The Cain Casey Series

They’d kissed before, but for Remi this one was like turning the page of a book and finding out something new about the character she thought she knew. Dallas might have been an enigma, but when Remi pressed her lips to hers, she got a dose of passion and compassion all in one act. For all her doubts, Remi relaxed somewhat, because in her experience, no one could fake something like this.

“You’re here because you need someone to stand up for you, since you can’t or won’t for whatever reason,” Remi said when they parted. Dallas opened her mouth in an almost perfect o and had taken the breath to push out whatever word she had in mind, but Remi kissed her again. “You’re here because I want to be that someone. Not because I owe it to you, or because you asked me, but because I want to.”

She pulled away and headed toward her bedroom to get dressed, but stopped as she reached the hall. When she turned around Dallas was standing there touching her lips and appearing dazed. “If you want to, I’m sure Emma would appreciate the company. If you want to stay, that’s okay too. But promise you won’t go out alone until I know what’s going on.”

*

Muriel quickly made it from the parking garage to the airport with only one thing in mind. As much as what had happened to Rick upset her, she was concerned with the living, and she hadn’t been able to reach Lou since he’d hung up with Cain. She’d spent the morning calling all of their police contacts and was still in the dark.

While she tried to find Lou, Cain had made a few calls of her own and had gotten their people back from Mississippi. Katlin was there in two hours and had volunteered to escort Muriel to the last place Lou had been, so Katlin, along with a few more men, walked with her, making almost a human cage of protection as they entered the chilly interior of the main corridor.

“Did he say where in the building he was?” Katlin asked.

“They were here to pick up a damn bag,” Muriel said, disgusted. “Nothing worth getting killed over.”

“Let’s start there.”

At the bank of escalators three police officers stood in front of a line of police crime-scene tape to keep anyone from going down. “Who’s in charge?” Muriel asked the first one who looked her way.

“Captain Hallman, but he’s too busy to come up right now.”

“I don’t want him to come up, I want to go down.” Muriel pointed at the escalator that someone had turned off, the steps frozen in position.

“They’re still working the scene, so that’s not going to happen.”

“Either you call him and get me cleared or I’ll call his boss and get the same thing, your choice.”

“Let her down,” a man screamed from the floor beneath them. “Alone.”

Muriel took the steps two at a time and stopped in front of Paul Hallman. He was two years from retirement, and to Muriel, he always appeared tired. “That your guy in there?” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

“Rick worked for my cousin, Cain Casey, and he was here picking up a bag for a family member. When you’re finished with your investigation, call my office so we can arrange to pick him up and take him to the funeral home.”

Hallman scratched his head, then tried to order his thinning hair with his fingers. “That’s mighty agreeable of you, Muriel. All the years I’ve known you, I pegged you for someone whose nails we need to shove bamboo under while we drip water on your forehead to get you to admit to your name. I do believe that’s the most I’ve ever heard you say at one time.”

“I’m feeling generous, considering the situation, but that’s not why I’m here. Our family will take care of Rick later. I’m here for Mr. Romano.”

“Who?”

She laughed at the way he crinkled his brow. “Don’t start playing dumb now, Paul. You’re too old for that. Lou Romano is in your custody, if I had to guess. Unless you have reason to hold him, I want him released to me.”

“Lou’s last name is Romano?” Hallman laughed and led her to the security office. “I sure as hell didn’t know that. Never heard him called anything but Lou.”

“Why is he still here?”

“The guys told me he was the one who found your boy, and he volunteered to give a statement.” Hallman opened the door, and the same security guard that had put Lou in the chair still sat across from him. Lou was still cuffed. “Why in the hell didn’t you take those off, you idiot?” The guard came close to falling backward when Hallman screamed at him.

“You okay, Lou?” Muriel asked.

“Just great.” Lou rubbed his wrists and stood up. “Am I free to go?”

“Did you give a statement?” Hallman asked.

“That’s going to have to wait. I need to go to the hospital and have my hands checked out from being cuffed so tight for so long.”

Paul nodded. “I’ll cut you some slack, but I want you in my office no later than tomorrow.”

“I’ll have him there,” Muriel said.

They had started to leave when Hallman’s gruff voice stopped them. “You didn’t see anything, did you, Lou?”

“Just my friend with a bullet hole in his forehead.”

“Let’s say I believe you for now,” Hallman said slowly. “Don’t go doing anything crazy, okay?”

“Crazy isn’t our style,” Muriel said as she wrapped her hand around Lou’s bicep to keep him quiet.

“I’ll see you around, then.” Paul stuck his hand out and offered it to Muriel first, then Lou.

“Let me know if you find anything that points to who did this,” Muriel said. “Cain’s putting up a ten-thousand-