’d discover what she had learned.

  “Ash,” Julie McKinney called out to him. His partner, dressed in black slacks and a white shirt, emerged from the crowd. She nodded to Jacob. “Joanna Kris was shot. It appears it was a home robbery. Ralph Lee took the case.”

  “Where is she?”

  “She’s been taken to Ben Taub.”

  “Did they catch the shooter?”

  “Not so far,” Julie replied.

  Ash looked at Kelly.

  “You go,” Kelly encouraged. “I’ll get myself home.”

  He handed her his keys. “Take my car. I’ll have Julie drop me by your place afterward.”

  As he left the party, he glanced back at Kelly. She and Jacob made a fine-looking couple. It was a disturbing thought.

  But oddly enough, Jacob’s gaze wasn’t fixed on Kelly, but on Julie.

  “I guess you’ve ended more than one party this way, with Ash being called away,” Jacob commented.

  Kelly turned to him and forced a smile. “It’s happened more than once.” She remembered other times, more intimate times when Ash had been called away.

  “Mind if I ask why you’re so interested in Joanna?” Jacob probed.

  “It’s part of the investigation Ash and I are on now.”

  Jacob’s brown eyes twinkled. “So I can’t pump you for information.” Admiration filled his gaze. He was a handsome man with black hair, teak skin and a killer smile. Too bad that package didn’t resonate in her. But, if she didn’t miss her guess, it did with Julie McKinney. That would be an interesting match.

  “You didn’t expect me to give away anything,” she shot back.

  He shrugged. “It was entertaining watching you with Edna May.”

  Kelly laughed. “I hadn’t ever met the lady, but I must say it was an experience.”

  “Well, I’ve seen her eat many a debutante for hors d’oeuvres.”

  Kelly’s stomach grumbled, stopping Jacob.

  “May I get you a plate of barbecue?”

  “That’s the best offer I’ve had all night.”

  He shook his head. “I seriously doubt that.”

  Ash and Julie passed Ralph Lee in the lobby of the hospital. He frowned at them. “What are you doing here?”

  “How’s Joanna Kris?” Ash replied.

  His eyes narrowed. “She’s in surgery. They’re going to call when she’s out and can be interviewed. But you didn’t answer my question.”

  “We think whoever shot Joanna might be the same guy who’s been doing a lot of home invasions in that neighborhood where one of the victims was killed,” Julie offered. “We wanted to check it out.”

  Ralph’s face relaxed. “I’ll let you know when you can talk to the victim.”

  “Thanks, Ralph.” Julie turned to Ash. “C’mon, partner, let’s go.”

  Ash didn’t argue with her, knowing she was on a mission. Once they were in the car, she said, “Why don’t we go and look at the crime scene?”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  It took only fifteen minutes to get to Joanna’s house. The last crime-scene detective was finishing up, and no one questioned Ash and Julie’s presence.

  “Hey, Dave, how’s it going?” Ash glanced around the living room. A spot of blood marred the white carpet by the sofa.

  “Can’t complain. You doing this case? I thought it was Ralph’s.”

  “We interviewed the victim last week and wondered if it had any connection with that case. We wanted to look around. What did you find?”

  Dave closed his evidence case. “There’s no sign of forced entry. Nothing out of place. It looks like the shooter walked in and shot the victim who, unless I miss my guess, was sitting on the couch, because of the blood on the cushion. She probably stood, was shot again and fell, since there was blood on the carpet.”

  Ash and Julie surveyed the room.

  “Any more questions?”

  Ash studied his partner and she shook her head. “Not now,” Ash replied.

  “Throw the lock when you’re finished.”

  Julie nodded. When they were alone, they walked slowly through the house, then walked a grid of the living room.

  “I’ve got the feeling this is connected to Catherine’s murder,” Julie said.

  Ash moved to the piano. “Wasn’t there a picture here when we were here the last time?” A vase of flowers stood where the picture had been.

  “Yeah, there was.”

  “Andrew and Joanna in a happier time. Why don’t we look for it?” he said.

  After twenty minutes, they found the picture buried under a stack of towels in the hall linen closet next to the bathroom.

  Ash stared at the picture of Joanna and Andrew, the mayor and the quarterback of the Rice Owls smiling for the camera, drinks in their hands, formal evening clothes.

