He snapped out of his stupor. Pulling on his shirt, he wondered if he should let Kelly know he’d be back tonight.

  Naw, he wouldn’t warn her. He didn’t have the time to argue.

  When they walked into intensive care, Ash noticed that Joanna Kris’s cubical was empty. He turned to the nurse at the desk and asked where she was.

  “She died about twenty minutes ago.”

  A sense of urgency hit Ash. He looked at Julie. “We need to go over to Joanna’s house and get that picture. I want to know where and when it was taken.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I have a feeling about it.”

  She didn’t question him, but nodded and started for the door.

  “Kelly, are you all right?” Jake asked. “I just heard about the break-in.”

  She looked up from her desk. She had the feeling this wasn’t strictly a social call. “I’m fine. But whoever broke in yesterday came back last night. Ash and I think they were after the Carlson file.”

  Jake closed the door and walked to her desk, settling in the chair before it. “I think you’re right.”

  “Thank you, Jake, for your support in the face of the Procters’ protests.”

  “I might have to eat a lot of rubber chicken, but I’m not going to compromise my honor. But I can hope that you and Ash are closing in on something that I can use to fight back. Bootlicking is an art form here, but I’d like to do some boot-kicking, too.” He grinned. “I’ve taken it, now I want to be able to dish it out.”

  “We’ve established that Andrew Reed doesn’t have an alibi for Catherine’s murder. He also has a bad temper. We’ve uncovered a number of women who Andrew had been fooling around with. He’s a modern-day Don Juan. Ash talked to the Procters’ secretary and learned Catherine’s parents knew she wanted a divorce. He has other avenues he wants to investigate. We must be doing something to rattle someone’s cage as evidenced by the break-in at my house.”

  Jake nodded and stood. “Let me know when you turn up something I can use.”

  “You’ll be the first one to know, Jake. Believe me, you’ll be the first to know.”

  After he left the room, Kelly blew out a breath, resting her head on the back of her chair. The entire world around her was unraveling and at every turn there was trouble. And yet, what did she find herself thinking about? Ash and the way he had made love to her last night and this morning.

  Did he still blame her for their daughter’s death? She’d had a big case she was trying five years ago. She had run herself ragged putting it together, not eating as she should, not sleeping. They’d argued the day before the miscarriage about her not taking care of herself. What hurt the most was she feared that his accusation was true.

  She pushed aside the thoughts. They needed to concentrate on this case and solve it. Period.

  She didn’t want anything more.

  But in her heart, she knew she wasn’t admitting the truth.

  Chapter 13

  “D etective Ashcroft, how nice to see you again,” Mrs. Ackers greeted as she walked into the living room. “What can I do for you?”

  Ash shook her hand. “I have a couple of follow-up questions I’d like to ask you about the night of Catherine’s death.”

  Her smile tightened.

  “This will only take a moment of your time, and I think you’d rather answer than have me question your guests.”

  “All right.” She sat down.

  “You said that Catherine and Andrew didn’t exchange words after she caught him with his mistress, but you knew she was mad.”

  “I could see it in her eyes. I don’t doubt they fought on the way home.”

  “When did they leave?” Ash pushed.

  She frowned. “It’s been so long ago. I’m not sure.”

  “Was it early in the evening, middle, toward the end of the party?”

  “It was the middle of the party.”

  Ash nodded. “And when did the party break up?”

  “One a.m.”

  He pulled Joanna’s photo out of his jacket pocket and showed it to Mrs. Ackers. “Do you know when this picture was taken?”

  She studied the five-by-seven photo. “It was taken the night Catherine was murdered.” She pointed to her dress. “I remember wearing that dress. It was the first time I’d worn the Valtrot.”

  Ash frowned. “Valtrot?”

  “The hottest designer in this city. It was a new dress. He also does men’s clothing.”

  “From the smiles, this must have been taken before Catherine found her husband with his mistress.”

  “It was.”

  “Do you have any more pictures taken of that night?”

