heard the metallic sounds on the other side of the door.
It was ludicrous to assume they were in any serious danger. This was one of the safest buildings in the whole state. The sprawling complex of the Texas Department of Public Safety housed both the State Troopers and the Rangers. With all those lawmen roaming around, not to mention enough professional bureaucrats to scare the socks off anybody, no criminals would dare set foot in the place.
When the Ranger reached back and gave her a gentle push, she resisted. “You’re not leaving me.”
His tone was brusque and civil at the same time. It rumbled along her nerve endings and raised goose bumps on her arms. “Just stay back while I check. You’re not going out there till I say it’s clear.”
“Yes, sir.” Feeling contrite, Paige eased away from him slightly. The padded case bumped against her knees. She shoved it toward the hinged edge of the opening door for added security, thinking belatedly that maybe she should put her own body in its place. She didn’t.
“Who’s there?” Cade called loudly. “Identify yourself.” No one answered, and he said more quietly to Paige, “Do you happen to have a flashlight? I left mine in my truck.”
“Yes. I’ll get it. What are we going to do?”
“We’re not. I am.”
As soon as he had the light in hand, he eased the door open another six inches, then a foot, then all the way. Swinging out in a half crouch, he aimed both gun and light first in one direction, then the other.
“Okay,” Cade told her, straightening. “Looks like the coast is clear.”
“Now what?”
“We find the main panel that controls the lights in this place and try to figure out what’s wrong. Any idea where that panel might be?”
“Up front. We throw those breakers whenever we have a fire or disaster drill.”
“That’s what I’m looking for.”
Paige pointed down the hallway toward the reception area. “Go that way. There’s a fuse box in a utility closet. It’s on the left, not far from the front door.”
“Okay. Follow me. And stay close.”
She chuckled derisively, positive that doing so was a lot better than letting herself be too serious. “Close? Trust me. That’s not going to be a problem.”
The farther they traveled, the more the hair on Paige’s neck and arms prickled. She shivered. Listened to the echo of their soft footfalls. Suddenly, there was something else. What was that noise?
Tapping the Ranger on the shoulder, she saw the beam of the light he was carrying jump and realized he wasn’t nearly as calm and collected as he’d wanted her to believe.
“Stop,” Paige whispered. “Did you hear something funny just now?”
“I don’t think so. Did you?” He played the light over the walls and floor and shined it into the distance, forward and behind. Its beam vanished into the gloom.
“I don’t know. I thought so but now I’m not sure. I do have a very active imagination.”
“In your line of work that’s probably an asset.”
She huffed softly. “It’s not so hot when I’m trapped in a dark building, even if I do have one of Texas’s finest to protect me. I was sure I heard something. Besides our footsteps, I mean.”
They stood quietly together, listening to the silence, before Cade said, “Maybe you aren’t the only one who stayed to work late and somebody else is trying to fix the problem, too. Come on.”
Carrying the evidence bag behind her, Paige stuck close to Cade as they tiptoed along the hallway. Each private office door they tried to open was locked, as they should have been. Unless the prowler—assuming there was one—had individual keys, there was no way he could be hiding in any of those rooms.
“You said the controls for the overhead lighting are around here, right? Show me.” Cade painted the beige-tiled floor with the narrow beam of light.
It took her only a few seconds to guide him to the gray metal box containing the electrical panel. He located the breakers and flipped them all to On.
The resulting illumination was blinding. Paige shaded her eyes with her free hand and could feel the tension flowing out of her. “Whew. That’s better. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. We’ll need to report this incident to Captain Parker. It may have been just a blown breaker from a power surge or something, but an electrician should have a look at the whole system just the same. No use taking chances.”
“If you say so.”
“I do. Anything that scares you as much as this incident did should definitely be investigated.”
“Me? I wasn’t the only one on edge. You almost hit the ceiling when I tapped you on the shoulder.”
“That’s because I never did find a logical explanation for what sounded like somebody cocking an automatic weapon right outside your office.”
“Now that I heard, too,” Paige said. “So tell me. After what already happened to you on your way here, do you honestly think this electrical problem was an accident?”
She saw more worry than she was comfortable with in the Ranger’s eyes when he shook his head and said, “No. I can’t say I do.”
Remaining on his guard, Cade escorted the artist back to her studio. He didn’t know what was going on but he didn’t believe in chance. The incident on the highway that had almost gotten him killed had been too convenient. So had this supposed power failure.
In his view, there was a good possibility that someone wanted to keep this victim’s identity a secret. That made perfect sense, particularly if the Lions of Texas cartel really was involved.
Paige once again removed the skull and started to study it.
“The lab boys said he was a man in his thirties,” Cade offered. “Do you agree?”
“Perhaps. I suppose they took dental X-rays and checked the opacity of the teeth to help decide.” She was rotating the skull as she spoke. “It has large brow ridges and blunt orbital borders, plus a dandy occipital protuberance. Nasal openings and the structure of the inner ear fit, too.”
“In English, please?”
Paige grinned. “Congratulations. It’s a boy. An older one, like you said.” Her grin widened when their glances met. “Probably of European ancestry. I’ll check my conclusions when I look up the tissue depth measurements, just to be absolutely positive.”
Cade didn’t mind seeing that his request for plainer speaking had amused her. There was little enough laughter in the world, particularly their corner of it.
“Okay.” He held up the open carrying case. “Better let me have him back for now. I’ve delayed you long enough. We can get down to serious
