Cold Case Manhunt. Jennifer Morey

his hands on his hips. “You’re what? Quitting? You can’t do that.”

      “If you want my services, you’re going to have to go through Dark Alley Investigations.” With that he turned and walked away.

      He reached his desk and sat, ready to begin typing his resignation. Jaslene appeared at his desk. She looked contrite.

      “Why did you quit?”

      “I haven’t yet.” He poised his fingers over the keyboard. “But I’m about to.”

      She sat on one of the two uncomfortable metal chairs on the other side of his desk. “Why?”

      “Because I’m going to solve the Everett case.”

      “Don’t I have to hire you for that?”

      “DAI is a nonprofit organization. I can do what I want. The main purpose is to catch killers.”

      “But I can still hire you.”

      “Yes.”

      “I will, but only if you let me help you.”

      He could see the determination in her eyes and in the way she held herself, legs crossed, back straight, hands stacked on her leg. Deceptively prim. The thought of working with her every day both gave him a sexual spark and made him wary. Aside from being quite demanding in the search for her friend, she was also standoffish. There were moments when he sensed her attraction to him but she always reined it in before anything progressed into something acknowledgeable—the other side of her fiery spirit. What would he find underneath her ice queen shell?

      “You don’t have any experience,” he said.

      “I want to be involved.”

      “Don’t you mean you want to boss me around?” he half teased.

      She sighed in exasperation. “I’m not normally like that. Payton is my friend.”

      She never let him forget that. He thought her tenacity was actually refreshing, almost as appealing as her prettiness.

      He wouldn’t encourage her, though. “You’ve made that abundantly clear...on many occasions.” He started typing. This would be a short letter.

      Alice appeared beside his desk. “The chief wants to see you again.”

      “I’m sure he does. Tell him I’ll be there in five minutes.”

      When Alice left, Jaslene sat back against the chair, her posture not so rigid anymore. “Look, Detective Chelsey, I know I’ve been pushy. It’s just that...” She sighed and looked away. He thought he saw moisture gather in her eyes before she blinked the emotion into submission. “Last night I met my friends for drinks and they told me I should let Payton go. They don’t think Payton will ever be found. They think she’s dead. They’ve been saying for a while now that they think it was her stalker.”

      “Riley Sawyer?”

      She nodded, still visibly upset.

      Cal had checked Riley out early on, having read in the police report that he had dated Payton for almost a year. When she ended the relationship, he began following her everywhere and parking outside her house, looking into windows. She had gotten a restraining order against him. Things had escalated, with him breaking into her house and pleading for them to get back together. At the time, Payton had been on the phone with Jaslene, who’d called the police. Riley had been arrested. That was the last time he’d attempted to see Payton.

      “He is still a person of interest in my mind,” Cal said. “He had a weak alibi and he had motive. But there’s no concrete physical evidence tying him to the crime, as you know.”

      “Too well.”

      There had been no sign of a struggle, no blood, no prints, nothing broken. Nothing. That had been the frustration with this case all along.

      “My friends have given up. I haven’t,” she said.

      “They’re probably concerned over how obsessed you are over the case.”

      “I wouldn’t call it obsession.”

      Cal refrained from comment, but Jaslene watched him and must have picked up on the general direction of his thoughts.

      “I’ve known Payton since high school. We went to the same college, where we met two other friends and rented a house together. Payton and I did a lot together. We were going to get married on the same day in the same church and have kids the same age. Tatum and Catherine don’t understand. They haven’t known her as long as I have.”

      “Well, I understand.” He understood about not giving up on the missing. Not giving up on the dead.

      Her eyes softened, full of relief and gratitude. Her mouth lifted in the most tender smile, and he was enraptured.

      “Have you eaten lunch yet?” he asked.

      “No.”

      “Why don’t we go grab something and talk about how we’re going to proceed?”

      Her smile broadened, snaring him further. “Okay.”

      “I just need to resign first.”

      She laughed. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

      * * *

      Jaslene did not expect Cal to turn out to be such a warmhearted soul. Whenever she met him before, he had always been professional and only focused on the case. Today his demeanor seemed...more personal. Maybe being freed from the police department had done that. She had always thought he was the best detective for Payton’s case. He had done more than anyone else in searching for her.

      She believed him when he’d said he only cared about the victims. He also showed compassion for her. She hadn’t expected that, or the sudden flash of attraction that had come over her. She’d thought he was a good-looking man from the very beginning, but she had been so intent on finding Payton that it hadn’t mattered.

      Now Cal had quit his job and was joining a private investigation agency, taking Payton’s case with him. He’d become her champion.

      He came out of the station with the same hard set to his eyes she’d always found so unreadable. Now he just looked sexy. Six-four with dark hair and blue eyes a shade lighter than hers, he dressed in slacks and a suit and tie. When he’d first introduced himself he’d said, I’m Detective Calum Chelsey, but call me Cal.

      “There’s a good deli just up the street,” he said.

      “Okay.” She walked with him, feeling self-conscious of her appearance. Did she look good enough? Why did she worry about that when she was with him?

      “Are you from here?” he asked on the way.

      “Yes. My family lives here. You?”

      “No. I’m from Texas. I like not being close to my family.”

      “Black sheep, huh? My family is very close. I’m the second youngest of four very different people who all got varying professional degrees.” Talking eased her nerves. Why was she nervous anyway?

      At the deli, they ordered and found a table next to the window. Although a clear day, it was chilly and she could feel the cold air radiating inside. Winter had set in early this year. She saw snowflakes and dead leaves blow across the street, whipped up by passing cars.

      “What about you?” Cal asked. “You said you were a geologist but what do you do?”

      “I’m an environmental geologist. I work with renewable energies at a consulting firm.”

      “Interesting.”

      “I’ve always loved earth science. At the risk of sounding insensitive, in college, I was not very interested in the environment but those were the hot jobs at the time. I care about the environment, but as a science it isn’t very fascinating.