  “From where we found this, it looks like Joanna is mad at her old boyfriend,” Julie commented, handing Ash the frame, “but I don’t see anything off-kilter in this picture.”

  He couldn’t see anything, either. “Or maybe she didn’t want us to see the picture of her and her boyfriend if we came back.” He studied the people surrounding the smiling couple.

  “What are you looking at?” Julie asked.

  “I was wondering when that picture was taken and at what party.”

  “Maybe we should ask Joanna when we can talk to her.”

  “I think you’re right.” He put back the photo. “You want to drive me to Kelly’s so I can pick up my car?”

  Julie gave him a speculative look. “Yeah.”

  “What’s that look for?” he demanded.

  “Nothing, Ash. Nothing.”

  It didn’t sound like nothing.

  As Kelly pulled out of the driveway of the mansion in Ash’s Jeep, she took a deep breath. It had been a rough night. Confronting the Procters, then fighting off all the speculative glances from friends and society folks. Apparently she and Ash didn’t have trouble making people believe their cover story of reunited lovers.

  It felt so right to be in his arms, having him beside her as she moved through a crowd. His presence behind her when she tangled with the Procters had given her strength and comfort. She knew she wasn’t alone in the battle. She also knew she could depend on him, on his observations.

  Pulling into the driveway of her house, the memory of finding this place washed over her. They’d just married and needed to move from the cramped efficiency where she’d lived. Ash had fallen over several of her law books and sprained his ankle. The next day, they’d gone looking for another place.

  “Stop it, Kelly,” she muttered. “You don’t need a walk down memory lane.”

  Opening the front door, Kelly tried to concentrate on what information they’d gathered tonight. She went to her office and quickly input the information that Edna May had given her. The old woman’s encouragement to go after Ash also reverberated through her.

  Kelly printed out her notes and reread them. Had she missed anything?

  An image of Renee holding her baby girl popped into her head. She was a beautiful child, the obvious joy of both her parents. Kelly stood and moved down the hall to the closed door. She opened it and turned on the light. The cheerful nursery looked eerie. And sad.

  An emptiness washed over her.

  Slowly Kelly walked into the room. She stopped by the crib and picked up the large teddy bear. Tears made the bear waver. She stumbled over to the rocker and sank into it. Holding the bear to her chest, tears began to flow.

  She didn’t know how long she had sat there. She thought she heard her name, then suddenly Ash knelt before her. His hand cupped her chin. When her eyes met his, she saw the sadness there. He stood and pulled her into his arms.

  His warmth surrounded her, comforting her, pulling her out of the darkness. She felt his hands rubbing lightly over her back. His lips touched her temple.

  “She would’ve been four. Like Sarah,” she whispered.

  “I know.” Ash cupped her head and drew it to his chest. “I know.”

  Her arms wrapped around him as they shared the quiet grief they both felt. She didn’t know how long she held him. Time had no meaning. But when the knot of emotion had eased, she felt a sense of peace.

  His hands stilled. She glanced up and saw tears hanging off his chin. Her fingers trembled as she wiped away the moisture. His lips turned into a sad smile. Slowly he lowered his head and gently kissed her.

  Suddenly the air between them changed, became charged with the energy of their body heat. Longing and attraction enveloped them. Her heart thundered and the need to taste his lips again raced through her.

  She welcomed his mouth, meeting his eagerness with her own. His tongue slipped into her mouth, tasting, coaxing hers into a dance. Her hands clenched the back of his shirt, holding on for dear life.

  He kissed his way across her chin and found the sensitive area under her chin. Her head fell back to give him access.

  When she heard the thundering, she thought it was her heart, but Ash stopped and looked up. Her eyes opened and she frowned.

  “What?”

  “Someone’s at the front door.”

  Kelly came out of her fog and walked from the nursery. She felt Ash behind her. When she opened the front door, Julie stood there.

  “We need to go downtown. They caught the guy who matches Sarah Mendoza’s description of the killer of Steve Carlson.”

  “How did they catch him?” Ash asked.

  “He had an altercation with his neighbor. Took out his gun and shot him.”

  “Where are my keys?” Ash asked Kelly.

  “They’re on my desk, but I want to go, too,” Kelly said. “I want to be there when you interview him.”

  “Fine, but I need my keys.”