  “Yes.”

  “Could you get them for me?” he asked.

  She stood and walked into another room. She returned with a photo album. When she opened it, there were several shots of Andrew throughout the night.

  “Mind if I take a couple of these?” he asked.

  She gave him the photos.

  Ash drove to the D.A.’s office, since he knew Kelly had the Carlson file with her. He wanted to compare pictures to see what was bothering him.

  “Kelly, good, you’re here.” Teresa Myers stood and took Kelly’s briefcase. “Mr. Thorpe wants you in his office, now. I’ll put this away for you.”

  Kelly knocked on the closed door.

  “Enter.”

  Kelly opened the door and stopped when she saw Andrew Reed standing before Jake’s desk.

  Andrew’s eyes narrowed. “There she is. I want an explanation as to what the hell is going on? Why is that detective of hers continuing to nose around in Catherine’s affairs? Do you know how upset my in-laws are that this nightmare hasn’t ended? Do you let your detectives go on witch hunts whenever they feel like it? That man is a renegade, an insult to law-abiding citizens.”

  The pompous jerk had crossed the line. “Law-abiding citizen?” Kelly ground out. She glanced at Jake, wanting to see his reaction. He nodded for her to continue.

  “Detective Ashcroft is no renegade. He’s one of the best investigators in HPD. That’s why he was assigned to the case. I trust him and his word. There are still questions about Catherine’s murder, because I’m not satisfied that we prosecuted the right man.” Her voice rose with each word. She didn’t doubt the entire office had heard her defense of Ash, but that didn’t matter. “And there’s not a prosecutor in this office that wouldn’t have him on a case.”

  Andrew puffed up like a toad. “So you agree with his methods?”

  “I do.”

  “Why are you doing this?” he demanded.

  She took a step toward him. “I’ll tell you why. The way your wife was murdered speaks of rage, Mr. Reed. A personal rage that someone directed at your wife.

  “Didn’t you and your wife create a scene at the party you attended that night?”

  A muscle in his jaw jumped. “That has nothing to do with my wife’s murder.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. Statistically, a murder like Catherine’s is ninety-nine point nine percent of the time committed by a close acquaintance. Steve Carlson didn’t do it. He might have stolen your wife’s jewelry, but he didn’t kill her. So we are looking at various people to see who could have directed such anger at her.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You’re trying to pin this on me?”

  If the shoe fits… “I’m trying to find your wife’s murderer. I would think you’d want that.”

  Anger pulsed off him. “What I want is to be left alone. And my in-laws as well.”

  He glared at Jake and Kelly, then stormed out of the room.

  Kelly turned to her boss. “I guess it was okay to let him know that we’re still investigating.”

  Jake’s brow arched. “A little late to worry about it.”

  “Well, he was going to learn about it sooner or later,” Kelly reasoned.

  “So let’s slap him in the face with the information we’ve gathered.”

  Kelly folded her arms over her chest. “That’s why you’re the D.A. and I’m A.D.A.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “At this rate, you won’t be running for my job for a long time. You discover anything more to implicate Mr. Reed?” Although Jake might appear to be relaxed, Kelly saw the telltale signs of his tension by the way his fingers wrapped around his pen.

  “Yeah, we’ve discovered something to nail the bastard.” Ash’s voice rang through the room.

  Kelly and Jake turned as Ash strolled into the room, a folder in his hand.

  “What’s that?” Jake asked.

  Ash placed the folder on the desk, then opened it and lined up four photos. “These pictures were taken the night of the murder. These first three are during the party. Notice what Mr. Reed is wearing.”

  They glanced at the photos.

  “Now look at the picture taken after Catherine’s murder had been reported.”

  Kelly looked and noticed there was a slight difference in the shirt, but it was the cummerbund that was markedly different.

