Gut Instinct. Barb Han

Point being, it helped.” His tone was sharp, his words cutting.

      “Before I what?” She couldn’t let it go.

      “Never mind.” He flipped on the turn signal and then turned on the radio.

      It was just like Luke to get all quiet as soon as they started talking about something personal. Hadn’t that been the true failure in their marriage? He didn’t trust her enough to open up.

      Julie glanced in the side mirror. A white sedan turned a little too quickly at the same time they did. “Has that car been following us?”

      Luke’s gaze narrowed as he checked the rearview mirror. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him.”

      “Good. I thought my paranoia was in high gear after the day I’ve had.”

      “Most people wouldn’t be able to hold it together as well as you have today. I’m really proud of you.” His voice was low and masculine, and it sent unwelcome sensual shivers racing through her.

      She rubbed her arms to stave off the goose bumps.

      “Hold on tight.” He cut a hard right without signaling.

      The white sedan didn’t follow.

      “Looks like I was imagining things. Sorry,” Julie said, ignoring the electric current pulsing through her at being this near Luke again. Damn body.

      “No need to apologize. He landed on my radar, too. Besides, I want you to suspect everyone and everything around you from here on out. I want you to take every precaution until I can put this whole ordeal behind you and restore your previous life.”

      What life? She almost said it out loud. She hadn’t had much of an existence since he’d walked away.

      Luke glanced at the rearview mirror again.

      “The white sedan just pulled up behind us.”

       Chapter Three

      Luke maneuvered in and out of traffic as he directed Julie to take his cell and call Detective Garcia. If this was Rob, he’d escalated to killing cops to get what he wanted, so murdering FBI wouldn’t bother him.

      The clue Rob had left earlier with the capitalized word resurfaced in Luke’s thoughts. Nouns were capitalized. A noun could be a street name or a town. Luke thought about the word again—Devil. Proper nouns were capitalized, too. Could it be his last name?

      Bluetooth picked up the call, and Garcia’s voice boomed through the speakers. “What can I do for you?”

      “I’ve picked up a tail. If he’s not one of yours, I’m going to shake him.”

      “You should have a white unmarked sedan behind you to make sure you weren’t being followed.”

      Luke glanced at the rearview mirror and caught the quick flash of headlights. “Appreciate the extra eyes. Let me know if he sees anything, will you?”

      “Absolutely. I’ll text any information we get. So far, he says everything looks cool. We’ve been interviewing Ms. Davis’s neighbors. No one saw anyone suspicious around her house. Didn’t hear anything, either. We’ll keep on it. Any information coming in from your guys at the Martin house?”

      “No word from the team. The tech guys are working on her computer. Maybe they’ll get lucky and we’ll get an IP address.”

      “That would be like Christmas morning.”

      “Or like seeing the Tooth Fairy,” Luke agreed. “You already know about the orange juice, right?”

      “He take a drink by any chance?”

      “Didn’t get that lucky. The container was left out half-open.”

      “Looks like we might have a diabetic on our hands.”

      “My thoughts exactly. I sent you a snapshot of the note he left behind at Ms. Davis’s place. You get a chance to check it out?”

      “He sure seemed to like the word Devil, if his capitalizing it is anything to go by. Any possibility it’s an honest mistake?”

      “He’s deliberate. He also thinks he’s too smart for us. He’s been right so far. I’m hoping his arrogance will be his downfall. Any nearby towns by the name of Devil?”

      “Good question. I’ll have my officers check. What about a last name? We could play around with the spelling and see what comes up.”

      “I thought about that, too. We’ll have to investigate any and all Devils in the state, plus variations. See if there are any men in their early thirties in the family. Wouldn’t hurt to check for street names in Dallas, too.”

      “Consider it done,” Garcia said. “I’ll keep you posted.”

      Luke said goodbye and ended the call. He and Garcia had mentally connected the first time they met. They thought alike and had mutual respect for one another. The detective was a good ally to have.

      Luke glanced at Julie. She gripped her elbows. “We’ll get a detailed report from the evidence response team soon. The suspect didn’t get to follow his usual routine this time, so maybe he left something behind we can tag him with.”

      “Let’s hope.”

      Luke needed more than optimism to find Rob.

      A miracle would work.

      Or just a good old-fashioned mistake on Rob’s part.

      Luke drove into the garage of his town house and parked. “My place isn’t big. There’s a decent kitchen, and coffee’s always stocked.”

      She half smiled the way she did when she was nervous.

      “Right. I forgot you don’t drink coffee. Sorry, I don’t have any tea.”

      “I drink coffee now. I only drink tea at night to help me sleep.”

      He cocked an eyebrow at her, remembering when he’d tried to get her to taste his and she had to hold her nose to get close. “Since when did you start drinking coffee?”

      She shrugged. “I missed the smell.”

      He didn’t know what the hell to do with that, so he took off his bloodstained pullover, discarded it and took her on a tour. He walked her through the downstairs, which had a similar layout as her place—shotgun style. “My sisters helped pick out the furniture. It’s pretty basic.”

      “It’s nice.”

      Why did those two words lift the heavy weight bearing down on his shoulders since the day he’d walked out? He decided to ignore it and move on.

      “By the way, I thought FBI agents wore dark suits and starched white shirts.”

      He glanced down at his camo pants and black V-neck T-shirt. “Only the ones on TV. This is pretty standard-issue when we’re combing through a crime scene.”

      “That where you were when they called you?”

      He nodded. “I would’ve been by your place to talk to you tonight anyway.”

      Upstairs, he brought her to the guest room and stepped aside to let her lead the way. “This is where you’ll sleep. I’m right next door if you need anything.”

      She swallowed hard, and he tried not to notice.

      “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

      The fact that only a thin wall would separate them forced its way into his thoughts. “There’s not much more than a bed in here, as you can see, but my family says it’s comfortable.”

      “How are Meg and Lucy?”

      “Fine. Meg just had a baby.” It pleased him that she remembered his sisters.

      Surprise