Gut Instinct. Barb Han

the daggers shooting from her eyes, he couldn’t tell if she was using anger to mask other emotions. Hurt? Fear? Regret?

      “There’s no one else they could’ve sent?” The hollow sound in her voice practically echoed.

      “I’m afraid not.”

      “So the note’s from him? You’re sure?”

      “I need to get a little more information from you to help me decide.” Even though she’d already given her account to police and he’d read the jacket, he needed to hear her words. He needed to know what she thought she saw. Maybe she’d remember something that could help put this monster away or help Luke figure out if it was a copycat. “Tell me what happened when you arrived at the scene of the murder this morning.”

      She shivered, looked lost and alone. “My client Annie Martin wanted to meet with me to discuss landscaping after her new pool was installed. I brought a rendering with me and planned to give my presentation. It was a big project that would start in the spring, so I broke all the planting down into zones.” She glanced up at him curiously as if she realized he didn’t know the first thing about plants or landscaping, or care. “Sorry, I’m babbling. I’m sure you didn’t come here to talk about the details of my business.”

      “I did,” he said quickly. He covered a crime scene the same way, broke it down on a grid. “I want to hear everything even if you don’t think it’s important. You never know what might spark a memory. Something you didn’t think of before when you talked to the police.” His hopes she’d be more comfortable talking to him had diminished the second he saw her. He wanted to ask her how she was doing, but decided not to, even though he found he still really wanted to know, needed to know. He’d left things broken between them, and thoughts of the sadness in her eyes every time she’d looked at him still haunted him. Outside of this case, he had no right to know anything about her. Why was he already reminding himself of the fact?

      “As soon as I pulled up to her house, I heard a noise. Like a muffled cry or something. I couldn’t make it out for sure. She’d asked me to come around back in case she was with contractors for the pool, so I ran to make sure she was okay. I thought maybe she tripped or was hurt. But there was no one out there. She screamed again and I ran to the front door. Someone bolted from around the side of the house about the same time. He killed her, didn’t he?”

      He locked gazes with her and wished like anything he could protect her from the truth. He felt pained that she’d had to witness this and his heart went out to her. “Yes. You get a good look at him?”

      “No.” She hugged her arms to her body. “I didn’t see anything. By then I heard an awful sound coming from inside. Sounded like an animal dying.” She shivered.

      He pulled out a pad and scribbled notes. Not that he needed a piece of paper to remember the details of their conversation. His memory was sharper than a switchblade. He needed something to look at besides her fearful eyes. Old instinct kicked in and he wanted to maim the person who’d made her feel that way, offer comfort she would certainly reject. “What happened next?”

      “You want to sit down?” She moved to the couch and sat on the edge. She clasped her hands together and rocked back and forth. “It was bad, Luke.”

      The sound of his name rolling off her tongue was a bitter reminder of the comfort and connection he hadn’t felt in a long time. He took a seat next to her but not too close.

      Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I don’t want to think about it again, let alone say the words out loud.”

      “I know how hard this is.” Every muscle in his body tightened from wanting to reach out and comfort her. He didn’t want to press further, but the information he gained could mean saving her life. “It’s important you tell me everything. Do you want a cup of tea or something?” He made a move to stand.

      “No. I’m fine.” The uncertainty in her words made him freeze.

      “Anything else you can give me might save another woman from going through this.”

      “We both know he’s going to come after me next.” Her voice shook with terror.

      “I’m not certain it’s him yet. Besides, I’ll catch him first.”

      The suggestion of depending on him for anything after the way he’d hurt her set her eyes to infernos. “I didn’t ask you to come.”

      “This is my territory. My guy. I know him better than anyone else.”

      “I didn’t even know you were FBI.” The exasperation in her voice made him clench his fists involuntarily.

      “I didn’t think it was appropriate to send you Christmas cards after your lawyer sent me papers.” It was a low blow and he regretted saying the words as soon as they passed his lips. After all, he’d been the one to leave and force the divorce issue.

      She looked straight through him. “I lost track of you after...”

      This wasn’t the time to talk about their past. It complicated the situation. He was professional enough to look beyond shared history and concentrate on doing his job. He focused his gaze on the opened laptop on the coffee table. There was a picture of Julie at the crime scene beneath the banner Breaking News. Damn. Another reminder that she’d been placed right there for the killer or any other lunatic to see.

      The last time the local newspaper printed a story with the headline The Metroplex Murderer Strikes Again, Rob went off. He’d left a message on Luke’s cell complaining about how common that made him seem. Luke still hadn’t figured out how the man got his number. The man calling himself Ravishing Rob—someone who captivated and then decapitated—had done his research. Efforts to trace the call were futile. He’d used a burn phone. Rob was thorough. He also knew how to play the media.

      Reporters had their uses. In this case, they might’ve issued Julie a death warrant. “You said earlier you didn’t get a good look at him. Any idea as to general information like height? Build? Race?”

      She shook her head. “I was so horrified. The whole thing shocked me. One minute I was planning to meet a client, like usual, and then I thought the worst-case scenario was that I’d walked into a robbery in progress. The next thing I know, I’m staring at a person whose throat had been slit. I’ll never forget her eyes, pleading.” She shivered again and tears streamed down her cheeks.

      Luke had to grip the pencil tighter to stop himself from wiping them away. He didn’t like seeing her cry. He’d seen those tears enough for a lifetime. If it didn’t mean saving her life, he’d stop questioning. “When did you find the note?”

      “This evening. I’d just gotten home from spending the day at the police station answering questions.”

      “What time?” he pressed. She might not have gotten a good look at Rob. Rob didn’t know that. The reason he’d given himself the nickname Ravishing Rob churned in Luke’s thoughts as he sat next to her. Rob had said he charmed his way into his victims’ homes or cars before taking them hostage, torturing them and then beheading them with surgical precision. The bastard would never get the chance with Julie, no matter how much swagger he thought he had.

      “I’m not sure. All I wanted to do when I first got home was take a shower and get out of those clothes I’d been wearing. I ate dinner alone, a bowl of soup. I decided to slip out and check the mail...and that’s when I saw it.”

      He already knew she’d showered. The smell of her pineapple-and-coconut shampoo filled his senses when he breathed. That she’d eaten alone soothed a part of him it shouldn’t. He scooted back and scribbled approximate times on his notepad. “Did you see any cars?”

      She shrugged noncommittally, leaning into him for support. The vulnerability in her amber eyes ripped right through him. Damned if the past didn’t come flooding back all at once, reminding him of old times they’d shared and the feelings he missed.

      He had to remind himself their history wasn’t the reason she was