Don't Say a Word

Book 9: Griffin Powell

by Beverly Barton

Genres: Mystery; Romantic Suspense; Suspense

Synopsis

Cross Your Heart. . . One by one, they will die. He has waited patiently, planning their final moments. Their tortured screams, their pleas for mercy--all will be in vain. . . And Hope. . . Homicide detective Julia Cass has witnessed plenty of crime scenes. But the murder of a Chattanooga judge is shocking in its brutality. Teamed with FBI agent Will Brannock, Julia delves into an investigation that soon unearths more bodies--all mutilated in the same way, all left with a gruesome souvenir of a killer's ruthless rage. . . To Die. . . The only way to stop the slaughter is to predict the next victim. But when you're dealing with vengeance at its most ruthless, one wrong move can make you a target. . .and the next word you utter could be your last. . . Praise for the novels of Beverly Barton "A shivery read. . . Tight twists and hairpin turns will keep readers racing through the pages." -- Bookpage on Don't Cry "Barton delivers a solid mix of romance and terror in her latest thriller." -- Publishers Weekly on Don't Cry "Masterful!" -- New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard on Cold Hearted

Release date: October 24, 2011

Publisher: Zebra Books

Print pages: 400

Sample

Will Brannock awoke to some very warm lips nibbling on his bare shoulder. He turned over, more than willing to spend another hour or two in bed with Pam Ford. She was scheduled to fly out again to New York and then on to Rome, and Will meant to enjoy her until her plane took to the air. A flight attendant, Pam rarely got assignments in Chattanooga—every two or three months—but when she did, they always spent time together. She was an old friend, a real beauty, who made it crystal clear up front that she wanted no strings attached, just a good time together when she came to town. All of which suited Will just fine. The last thing he wanted was a committed relationship. It was out of the question. But Pam didn’t care. She was always hot and eager and highly imaginative in bed. Will couldn’t argue with that.

“Wish I could stay a few more days,” Pam whispered in her husky voice, her tongue licking at his earlobe. “It’s been so long this time. I’ve missed you.”

“Me too.” That was only partially true. He liked her, she was as desirable as any woman he’d been with, and they always had fun together. But spending more than a day or two in a hotel room with her was too much of a good thing. The occasional tryst suited him just fine. And if it never happened again, that was fine, too.

“We’ve still got some time,” she said, rubbing her soft naked body against his bare chest. Pam turned him on, no doubt about it, with all that curly, dark red hair and those clear grass-green eyes. A dedicated runner like he was, Pam was built, toned and tanned and always ready. He’d met her through his sister, Colleen, who worked for the same airline, and they’d enjoyed these short romantic interludes ever since. No ties, no promises, no cohabitation, but a hell of a lot of fireworks between the sheets.

Will rolled on top of her and tangled his fingers in her hair. She laughed, but she was more than ready and so was he. He brought his mouth down on the hollow of her collarbone and heard the familiar weak moan. Pinning her hands over her head, he felt the growing need inside himself. So when his cell phone dinged on the bedside table, he muttered a low curse and pulled away.

“No, let it ring,” Pam said, her pouty voice full of erotic promises.

“Can’t do that. Hang on. Don’t move.”

Will let go of her and sat up on the edge of the bed. He grabbed his cell phone on the second ring. The screen identified the caller as J.D. Cass, one of Will’s fellow special agents at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. He hit the button.

“Yeah, J.D. What’s up?”

“Hey, you busy?”

“You could say that.” Will glanced over his shoulder at the way Pam was moving her body around provocatively. She held out her arms for him.

“Too busy to do me a huge favor?” J.D. was saying.

J.D. wasn’t one to ask favors, huge or otherwise. The guy was always on the job, always working a case, completely dedicated to his career. Will liked and admired him, although they’d only been in the Chattanooga field office together for about a year and a half. Last year, J.D. had solved one of the biggest cases the city had ever seen. The Rocking Chair Murders had been horrific for everybody concerned. Four women had died at the hands of a serial killer before J.D. and Will managed to take him down in the basement of an old church. They barely got there in time to save the last victim. J.D. was still involved in wrapping up that trial.

