Page 79 of Locked In Ice

Lane straightened his spine.“We’re partners.”

“For a man who sure as hell seemed resistant to the idea of working with Ophelia, you seem to have jumped in with both feet.”

“She threw me in the deep end,” he retorted.“I had to learn how to swim.”

“Lane.”That was worry.No missing it.

Just as there was no missing the creak he’d just heard on the stairs.Stair number seven.“Samuel Hitchcock,” he said as his voice lowered even more.

“Who?Can you speak up?”

No, he couldn’t.“Samuel Hitchcock.A dead FBI agent.Send me anything and everything the Ice Breakers can find on him, will you?”

“You mean, send it to you and your partner.”

No, that wasn’t what he’d said.“Send it to me, and I’ll share it with Ophelia.Look, I have to go.Just know that I have her back.She has mine.”

“And…the two of you are hunting a killer.”

“Better than him hunting us.”Though I’m worried that is exactly what he’s doing.

“Why do you want Samuel Hitchcock’s file?”

Ophelia had to be at the top of the stairs.He didn’t have more time to waste.

“You know…” Memphis continued carefully.“I am actually familiar with the name.Ophelia and I go way back.Agent Hitchcock was obsessed with her.He broke into her house.He tried to kill her.”

“But she killed him instead.Yeah, I know.I heard that story.”Was Memphis testing him?If the guy was as close with Ophelia as he claimed, Memphis would know the truth.Even on a bad day, Memphis was a bloodhound.No way he hadn’t dug into Ophelia’s life.“I’m interested in a different story about him.”

“You know.”Surprise.“She told you?”

“I know.I’m her partner, after all.Lesson seven.There are no secrets between partners.”

“Holy shit.”Now it was surprise.It was amazement.“She is giving you numbered lessons?And you’re quoting them to me?What is happening in my life right now?”

“For the record, I actually came up with lesson seven.But she liked it, too.Now, to get back on track.I want to see the files on Samuel.The ones that I know the FBI has, but that Executive Assistant Ballard would never in a million years turn over to me.”

“Because you don’t have clearance.”

“Because the man hates me.”

“Fair enough.”

“Listen…” Lane didn’t want any more BS.“You don’t need to hold back with me.Don’t play games.I know the Forget-Me-Not killer isn’t a myth.I know what he was doing, and I know Ophelia stopped him.”

“Sorry.”Gruff.“Didn’t want to share her secrets out of turn.”

Time was up.He pictured Ophelia with her head pressed to the door and hearing every word he spoke.“Are you going to help or not?”

“I’ll see what I can do.Just don’t go getting your ass killed, got me?Pretty sure your sister would never forgive me if you did some stupid shit like that.Your sister or her husband.And I kind of like them both.”Memphis hung up.

Lane tossed the phone onto the bed.It landed next to his new tux.He hurried to the bedroom door.Grabbed the knob and twisted.Had Ophelia heard any part of that conversation?“I can explain—” he began.

Ophelia wasn’t there.

But he heard a hiss.Lane glanced down.Ophelia’s black cat sat in front of his door.Her yellow eyes gazed straight up at him.

He’d never had cats growing up.Not before the nightmare with his father.And definitely not like he could haul a pet from foster house to foster house with him after his father had been buried.

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