Page 12 of Over the Edge

He’d find out later, after he talked to the next person on his list.

The victim’s wife.

“If you don’t want to wait for your vehicle, you’re free to leave and come back later to pick it up. I can get someone to give you a ride home.”

“No. I’ll call my wife.” He pulled out his cell, shoulders slumping. “She should be home from work by now.”

“We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions. And if you think of anything else you’d like to pass on, give me a call.” Jack offered him a card.

The man took it, turned away, and trudged to the far side of the patio.

“I’m not getting guilty vibes.” Cate watched him.

“Me neither. But I’ve been fooled before.”

“I hear you. Want me to dig into his background while you talk to the victim’s wife?”

“Or you could talk to her and I’ll do the background dive.”

“Sorry. You were tapped for the lead on this one. The dirty work lands on your desk.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“You’d do the same if the situation was reversed.”

He couldn’t argue with that. “Let’s regroup after I’m finished. Where will you be?”

“Somewhere warm. I’ll ask Hank to find me a spot inside where my fingers can thaw.”

“Good luck with that. You know how protective he is of his crime scenes. I doubt he’d have let us in even to interview Allen.”

“He and I have an understanding.”

“Yeah? How’d you manage that?”

“We both have Greek blood. Plus, my sister makes the world’s best baklava—and I sometimes share a few pieces with Hank.”

“Bribery.”

“Kindness.”

“Hey. I’m nice to him too.”

“Maybe. But you’re not Greek, and you don’t come bearing sweets.” She took off for the house at a fast clip. “Let’s go inside where it’s warm.”

Jack followed at a much slower pace.

Warmth was relative, and he’d had little of it today. Not from Mother Nature, and not from Lindsey Barnes.

Nor was the upcoming interview with a very recent widow likely to chase away the chill in the air.

And there was certainly no warmth in the hard-hearted killer who’d slain a man in his own kitchen and disappeared on this wintry day.

The best he could hope for was a break that would lead him to the culprit fast, before the trail grew cold.

But unless a solid clue surfaced, or Lindsey Barnes remembered a shock-suppressed detail about the killer, this case could be as difficult to resolve as the guilt that had plagued him for three long years ... with no end in sight.

Three

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