“I’m down at the criminal courts,” J.D. continued. “The damn trial’s gone into recess again. Now they’re discussing the admissibility of defense witnesses. Tam and I have both been waiting for hours to be called.”

Tam Lovelady was the detective with the Chattanooga Police Department who had worked that serial killer case alongside J.D. Both were subpoenaed to testify and had been cooling their heels while the trial motions went on and on. “Bummer. Okay, J.D., sure. What’d you need?”

Will felt Pam’s mouth on his back, her tongue tracing patterns, and he shut his eyes as she slowly kissed her way up to the side of his neck.

“My kid sister’s coming in today out at the airport. I’m supposed to pick her up, but there’s no way I can get away. I know you took a few days off, and I hate to ask, but is there any chance you can break loose and go get her for me and drop her off out at my house? I’d owe you big, Will.”

Why not? J.D. was in a jam. Will was taking Pam out to the airport in a couple of hours, anyway. “Sure. When’s she due in?”

“Any minute now. Her name’s Julia. You’ve heard me mention her, right?”

“Yeah, the Julia with the marksmanship medals. Okay, no problem. What’s her flight number?”

“Flight eight twenty-four out of Miami. US Airways.”

“Is she expecting me?”

“I can’t get through. She must’ve turned off her cell on the plane. Or forgot to charge it. She has a tendency to do that.”

“What’s she look like?”

“Long, dark hair. Five foot seven. Pretty. Actually, she looks a lot like Zoe. You’ll like her. She’s a real sweetheart. She just signed up with the Chattanooga PD homicide division. Man, it’s going to be great to see her. Even better that she’s going to live here in town.”

“Right. I’ll get out there as soon as I can.” Will watched Pam purse her lips in disappointment, get up, and move off toward the bathroom. She looked as good from behind as she did from the front.

“I appreciate it, Will.”

“No problem. Don’t worry about it.”

“Tell her to turn on the damn phone and give me a call.”

Will punched off and stood up, stretching as he walked toward the bathroom. Julia Cass could wait a little longer. He probably wouldn’t see Pam again for months, and he intended to give her a proper good-bye.

Julia Cass was mightily ticked off but trying her best not to show it. God knew, she wasn’t the most patient sort in the world, and J.D. should’ve been here to pick her up nearly an hour ago. Not that she was surprised. How many times had he left her sitting at school or the library or the mall, when they both still lived at home? Back then, either his job kept him overtime, or one of the floozy types he liked to date in his younger days. She glanced at her white wristwatch again. Everybody from her flight had cleared out, and the next round of passengers was beginning to check in.

Her cell phone battery was low, so she couldn’t call him, and the nearest pay phone was out of order, so she spent her time watching the travelers rushing around and willing herself to be patient. She loved her older brother dearly, she truly did. He had practically raised her since their mother had left the family when Julia was too young to remember. Her father died when she was fourteen, and after that, J.D. was father, mother, and brother to her. He had worked nights to support them, until he graduated from college and then the police academy. The only thing she hadn’t liked back then was his choice of women. They were all sexy and alluring and trashy. Certainly not the kind of women J.D. wanted her to hang around with. But he had always been there for her, and he was the major influence that brought her into a law enforcement career.

“J.D., I am absolutely going to kill you if you don’t get here soon,” she muttered under her breath.

Watching the people on the concourse, she searched yet again for her brother’s tall figure. She didn’t see hide nor hair of him, but she did notice a tall, good-looking guy walking past her with a striking redhead hanging all over him. J.D.’s type of gal before he met Audrey Sherrod, she thought. Bored, she watched the couple move away toward the gate across from Julia. He was a hot guy, all right, but she had a feeling he knew it, too, and all too well. The red-haired girl was dressed in a tight-fitting Delta flight attendant’s uniform and pulled a black, wheeled suitcase. The guy was wearing a black University of Alabama T-shirt, dark jeans, and black running shoes. He was obviously seeing his ladylove off to work, and was he ever.

