area as Wendy’s body. There’s no question that he’ll do the best that he can on Wendy’s case, but he’s got a lot on his plate right now.”
In some place in the back of his mind, Nick knew he was probably crazy to even entertain some sort of partnership with Adrienne. But as he gazed into her lovely eyes and saw the hint of vulnerability that softened her lips, more than anything he wanted her to believe in his innocence.
Dammit, he was innocent.
“I’d be crazy to even consider working with you,” she said slowly. “But I’ve been more than a little crazy since Chief Bowie contacted me about Wendy’s death.”
Nick reached up and touched his eye. “You were definitely a little crazy last night.”
Her cheeks grew pink, only making her prettier. “That wasn’t me. I mean, that was completely out of character for me. I don’t believe in vigilante justice. I believe in rules and following the law. Before last night, I’d never hit another person in my entire life.” She narrowed her gaze, as if blaming him for the way she’d acted.
Nick once again picked up a fry and popped it into his mouth. The ball was now in her court. She could either work with him or against him, but he wasn’t going to waste any more of his time or energy trying to talk her into anything.
For the next few minutes, another awkward silence fell, and they each focused on their lunch. He felt the surreptitious glances she threw in his direction, but he kept his gaze on his plate. He had a feeling she was weighing her options.
One thing the conversation had done for Nick was make him decide that he was going to actively try to find Wendy’s killer, with or without Adrienne.
What he’d said about Chief Bowie was true. The man had a lot on his plate right now and a small force to deal with everything. Dillon was a good man, a good investigator, and he had good men on the police force, but Nick wanted his own name cleared sooner rather than later.
She finished her salad before he’d finished his burger. She shoved her dish aside, grabbed her purse and clutched it to her chest in a defensive manner.
“Okay,” she said.
He raised an eyebrow, unsure what exactly she was okaying.
“Okay, I’ll work with you,” she said. “Although I feel like I’m making a deal with the devil.”
Nick frowned. “Trust me, the devil is still out there somewhere. Why don’t we plan on meeting here first thing in the morning and we can figure out where we’ll go from there.”
She slid out of the booth. “Nine o’clock?”
“Sounds good,” he replied.
With a curt nod of her head, she turned and walked away. Nick watched her go, unable to help but notice that she had a nice butt. In fact, she had a slim but slamming body.
His frown deepened. There was no question that he was perversely physically attracted to Adrienne Bailey as he hadn’t been attracted to a woman in a very long time. She was definitely a hot little number.
But she didn’t like him. She believed he’d killed her sister, and he knew she’d do whatever possible to prove that fact. It made him wonder who, of the two of them, had really just made an agreement with the devil.
* * *
Adrienne had just gotten into her car to leave the café when her cell phone rang. She opened her purse to retrieve her phone, which was nestled next to the Colt .380 Mustang pistol that she had carried with her for the past nine years, since she was twenty-one and living on the wrong side of town with fourteen-year-old Wendy. It had been shot only on the firing range, and she kept her conceal-and-carry permit up-to-date.
The phone call was from Chief Dillon Bowie, who told her he was in his office and available to speak to her anytime.
She backed out of the parking space in front of the café and thought about the meeting she’d just had with Nick. She hadn’t expected him to be so handsome. During her fight with him the night before, she’d been too out of her mind to really look at him.
She’d definitely gotten a good look at him today, and what she’d seen had attracted her. She’d also been surprised by the fact that he appeared to be about her age, not Wendy’s age. Her belief that he and Wendy had been lovers wavered slightly. Wendy had never been into older men.
The sun drifting in through the window had glinted on his dark brown hair. His eyes were the dark blue of approaching storm clouds, and his features were lean and sharply defined.
Of course, women had found Ted Bundy to be quite attractive, she reminded herself. Murderers came in all shapes and sizes, including handsome cowboys who talked a smooth game.
She’d work with Nick Coleman for now. It was a matter of keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer. Besides, it wasn’t as if she intended to allow Nick to get her alone in the dark, and she had her gun and wouldn’t hesitate to use it if necessary for her own protection.
She arrived at the police station and was led to a private office where Chief Dillon Bowie greeted her and led her to the chair across from his desk.
“I’m so sorry to meet you under these difficult circumstances,” he said.
Chief Bowie was a handsome man with dark neatly cut hair and soft gray eyes. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept for days. There was a file folder on his desk, and Adrienne knew it held everything that had been done since the discovery of her sister’s body.
She repressed a shudder as she thought of the crime scene photos the folder probably held.
“Daisy, the owner of the diner where your sister worked, made an initial identification due to the fact that the woman discovered was wearing the diner T-shirt that all the waitresses wear. I’m afraid that the decomposition was such that it was impossible to identify her by facial features, although the body had long black hair.”
His words sent a shaft of pain through her.
The body. My sister.
She felt as if she were having an out-of-body experience, and for a moment was so light-headed she thought she might be sick or pass out.
“Are you all right, Ms. Bailey?”
She sat up straighter and nodded. “I’m okay, and please make it Adrienne.”
“Now that you’re here, I’ll order DNA testing to be done so that there’s no question that the woman is your sister. In the meantime...” He reached into his top desk drawer and retrieved a brown envelope. He opened it and poured out the contents. “These were on the body when she was found.”
A watch with a brown band decorated with happy faces slid out of the envelope, along with a gold necklace with an angel charm holding a tiny opal—Wendy’s birthstone. The sight of the items punched Adrienne in her stomach and stole away any doubt she might have had.
“Those belonged to my sister,” she said. She had been with Wendy when she’d bought the watch, and the necklace had been a gift from Adrienne to Wendy when Wendy had turned twenty-one.
“There’s no question that these are Wendy’s.” She fought against her hot tears. There had really been no question in her mind when Chief Bowie had initially called her to tell her that the young woman found murdered and buried was probably Wendy.
Chief Bowie pulled out a notepad and pen. “I need to ask you some questions. Are you okay to do that now?” She nodded, and he continued, “When was the last time you spoke to Wendy?”
For the next half an hour, he asked her questions about Wendy and about their communications while she’d been in Bitterroot.
“Do you have any suspects in mind?” she asked.
“At this point, every man in town is a potential suspect,” Chief Bowie replied. “We’ve only just