  She retrieved them. “I’ll follow you in case you get caught at headquarters.”

  As she followed Ash, Kelly was grateful for the interruption. At the rate they’d been going, they would have been on the floor, tearing each other’s clothes off. Her sanity had fled, leaving her without a clear thought. What had she been thinking?

  The lights in the jail were jarring, dispelling any of the soft feelings she’d shared with Ash. Sarah’s description of the suspect, Bruce Rhodes, was right on the mark. Kelly observed as Ash and Kelly questioned the man about the murder of Steve Carlson. He said nothing, only demanded his lawyer.

  Kelly met the detectives in the lobby of the jail.

  “This old boy been around the track a few times. He knows the drill. We’ll show his booking shot to the people in the apartment complex where Carlson lived.”

  “You might check to see if the suspect served any time with Carlson,” Kelly suggested.

  “Good idea.” Ash walked Kelly to her car. “Anything else happen after I left the party?”

  “Nope. But I did learn our cover is working. Probably too well. That’s all anyone wanted to talk about,” she grumbled.

  He laughed.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m being hit with the same reaction and the same questions. It makes me wonder—” When he looked into her eyes, that electricity was still there, throbbing, pulsing.

  Kelly wanted to talk to him about their baby, her feelings, her pain. It was an odd feeling. “Ash, thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For tonight.” She didn’t say anything more, but from the look in his eyes, she knew he understood her meaning.

  He nodded. “Good night, Kel.” He walked to his car.

  She wanted to call him back, ask him to come back home with her, but in the cold light of reality, she knew she wasn’t ready for that step. She wished things could have been different. But some things, she knew, couldn’t be fixed.

  Ash stared at the red light. What had just happened between Kelly and him? When he’d walked into the house earlier tonight, he’d known something was wrong. The door was unlocked.

  A horn behind him jerked him from the memories. Hawk and Renee’s baby reminded both Kelly and him of what they’d lost. He’d been able to avoid those feelings for years, but seeing the bear in Kelly’s arms and the tears in her eyes, he couldn’t stop the surge of grief.

  Together they had cried and ached.

  He pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex and found an empty space close to his unit. Once inside the darkened apartment, he didn’t turn on the light. Throwing himself on the couch, he rested his head.

  He needed to think, strip away the emotions. Tomorrow he and Julie needed to take the picture of the suspect to the apartment where Carlson lived—

  The sight of Kelly with the bear in her arms popped into his head. He pushed it aside.

  They needed to talk to the Procters’ servants, too, to see if they knew about Catherine filing for divorce. It wouldn’t be bad idea to interview the servants at the Reed home, also—

  Kelly’s pain had mingled with his. It was the first time he had let tears flow.

  Think about the case.

  There was also that picture. It bothered Ash. When and if Joanna Kris woke up, he intended to question her about it—

  If Julie hadn’t shown up, he would have taken Kelly to their bedroom and pulled her onto the bed and made love to her.

  He threw his arm over his eyes. He was in trouble.

  Kelly picked up the white teddy bear from the floor and put it back into the crib. She should feel embarrassed by her breakdown, but she didn’t. She felt lighter. The only other person who knew what she was feeling was Ash.

  When she saw the tears on his face, it had touched a deep hurt inside her that was tender. He’d hurt, too. She’d always thought she’d been alone in her grief, but now she knew differently.

  The emptiness was still there, but it had changed somehow, softening, easing. She finger-combed the hair on the bear’s face and placed him back in the corner of the crib.

  With a final look around the room, she turned off the light but didn’t close the door.

  If Julie hadn’t come, would she have let Ash make love to her? Did she want that?

  Those were questions that she didn’t want to answer.

  Joanna Kris regained consciousness the next morning. She looked tired and defeated hooked up to all the equipment in the ICU. She eyed Ash and Julie.

  “Did you recognize who shot you?” Ash asked.

  She looked away from them. “No.”

  Julie stepped closer. “Why did you let him in?”

  “He said he had flowers for me.” She turned to look at Ash. “What woman doesn’t want flowers?”

  “Did he attempt to rob you?” Ash questioned.

  “No.”

  “Did he say why he wanted to hurt you?” Ash pressed.

  “No.”

  Obviously the attempted murder had had its desired effect—it had shut Joanna up.