Julia watched the pair step behind a pillar and succumb to a blatant and totally inappropriate make-out session, which Julia could still see all too well in the window reflection. The lengthy embrace was mostly brought on by the woman, who, yes, was all over him. The kiss that followed wasn’t exactly G-rated, either. In other words, they liked each other mucho much and didn’t mind showing it.

Not particularly into PDAs or voyeurism, Julia glanced away and watched the other passengers rushing hither and thither to catch flights. She’d give J.D. ten more minutes, and then she was catching a cab out of there. Her bloodhound, Jasper, was waiting somewhere down in baggage claim, and he didn’t like being caged up anymore than she did. She wasn’t a teenager anymore, and she didn’t have to wait on her big brother’s whims. He would be mad, but so what. So was she.

Glancing back at Mr. Romeo in the black T-shirt, she watched him give Red one last, lingering kiss. It looked to Julia like he was now itching to end the perpetual and steamy I-really-really-mean-it farewell, and she would bet a dollar he was relieved when the flight attendant finally extricated herself from his clutches, rolled her suitcase to the desk, and with one last wave and blown kiss, disappeared down the tunnel en route to her plane. Her handsome Lothario sauntered away and leaned back against the pillar, looking around as if searching for somebody to take her place.

My God, was he really on point for a new squeeze? she thought. Fascinated by him, largely because she had nothing better to do, Julia watched a blond flight attendant hurry past and then head straight for the same guy. Dapper Dan grinned and hugged her, then kissed her on both cheeks. Good grief. Two-timing jerk, she thought, glancing away in disgust.

Ten minutes passed. Julia spent most of that time watching I’m-So-Hot-And-Know-It waving and smiling at one flight attendant after another. Oh yeah, this guy had found a good hunting ground for guileless female prey. All he needed was a quiver and two dozen Cupid arrows. Jeez, some guys were just so full of themselves. He looked good, that was for damn sure; she couldn’t deny that. He looked to be about six four or five, maybe even six foot six—really tall, probably even taller than J.D. His hair was dark blond and short, gelled a little on top, and he had one of those chiseled GQ model faces. High cheekbones, square jaw, lean muscular body like a pro athlete—a basketball player, maybe. If not, she bet he was a marathon runner or a long-distance swimmer, and she had a feeling he was a man who enjoyed himself more than anyone else possibly could. Unfortunately, he reminded her of J.D., back when he was young and stupid and slept around with anything that wore a skirt.

As the next flight departing from her gate was announced over the intercom, Julia stood up. Okay, she’d waited long enough. Time to think for herself. Jasper, poor baby, was going to be mad as hell at her. She picked up her purse, glanced once more at the guy, and found him staring hard at her. He gave her THE FATAL GRIN, and let that be one written in all caps. She resisted fainting dead away, not that she was a woman who ever would. She watched him amble over her way, all easy charm and appreciative smile. Julia stared at him. Surely he wasn’t going to try his luck with her, too. She almost laughed. Fat chance of that, she thought.

He stopped in front of her, that deadly grin back in place and meant to melt her into a deeper puddle than the Wicked Witch of the West. In fact, she bet he had to wear boots, he left so many puddles in his wake.

“Hi there,” he said to her in a deep, Josh Turner kind of voice. “Are you sitting here waiting for somebody to pick you up?”

“Not you, if that’s what you’re trying to do.”

The guy laughed, genuinely it seemed, and then he seemed to realize that she really did think that’s what he was up to. After that, he did have the decency to look sheepish. Up close and personal now, Julia saw that he had big brown eyes that were looking her over pretty good. He also had a killer dimple in his chin. Oh yes, God had been good to him, abundantly so.