  “He’s not wearing the same thing. Of course, if you’ve hacked your wife to death, it’s messy. He probably had to throw away his tux and change into another one. Normally it would be hard to tell the difference—a tux is a tux. But if look closely, you’ll see the jackets aren’t the same. Earlier, I took Andrew’s photo out of the file and took it by our friends down at the tux rental place. They told me an interesting tidbit. The tux in the picture at the party is by a local designer, Valtrot. The second one is slightly different, by a different designer.” He shrugged. “We need to ask Andrew where his Valtrot tux is now.”

  “Have you checked with the designer?” Kelly asked.

  “I did, and he confirmed the man isn’t wearing the same tux.”

  “Maybe you should pull him in for questioning,” Jake suggested.

  Ash smiled. “There’s nothing I’d like better. Or maybe catch him out tonight and see his reaction.”

  “I like that idea,” Kelly answered. “How’s Joanna Kris?”

  “She died this morning.”

  Kelly closed her eyes. Joanna was the third person to die in this investigation. “The body count is rising.”

  “Then maybe we should corner Mr. Reed tonight,” Ash answered. “I doubt we’ll shake him, but it will be interesting to see what he does.”

  “All right. If we do it before a crowd, he can’t claim you coerced him.”

  He grinned. “I won’t lay a hand on him.”

  Ash went back to police headquarters and filled his captain in on what had happened. “Not only are the Procters upset, but Andrew Reed is on the warpath.”

  “Let’s see what shakes out, Ash.”

  “You’re not mad?” Ash had expected a different reaction.

  “If I understand it right, the A.D.A. was the one who dumped on Andrew Reed. The police aren’t responsible for the actions of lawyers.”

  Ash laughed. “I’ve got reports to do.”

  “You going to include last night?”

  Ash stared at his captain. He had no intention of writing up his activities. Apparently his thoughts were communicated, because Captain Jenkins laughed.

  “I was referring to the break-in at the A.D.A.’s home. Nothing else.”

  Ash felt like a fool. “It’ll be in the report.”

  Ash walked to his desk. Julie was in court this afternoon, and most of the day shift was out. As he wrote his report, Kelly’s words that he had overheard floated back to him.

  Detective Ashcroft is no renegade. He’s one of the best investigators in HPD. That’s why he was assigned to the case. So she thought he was a good investigator. I trust him and his word.

  A smile creased his face. Kelly had always believed in him. She had often told him she thought he was one of the best investigators she’d ever encountered.

  She’d never been stingy with her praise of him. But he couldn’t say that about himself. When Kelly had needed him, he hadn’t been there for her.

  Could they capture the magic they had before? Did he dare take the risk? Since he’d divorced Kelly, he hadn’t had a serious relationship with a woman, much to his family’s displeasure. He hadn’t been interested in sharing himself with any woman. Funny, Ash found himself wanting to talk to Kelly about things besides this case.

  Could he risk it? Would she walk out on him again if he failed her?

  “Hey, partner. What has you looking like you ate your last Snickers bar?” Julie asked as she sat down.

  “I thought you were in court.”

  “My guy copped a plea. Took a look at the jury and decided that they weren’t going to give him a break.”

  He nodded.

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “I think we’ve found evidence that points to Andrew Reed.” He explained.

  She cocked her head. “You didn’t answer my question, Ash.”

  From her expression, he wasn’t going to be able to divert his partner. “I was thinking about Kelly.”

  “What about her?”

  Julie knew darn well what he was thinking. She’d found him and Kelly half-dressed in the kitchen, eating breakfast. “As if you don’t know.”

  She leaned forward. “Admit it, partner.”

  “I want another chance with her.”

  A satisfied smile curved her lips. “It’s about time you woke up, Ash.”

  He leaned back. “So you’re all for it.”

  “You two are a great team. Although I don’t know Kelly that well, I’ve always thought you two seemed perfect for each other.”

  He valued Julie’s opinion.

  He nodded. “Thanks for the support. I’m going to give it a try.”

  As Ash walked toward his car, Ralph Lee stepped into his path. “I don’t appreciate you questioning my work.” He bared his teeth.

