head and turned around, recognizing her instantly. “Marina?”
“Reed?” Forcing air through her lungs, Marina felt like she’d stepped through a time warp. She gazed into those golden-brown eyes, aware that Reed Crawford was as surprised but not particularly as happy to see her. She knew him, had gone to college with him, even kissed that full mouth a time or two. She’d also been accepted at the FBI academy along with him, but he’d had to opt out due to his mother’s illness.
Other than deciding not to make him a boyfriend last year, what had she done to deserve that look? If she hadn’t known better, she’d have said it hurt her feelings. She still saw him every other month at a gathering of friends and he always seemed as friendly as ever.
“So you’re the violent crime expert the FBI’s assigned to the task force?” he asked, as if he still wasn’t quite ready to believe it.
“That’s what I just said,” she confirmed a bit too brightly as she pulled out the chair at the desk next to his.
“So, how’ve you been?” he asked, recovering quickly.
“I’m fine.” She turned to confront him. “But you look…disappointed. Why?”
Golden-brown eyes made serious contact with hers. She experienced a physical jolt that she felt all over, almost as if she’d been pushed by all the energy in that gaze. Reed had depths she’d never taken the time to explore.
“To be frank, I’m not disappointed,” he began with a glint of amusement in his eyes, “but I was sort of expecting one of the guys, an up-and-coming special agent?”
Marina wasn’t going to drop the subject. “You already know I got promoted recently, but I’ve still got a ways to go. You got everything right except the guy part,” she pressed.
His gaze assessed her, taking her in as a whole. Then he nodded. “Yeah, right. If you’re wondering if I have a problem with you working on this task force because you’re female or because we’re friends, forget it. Just don’t expect me to kiss your ass. Okay?”
“Okay, but don’t be surprised if you piss me off and I tell you to kiss my ass anyway.” Marina grinned.
Reed chuckled, shaking his head.
She’d made her point, he’d put her in her place and she’d managed a good comeback. “How’s Trudy?” Marina asked, her tone softening.
Something in his posture eased. “Ma’s doing a lot better. She’s fine as long as we keep taking care of her. Ron and I take turns fixing her meals, testing her blood sugar and giving her the medication and shots. She goes to an activity center during the day where she’s taking a couple of classes.” Reed rocked his chair back and forth. “You know, she asks about you all the time.”
“Really? What do you tell her?” Her question hung on the air for several moments while she imagined several nasty explanations he could have used.
His expression was calm, but there was a darkness in his eyes that made her cringe and feel guilty. Reed answered in an easy tone did not match what she saw in his eyes. “I’ve told her that you’ve moved on, and that you’ve been busy with your career. She wants to see you, so she can congratulate you on your promotion.”
Marina was almost certain that he was still angry with her about the way she’d ended things. She shouldn’t care, but she did. Whether she and Reed ever got together as a couple or not, she genuinely liked him as a person. He could be provocative and mysterious, and irritating, but he was still a genuinely nice guy that she liked to be around.
“I’ll have to drop by to see her sometime,” she mumbled.
He was silent when he shot her a look of disbelief. “And what’s Javier up to?” he asked, referring to her dad.
“Javier is Javier.” She sighed dramatically, not wanting go into the details of how her amorous father was inexplicably without a love interest for the first time in years. He had been driving Marina crazy with his determination to spend more time with her. She abruptly changed the subject. “Where’s the rest of the team hiding out?”
“I am the rest of the team.” He watched her take the computer out of her case and set it on the desk. Then he showed her the socket to plug in her power cord. “You know I work the Homicide Unit and I’m good. I have access to their resources and anything the C.P.D. has to offer. Where’s the rest of your FBI team?”
This time she smiled. “You’re looking at it. I’ve got access to the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime database and the VICAP and anything else we’ll need from the FBI.”
“We’ve got everything we need to bring down the killer.” Reed returned the smile and this time it was close to the charming, earnest one she was used to seeing. “If we really push it, maybe we can chase the killer down before the trail grows cold. We need to leave in about thirty minutes. Jade Dansinger was too upset to talk to homicide detectives early this morning. I’ve been calling the mayor’s mansion to set up another interview. The okay came just a few minutes ago. We need to talk to her and her friends about last night and anything they may have seen or heard. I’ve already lined up interviews with several of her and Washington’s friends.”
Marina nodded. “How about the staff at the hotel?” she asked.
“Third-shift detectives on the scene this morning interviewed them.”
Hope surged within Marina that they would have another piece of the puzzle. “Did anyone see anything?”
“Not really. They knew that Washington was out at the pool with someone, but no one bothered to look. Apparently, Jade and Elliot often took late-night skinny-dips and paid the staff to give them their privacy. There’s actually a room at the back of the hotel with its own private pool.”
Marina expelled a puff of air. “So do they at least know if Washington was out there with a woman?”
Reed shook his head. “No. No one saw or heard a thing. Washington must not have cried out or struggled enough to draw attention.”
Marina considered his statement. “Maybe he couldn’t. Maybe the first blow incapacitated him or he was already pretty much out of it. I hope they took samples of his blood.”
Spearing her with a glance, Reed said, “Bring that nose down a bit. Our crew is one of the best. They got the blood samples, some DNA from the scene and prints from the chair he’d been sitting in and the ones next to it. The forensic team is doing their thing. We should have all of the results in a few days.”
Marina nodded. “I don’t suppose anyone found the murder weapon?”
“You dream big, don’t you?” Reed remarked.
“It was worth a try,” she murmured, settling into her chair. “I’ll just take a quick look at the files.”
While Reed checked on the database search he’d initiated earlier, Marina set up her computer and opened a new spreadsheet. Then she got her first look at the files.
One file was that of Elliot Washington, the guy she’d heard about on the morning news. The other file was for the young man identified as twenty-five-year-old elementary school teacher, Colton Edwards. His body had been found in