“I didn’t mean it that way, trust me. If your name is Julia Cass, though, I’m your ride.”

Oh great. J.D. sent a practiced womanizer, out on the hunt, to pick her up. Julia was not thrilled, but it beat sitting there waiting forever. “J.D. sent you, I presume?”

“Yeah. He’s tied up at the trial.”

Julia knew about the ongoing trial for the Rocking Chair Murders. J.D. had told her it was just getting started and would probably last for a month or more. Well, at least J.D. had a good excuse for not showing up. She picked up her leather handbag and black carry-on, ready to get out of the crowded airport.

“Well, what d’you know. Will Brannock himself, in the flesh, and lookin’ fine. How’re you doin’, sweetie?”

Julia looked at the petite and busty little flight attendant with the Deep South accent, who headed straight over, rose onto her tiptoes, and gave Will Brannock a quick peck on his cheek. Just one cheek—guess she didn’t measure up to two-cheek status yet. The auburn-haired girl and Will Brannock chatted for a couple of minutes about the nice day and how long it’d been since they’d seen each other. She promised to call him soon before she hurried off and joined several other flight attendants who were just disembarking from a plane out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Julia waited until the girl was out of earshot.

“You got those flight attendants taking numbers, or what?”

Will Brannock laughed again. He found her funny, it seemed. “It’s not what you think. Most of them are friends of my sister.”

“So your sister’s a flight attendant, too?”

“Nope. She’s a pilot. Delta.”

Well, that wasn’t the answer Julia had expected.

“My name’s Will Brannock, by the way. I work with your brother.”

“You’re a TBI special agent?” She couldn’t help the skeptical tone. He didn’t seem like a cop. She’d expected him to be the aforementioned GQ model.

Will placed his hand over his heart, assuming a feigned hurt expression. “That’s right, Ms. Cass. No need to be so shocked. I’m old enough to shoot a gun and everything.”

“I figured you were twenty-one, at least. Well, let’s go. I’ve got a mad dog to pick up.”

Julia headed off down the concourse, Will Brannock striding along beside her. Although she thought he was a man on the prowl, somehow she found him a rather amusing man on the prowl, which usually didn’t happen. Nevertheless, J.D. was really going to get an earful for sending a flirt out to get her.

Trailing Julia Cass down the concourse, Will Brannock decided J.D. Cass’s sister was a bit prickly but not bad-looking. In fact, she was pretty much spot-on gorgeous with all that thick, straight, black hair and those big brown eyes. She reminded him of that film actress, Catherine Zeta-Jones. Too bad she was the little sister of his best friend. Hooking up with her wouldn’t do, not at all, and especially since Julia Cass was going into law enforcement right there in Chattanooga. Nope, that would not be a good idea. He never dated a woman who lived in the same town. That way nobody ever got too close to him, and more importantly, never found out anything about his past.

Too bad, though. Julia Cass was indeed a looker, even in her loose black T-shirt and faded jeans. She was fairly tall—five seven, J.D. had said—and had a strong, lean body, at least from what he could tell. He liked tall, lithe women. He had never dated a policewoman, but Julia Cass just might be worth it, if she wasn’t J.D.’s sister. Since she was, though, and J.D. was his partner, he needed to make an effort to be friendly. Small talk was definitely in order.

“You have a nice flight, Julia?”

“Yes, it was fine. We landed about an hour ago, I’d say. It’s a good thing these airport chairs are so damn comfortable.”

“I’m sorry I’m late.” He was, but couldn’t say he regretted the extra time with Pam, either.

Julia Cass glanced up at him. “Look, I’m sure you have a good reason for being late. And I do appreciate your coming out here to get me. I’m sorry if I’m coming off rude. I’m just tired. It’s been a long week.”

