Harlequin Intrigue April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Carol Ericson (bill gates best books TXT) π

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- Author: Carol Ericson
Read book online Β«Harlequin Intrigue April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Carol Ericson (bill gates best books TXT) πΒ». Author - Carol Ericson
βGet used to it, McAllister. Iβm part of this task forceβwhether you like it or not.β
CHAPTER TWO
He didnβt like itβnot at all.
His hazel eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared, as if heβd just gotten juiced up with adrenaline and was debating between fight and flight. As if Jake McAllister would ever flee from conflict. Quite the contrary. He had a reputation for courting it.
Castillo sliced his hand in the air to cut the tension vibrating between her and Jake. βMcAllister, you know Kyra Chase, right? She did a great job on Veronaβs case a few months ago. Put the department in a good light by assisting with the victims in those gang retaliation shootings, got some cooperation from family members we never expected.β
βI know of her.β Jake thrust out his hand in an aggressive gesture. βDetective Jake McAllister, Ms. Chase.β
She clasped his hand, and its warmth and strength rattled her even more than the gesture itself...and the fire in those eyes that had just turned green. βYou can call me Kyra. Captain Castillo has assigned me to your task force as a liaison between the victimsβ families and the investigation.β
βYou wonβt be doing any profiling of the killer or coddling any suspects we bring in?β He released her hand abruptly.
She tilted her chin in a challenge. She knew her meeting with McAllister would be adversarialβshe just didnβt realize how much she would enjoy it. βThatβs not my job and never has been.β
βIt shouldnβt have been your colleagueβs job, either.β
Castillo cleared his throat. βThe Lindquists are going to the morgue tomorrow to identify their daughter. I want both of you there...and civil.β
Jake rolled his shoulders. βIβm always civil.β
Lieutenant Fields, whoβd been quiet through the exchange, snorted and patted Kyraβs back. βIf you want any tips on how to deal with the ogre, let me know.β
Kyra let her eyes wander the length of Jakeβs fit frame. Sheβd dealt with worse. βI know youβre a top-notch detective, and I look forward to working with you.β
She could lie with the best of them, but those two statements were nothing but the truth. Of course, sheβd be looking forward to working with Jack the Ripper for a chance to get on this task force.
Jake nodded once. βIβll get your number from the captain, so we can organize for tomorrow.β
βIβll be ready.β She took her leave of Captain Castillo and Lieutenant Fields and strode from the conference room, which had mostly cleared. Although she could feel McAllisterβs gaze following her, it would be foolish to turn and acknowledge it, acknowledge him.
She didnβt like him any more than he liked her, but sheβd face a blazing inferno to stay on this caseβand thatβs exactly what Jake McAllister might prove to be. Sheβd just have to avoid getting burned.
AFTER SITTING IN traffic for two hours, Kyra poured herself a glass of chilled chardonnay and curled up on her couch with a file folder in her lap. Some people settled in with a good book. She preferred files on murder cases.
She took a sip of wine, the crisp, fruity flavor sliding down the back of her throat and creating a warm spot in her belly. Sometimes she needed something stronger to get through this stuff, but a glass of wine on an empty stomach would suffice for tonight.
She flipped open the folder and shuffled through her notes. She didnβt have anything official from the LAPD yet, but sheβd get her hands on everything despite Jake McAllister. She understood his distaste for her wasnβt personal. She didnβt even blame him, but he should do a better job of reining in his emotions. If he wanted lessons, she could oblige.
She ran a finger down a page of notes, pausing at each bullet point where her pen had dug a small hole next to a fact she knew about the two murders. The police hadnβt yet released certain details about the homicides, but at the task force presentation Castillo and McAllister had confirmed what sheβd already heardβthe killer had stuck a playing card between the lips of each of his victims and had removed her left pinky finger.
Kyra flicked her thumb against her own pinky finger and clamped down on a shiver that threatened to rampage through her body. She took another sip of wine, savoring it before swallowing.
The task force would probably reveal one of the killerβs proclivities and keep the other one close to the vest to weed out the fakes, frauds and wannabes. Twenty years ago, Roger Quinn had disclosed the card, which was how The Player had gotten his name, but the public never knew about the severed fingers.
That didnβt mean the information never got out. People talked.
Had this killer heard the stories? Was he anxious to pick up where The Player had left off? There were cold cases in the annals of the LAPD, but not many serial killer cold cases. Usually, murderers got sloppy or arrogant or desperate for the recognition they felt was their due. But not The Player. She had no doubt he was arrogant, though heβd never been sloppy and heβd never contacted the press or the police to crow about his achievements.
She slid the folder from her lap and rose from the couch, holding her wine in front of her. She placed the glass on the kitchen table and ducked into her bedroom. She swung open the door to her walk-in closet, a rarity in these older, rent-controlled apartment buildings in Santa Monica, and shoved aside some blouses hanging on a lower rod, not doing a great job of hiding her safe. She tapped in the code, her motherβs birth date, and waited for the green light to flash its welcome.
She pushed aside her passport, birth certificate and the release papers from LAβs foster care system and curled her fingers around the soft, worn edges of a manila envelope. The sharp stub of the clasp, long since broken off, scratched her finger as she slid the envelope from the safe.
Leaving
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