My skin tingled.
My eyes flew open.
Jesus, Brennan. A young woman is dead. A family will be devastated. You are working the case. This is not a date.
I stole a peek at Galiano. Headlights slid across his face, altering the size and shape of his features.
I thought of the pansies in the produce binder. Had Galiano felt me flinch when my cheek pressed against his chest? Had he really clasped me longer than necessary?
I thought of the Volkswagen bouquet in my hotel room.
Jesus.
“Goddamn sharks.” Galiano’s voice startled me. “No, they’re worse than sharks. They’re like hyenas circling a carcass.”
He cracked his window. I reeked of mud and rotting flesh, and wondered if I was the cause.
“Did you get what you needed?” he asked.
“I did a prelim, but need to confirm.”
“She’s headed to the morgue.”
“Does that mean I won’t see the body again?”
“Not if I have anything to say.”
“There are four molar restorations for the dental ID. Plus there’s the old arm fracture for additional confirmation.”
We drove in silence a few moments.
“Why wasn’t Diaz all over this one?” I asked.
“Maybe Monday is his lawn bowling day.”
Twenty minutes later Galiano pulled up at my hotel. I had the door open before the wheels stopped turning. His hand closed around my arm as I reached for my pack.
Oh, boy.
“You did a hell of a job today.”
“Thanks.”
“If there is some twisted psycho out there, we’ll nail him.”
“Yes.”
He released my arm, brushed hair from my cheek with his fingertips.
More tingling.
“Get some sleep.”
“Oh, yeah.”
I flew from the car.
Dominique Specter had other plans.
She was waiting in the lobby, half concealed by its one rubber plant. She rose when I entered, and a copy of
“Dr. Brennan?”
The ambassador’s wife was wearing a pantsuit of pale gray silk, a black pearl choker around her neck. She looked as out of place in that hotel as a cross-dresser at a Baptist convention.
I was too stunned to answer.
“I realize this is a bit irregular.”
She took in my hair, my mud-caked nails and clothes. Perhaps my scent.
“Is this absolutely too terribly inconvenient?” The practiced smile.
“No,” I said warily. “Detective Galiano just dropped me off. Maybe I can catch him.”
I dug for my cell phone.
“No!”
I looked up. The electric-green eyes were wide with alarm.
“I—I’d prefer talking to you.”
“Detective Galia—”
“Alone.
No. I didn’t understand. But I agreed.