“You’re not coming off rude,” he lied. On the other hand, he rather liked her. Why, he did not know. There was just something about her that made him want to smile. Something that he’d better shake off ASAP. She’s a no-no, he thought. Yep, a definite no-no. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t lust after her like all the other guys he saw turning around and taking second looks as they passed by.

“I’ve got my bloodhound over there in a travel crate. How about helping me sign him out?”

“Does he bite?”

“I’ll let you find that out for yourself.” But she smiled a bit, so he knew she probably wouldn’t sic the dog on him. Maybe.

Following her around to the back of the carousel, he saw a guy in a blue-and-white airport personnel uniform standing beside a big, black rolling suitcase and a large dog carrier. Will stood back and watched a tan bloodhound exit the cage, stretch lazily, and shake all over until his black ears flapped and his tags jingled. Julia Cass knelt down and gave her dog a hug that any red-blooded man would covet. She adored her dog, no question about it.

“So you’re a K-9, I take it,” he said to Julia, who was attaching a long purple leash to the dog’s halter.

Julia turned her face up to him. She had undoubtedly the prettiest brown eyes, a very light brown that shone almost gold in the overhead lights, surrounded by long and thick black eyelashes. He bet she had a nice smile, too, not that he’d ever get to see it; not with the Bigfoot-size wrong foot they’d gotten off on.

“I do hope you’re not calling me a dog. But to answer your question, this is Jasper,” Julia told him, and with downright civility at that. He could see the pride and love on her face. The woman loved her bloodhound. Jasper was a lucky dog indeed.

“That’s an interesting name. No Spot or Rover or Buddy or Sam?”

“Jasper was the name of Max de Winter’s dog.”

“Daphne du Maurier. I remember that book. Max de Winter’s the guy with the crazy housekeeper named Danvers, who burned down the house at the end.”

“You’ve read Rebecca?”

“Yeah, I thought the guy in the movie was a little chauvinistic. Treated Joan Fontaine like a pet instead of a wife. The Germans used that book as a code source in World War Two. Did you know that?”

“You’ve read Rebecca?” she repeated.

“I went to college. English lit. Pride and Prejudice. Emma. Stuff like that.”

“No, you’re not telling me that you’ve read Jane Austen, too?”

“No, actually I’m kidding, but I’ve seen the movie where Keira Knightley plays Elizabeth. I try to see all her pictures.” Actually, his mother was the fan of those kinds of movies. So was his sister, Colleen. He usually dozed off in the middle of them. All that formal bowing, and those stiff collars made his neck itch.

“To answer your question, Special Agent Brannock, Jasper was my K-9 partner until I made detective. I trained him from a pup. I still make him available if a law enforcement agency requests my help.”

“Does that mean you’ll use him at the Chattanooga PD, too?”

“Of course,” she said as if he were somebody with no dog smarts at all. “Chief Mullins asked me if I’d be willing to work him at the department. I’ll work detective in the criminal division. But I’ll be on call to deploy him whenever and wherever he’s needed. Jasper’s cross-trained to work search, cadaver, and explosive tasks.”

Will went down on his haunches and rubbed the dog’s ears. The bloodhounds and other service dogs were valuable assets to law enforcement. They performed a dangerous service and had saved the lives of many an officer and soldier in the field. Truth was, he loved dogs, too, mutts and otherwise. Actually, he had three of his own waiting at home right now.

“Hi ya, Jasper, boy,” he muttered, roughing up the dog’s long ears and patting his back in the boisterous way his own dogs liked. At least, two of them did. “I bet you put all those other police dogs to shame, don’t you, boy?”

Jasper leaned up against his leg, looking up at Will with some big, liquid brown eyes, already liking Will a lot better than his owner did. When Will smiled up at Julia, she was gazing down at them with approval. Aha. Will now knew the way to Detective Julia Cass’s heart. Not that he was interested in her heart. Nope, not a bit. But if he were, that certainly would be the way to go.

“It’s a good thing I brought my truck. He can ride in the back.”