  “What are you talking about?” Ash wanted to hear Ralph put into words what was bothering him.

  “I was just chewed out by the captain. He wondered why I didn’t check out Andrew Reed’s alibi.”

  “I wondered that myself.”

  Ralph’s expression hardened. “I had the murderer. I didn’t need to check out Andrew Reed.”

  Ash couldn’t believe his ears. What was wrong with Ralph? “You’re right.” He took a step away.

  “That’s it?” Ralph demanded.

  “You’ve got it.” Ash felt Ralph’s gaze on his back, drilling holes through him as he walked to his car. The other detective’s reaction was out of line. What was it that was really bothering him?

  Ash knocked on Kelly’s door. He had the urge to turn around and wave to Mrs. Schattle. He heard Kelly’s footsteps, then she opened the door and smiled.

  “Apparently you want to give Mrs. Schattle another show,” he whispered as he stepped inside. He reached for her and pulled her into his arms. His lips covered hers.

  It hadn’t been a mistake, the memory he’d relived all day today was real. Her lips were sweeter than the finest wine he’d ever had.

  His tongue slipped inside her mouth to duel with hers. Her fingers combed through his hair as she snuggled closer to him.

  He rested his forehead against hers. “If you don’t want to make love here in the hall, then don’t wiggle like that again,” he breathed.

  Looking into her eyes, he saw her consider his words. A smile crossed her face. “Really?”

  Her response made him smile. He was tempted to show her exactly what he meant by pinning her against the wall. Instead, he grabbed her hand and placed it over his zipper.

  “Does that answer your question?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes softened. “I’d dare you, but I don’t want either of us pulling a muscle.”

  “So you think I’m that old?”

  “No. I think I am.”

  “But it would be worth it.”

  She shook her head. “You always liked to live on the dangerous side.”

  He stepped away and took a breath. There were things they needed to discuss, but it seemed that every time he was near her his brain short-circuited.

  “You ready for this show tonight?” Ash asked her. They were going to catch Andrew Reed tonight at the museum gala put together by Andrew’s newest fiancée.

  “I need to reapply my lipstick,” she murmured, brushing color from his mouth.

  He grabbed her hand and gently kissed the palm. His eyes locked with hers. “We need to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “You and me.”

  Her eyes widened. She glanced at her watch. “We don’t have time now.”

  She was right. Now wasn’t the time. “I plan to spend the night here, Kelly. And in your bed. It doesn’t matter to me when we talk, but we’ll talk. Besides, our suspect, Bruce Rhodes, is out on bail. I don’t want a repeat of the other night’s break-in.”

  She studied him for a moment. “All right. Let me get my purse, and then we’ll go.”

  Ash watched as she hurried off. Her reaction surprised him. Didn’t most women want to discuss their relationships with their men? That didn’t appear to be the case with Kelly.

  And exactly what he was going to say?

  He wanted another chance, that’s what.

  Kelly’s insides shook. She didn’t want to talk to Ash about their relationship. Couldn’t they just go on as they had been?

  She walked out of the bedroom. Ash opened the front door.

  “I had a run-in with Ralph Lee today, Kelly.”

  That worried her. Ralph wasn’t an easy man to get along with. “Over what?” She slid into the front seat of his car.

  “This case.” He closed the door and walked around the car. “He told me the reason he didn’t follow up on Andrew’s alibi was that they had caught the man who killed Catherine. Well, it got me to wondering about Ralph. I went down to records. I know one of the ladies there.”

  He glanced at her. Kelly didn’t doubt the woman in records gladly helped.

  “She pulled Ralph’s personnel file for me,” he continued. “It seems that he grew up in a little town north of Houston called Cut and Shoot. It was the same little town where Andrew Reed grew up.”

  Kelly gaped at Ash. “They’re both from the same little town?”

  “Graduated within two years of each other.”

  “Then they have to know each other,” Kelly muttered.