"Why don't you try me?"
"You know," she saidslowly, "maybe you could help me." Then she shook her head."Nah, never mind. You're just passing through."
"Help you with what?" Hiscuriosity aroused, he turned his body to face her.
She eyed him. "Nevermind."
"Just tell me," he said."If it's something I can help with, I will."
"It's a long story." Shebent her head and her long curls hid her face.
"I got all night."
"Okay." She blew out along breath, lifted her big, tortured eyes to meet his. "My best friendwas murdered."
Chapter3
Oh, Christ. He couldn'tspeak. Just stared at her.
The bartender slid a plate of nachosonto the bar in front of them. They both ignored it.
"We...we'd been here thatnight," Marli continued, her voice low but controlled. "At CactusJack's. Krista and I, and some other friends of ours. We were celebrating hernew job. She met a guy...she really liked him. They left together. The nextday, she didn't show up for work. Nobody knew where she was." Sheswallowed a sob. "The police found her car with her body in it. She'd beenraped and s-s-stabbed. And her car was set on f -fire with her in it."
A chill ran down Trey's spine."Holy Christ."
She nodded and brushed moisture fromher eyes. "The guy she left with that night had to have been the one whodid it. I thought... I know it's crazy, but I thought maybe he'd come backhere. To the bar."
His heart lurched to a stop."You're not serious. Is that who you're looking for?"
She nodded. "I saw him thatnight. I got a really good look at him because he was flirting with me a bit,too. I'll know him if I see him."
"What the hell do you thinkyou're going to do if you see him? Jesus, Marli."
"I don't know. Call thepolice." Then she made a rude noise. "They aren't doing anythingabout it."
"That's crazy. I'm sure they'reinvestigating it."
"You said you're an FBIagent." She looked up at him. "That's why I thought maybe you couldhelp somehow."
He made a noise that was almost agrowl. "When did this happen?"
"Two weeks ago." She duginto her purse and pulled out her wallet, found a small photograph and handedit to him.
Trey gazed down at the image of avery pretty woman. The candid photograph captured her quiet reserve. His eyesnarrowed as he took in her heart-shaped face and long, platinum blonde hair.
"This is Krista," Marlisaid, her voice thick. "She was my best friend."
"She was blonde," hemurmured.
Marli nodded. "Yeah. I wasalways jealous of her perfect straight hair."
He looked up at her. He lovedMarli's hair, the way it bounced and gleamed with fiery highlights. His gutclenched hard. "You're blonde, too."
She blinked at him.
"What do you know about thecase? What have the cops told you?" he asked, the hairs on the back of hisneck lifting.
"Not much. I heard more on thenews than I heard from them. They interviewed me a million times, until Ibarely remembered my own name. But they sure didn't tell me much."
"They have a suspect?"
"Oh, yeah. It was all over thenews." She gulped. "Apparently some serial killer. He's beentraveling across the country raping and killing women."
Trey froze. His skin went icebergcold. Son of a bitch.
Time stood still as he processedwhat was going on here. It was un-fucking-believable. The room shifted out offocus, then back in.
Marli shuddered and swallowed hard."That bastard. I can't believe... Oh, shit." The tears started againand she furiously wiped them away with her fingers. "Damn it."
"It's okay." He set thephotograph carefully on the bar. He brushed her tears away gently with hisfingertips. "It's okay."
Why the hell hadn't he heard aboutthis? Jesus Christ. Sheldon Barnes had killed again, and where had hebeen? Wallowing in self-pity. He hadn't been watching the news at all lately,and no one from the Bureau had bothered to pick up the phone and tell him. Shit.Guilt struck him like hammer blows.
"Not only is it hard becauseshe died, and how she died...but I've been a basket case ever since." Shedrew in a long breath. "The cops told me not to worry, said if it is thisguy, he doesn't usually stick around. He takes off for somewhere else."
"That's true," hemurmured.
She opened her mouth, then closedit. "What do you mean, 'that's true'?"
His lips twisted and he ran histongue over his teeth. He needed to think.
Now he understood the shadows he'dseen in Marli's beautiful eyes. She was nuts, of course, even to think oftrying to find Sheldon Barnes, although he couldn't help but admire hercourage. After everything she'd been through, it was a wonder she wasn'tcowering in her house twenty-four-seven. He didn't know whether to be impressedor pissed. This was one gutsy woman.
But, overwhelming guilt pouredthrough him. That motherfucker had gone on to kill again, and he'd killed thissweet woman's best friend. The agony in her eyes was like a jagged blade sawingat his insides.
"Trey?"
"Mmm?"
"You know about this guy, don'tyou?"
His heart beat once, twice, threetimes. "Yes."
She waited patiently. Something wasgoing on and she wasn't sure what.
"I've been working on theSheldon Barnes case....I mean, I was working on the Sheldon Barnes case.Since he murdered Kathy Richards in San Diego about seven months ago."
She continued to gaze wordlessly athim. Dear God, he knew all about the serial killer, then. His eyes met hers,then looked away.
"I...was having some personalproblems," he continued, his voice low and raspy. "And I screwed upbig time. I got suspended from my job."
"Oh."
Emotions played across hisface--disgust, anger, frustration. "I also... was in the hospital for awhile. Then I had physical therapy. And they made me go for somecounseling." He shook his head. "My suspension was up a couple ofweeks ago, but I took another month's leave of absence. My plan was, like Isaid, to drive up to San Francisco, see my buddy Kent. We trained together atQuantico."
She