“I don’t think so.”

“On the other hand, I’ve got a big front seat.”

Julia did smile this time. For an instant, Will could see her resemblance to J.D. He wondered if she had J.D.’s gut laugh, too. But, holy cow, shock and awe, the lady was warming up toward him. That was a good sign. No fisticuffs or cursing matches on the way to J.D.’s house.

“So which way, Special Agent Brannock?”

“I’m parked out front. Call me Will. Please.”

Suitcases and dog in tow, they made their way out of the terminal to the busy access street. As they left the coolness inside the terminal, the August heat hit them like a bomb blast. Will headed for his truck, remembering that J.D. had called her a “real sweetheart.” Will hadn’t seen a lot of that thus far. In fact, Jasper was a hell of a lot friendlier than Julia Cass, at least in the licking department. And Jasper wagged his tail when Will pooch-talked to him. But he wasn’t giving up. The luscious detective was a challenge. Nobody loved challenges as much as he did. She was going to be his friend, come hell or high water.

“Here we are,” he said, gesturing proudly at his black-and-chrome honey of a truck.

“Oh my God, that’s yours? You’ve got an H2 SUT Hummer?”

Julia Cass looked first at the Hummer, then at him, awe evident in her eyes. She was practically drooling over his truck. He did so love a woman who knew her trucks. “Yeah, I just got her two weeks ago.”

“I figured you for a red Corvette.”

Will frowned, somehow sensing that was some kind of indirect insult. “Why’s that?”

“So you could pick up lots of flight attendants. Why’d you think?”

“You injure me, Cass. I guess you’re saying women won’t be impressed by my Hummer?”

“Probably not. Except for me. I love it. In fact, I almost got one myself.”

“Almost? What did you get?”

“Nothing yet. I drove a Mustang in Nashville, but I sold it cheap to my neighbor’s son, Josh. He’s getting his driver’s license next month. Now I want a truck or SUV. I was looking at Hummers like this one on the Internet a couple of months ago, but they’re a little too pricey for me.”

Absurdly pleased that she liked his truck, he said, “Well, consider this a test drive. Maybe you can get a good deal here in Chattanooga.”

The traffic was wild and woolly around the airport, especially around the noon hour, but he took Airport Connector Road to 153 and they were on their way. Will glanced over at Julia again and liked the way she wasn’t getting all freaked out that the sunroof was blowing her shiny black hair all over the place. Out in the sun, he could see some red glints in it. In fact, she acted like she loved the feel of the wind whipping through her hair. Man, she was so damn good-looking. He wondered what kind of cop she was. If she took after her brother, she’d know her stuff inside and out. Something told him she was not just good but very good at her job, and at lots of other things, too.

J.D. lived over on Signal Mountain, which would take a good fifteen or twenty minutes, so Will decided to make nice. Maybe they could get to know each other. Be friendly. “So, how do you think you’re going to like living here?”

Julia glanced at him. Man, those eyes, he thought. Just like his mother’s heirloom topaz earrings.

“I’m going to like being closer to J.D. I haven’t seen much of him for the last few years. Not as much as I’d like, anyway.”

“So you didn’t get together much, huh?”

“He usually made it to my house for Christmas, but that’s about it.”

Will knew he was making a mistake with his next question but couldn’t help himself. He had to know. “You married? Engaged or anything?”

“No.”

“Boyfriend?”

“No.” Julia paused, looking a trifle uncomfortable with the conversation swinging toward personal, and Will braced himself for a sharp retort. Instead, she merely said, “What about you?”

“No one special.”

“That redhead looked pretty special. Could’ve fooled me. Guess it was all that making out and groping each other that you did in public.”

“We go out when she’s in town. Doesn’t happen very often. It’s not serious. Just good friends.”

Julia didn’t comment. He wondered what she was thinking and decided it was better if he didn’t know. He liked Pam, respected her, but he wasn’t in love with her.

“Mind if I call you Jules?”

“Yes.”

“J.D. calls you that sometimes.”

“He’s my big brother. He’s got special privileges because I like him a lot.”

“So tell me, Jules, that’s quite a hound you’ve got. Slobbery but sweet.”

That brought a small, reluctant chuckle. Wow, he’d cracked the ice—a minute little hairline crack, true, but a thaw might be possible, given ten years or so.

“As I said, I raised him from a puppy. He’s part of the family. And he’s a decorated law enforcement officer. So treat him with respect, or you’ll deal with me. And he doesn’t slobber. Much.”

Will glanced down at Jasper where he lay on the front seat between them. His ears were blowing in the wind, too, and he was enjoying the fresh air coming in from the sunroof. Huge, soulful brown eyes gazed up at him. He was slobbering, but just a little. “He’s well behaved. You must be a good dog trainer.”

“Thank you. That’s where I’ve been, actually. Conducting a law enforcement K-9 training seminar in Boca Raton.”

“So that’s where you got that dark tan.”

“I did get to the beach a time or two.”

“A beach sounds good to me. I like to surf.” Julia didn’t answer, so he said, “K-9 work takes a lot of patience.”

“And a lot of brains. More brains than all you special agents need. Just ask J.D.” She looked straight ahead but the corners of her mouth were turned up. She was teasing him, that was clear, but her words were provocative. He put on his turn signal and passed an old lady in a poky green Ford Taurus clogging the inside lane.

“My brains are so massive, so impressive that they’d leave yours in the dust, Detective Cass.”

“That sounds highly unpleasant.”

“Okay, Jules. If you’re so brilliant, what’s the capital of Montana?”

“Helena.”

“What’s the capital of Wisconsin?”

“Madison.”

“North Dakota?”

“Bismarck.”

“Norway?”

“Oslo.”

“Thailand?”

“Bangkok.”

Will frowned. What was this girl, a geography major? “What’s the capital of Marakistan?”

“Batke.”

“Gotcha, Jules. I made that up.”

“So? I made mine up, too.”

They laughed together. Julia said, “Okay, your turn to answer some questions, Brannock. You look like you might be a real whiz at chemistry.”

“If it’s between a man and a woman, I know it well. I feel it now.”

Julia presented him with a quick and deprecating look. “Oh my, the charm of you. I don’t think I can stand it.”

“You can’t stand it in a bad way, or you’re so taken with me you can’t stand the excitement?”

She changed the subject. “What kind of weapon do you carry?”

“Glock Seventeen.”

“You’re kidding. I do, too. Seventeen-round magazine. Four-and-a-half-inch barrel.”

“Laser target indicator. Leather hip holster.”

“Exactly.”

“Okay, I guess we’re just two peas in a pod.”

Julia laughed. “I bet I can shoot better than you.”

“I bet you can, too. J.D. brags to us now and then about all your sharpshooting medals.”

“Chicken.”

“I do happen to know how to shoot down anybody that gives me trouble,” Will told her.

“Are you including me in that remark?”

“Sure. Watch out. I’ve shot up plenty of defenseless women in my life.”

“I’m not defenseless, believe me.”

“No, and I haven’t shot that many women, either.”

“I have an idea. Why don’t you concentrate on your driving before you kill us both? I’m warning you, don’t even think about having a wreck with Jasper in the car. He’s dear to me.”

“Yes, ma’am, Detective Jules.”

That got another chuckle out of her, one she cut off almost at once. Will was more than pleased. Good grief, she might even like him a little. He actually made her forget to be prickly—for a few seconds, true, but, hey, that was a start. Crossing to the passing lane, Will increased his speed. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. He was eager to get Julia Cass home and then take his boat out on the lake. The crappie would be biting just before dark, and he meant to be there to catch a mess of them.

“You like fishing?” she suddenly asked him.

Well, the two of them were on the same wavelength, all right. “I was just thin