Page 19 of Deadly Pride

“What’s wrong?” She stared into the trees.

“Over here, please.”

A puzzled look on her face, she went to stand next to him.

“I don’t think we’re alone,” he said softly. “We can’t leave the scene until the techs arrive. I want you close.”

“Let’s at least find something to stand behind.” She headed for the trunk of a thick oak.

It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. He stood in front of her, shielding her with his body. Just in case.

The scent of gardenia wafted to his nose. “You smell nice.” His mouth twitched. “Like something feminine.”

She pushed against him and rolled her eyes. “Now is not the time for flirting.”

“Just stating a fact.” He grinned down at her, her eyes dark pools he could drown in. He knew she downplayed her beauty to get respect from coworkers and the citizens of Oakdale.

A twig snapped, pulling his attention back to where it belonged. He took her hand in his and put a finger to his lips. Maybe they could circle around and get behind the person. He pulled his gun and pulled Harper deeper into the shadows.

Birds twittered from the trees. No more twig snaps. The faint roar of an engine. Whoever had killed Brittney had gotten away.

“It’s the closest we’ve gotten other than the assassin who killed herself.” He put his gun away. They’d catch the person responsible, because no matter how long it took, Liam wouldn’t stop.

Harper exhaled heavily and marched back to the body. She stood over a sheet of paper that wasn’t there before. “It says that the game is only going to get more exciting, and that the reason will be made clear soon.”

“Great.” He sat on a large rock. “Might as well sit.”

She lowered herself next to him. “I hate this rushing out to body after body with no clues as to who is doing this.”

“Because the main perp isn’t doing this.” He leaned against a tree trunk. “He’s got others to do his dirty work. I’ve been working down the list of known assassins. There’s quite a few. I’m sure there are some that aren’t on the list. I’m crossing off the ones in prison or deceased.”

“How many does that leave?”

“About twenty.” He crossed his arms.

“I had no idea we had twenty in the states.”

“This one could have come from overseas.” It was like the proverbial needle in a haystack. “Or it could not be an assassin at all, but simply a partner.”

“Thanks for the encouragement.” She stood when two men and a woman all wearing CSI vests approached.

Liam pointed out the shoe further up the trail and the tongue. By now, people were starting to drift down the trail out of curiosity. “We need to secure the scene.”

“I’ve tape in my car.” Harper fetched the yellow roll and strung it between two trees in order to keep the crowd back.

One of them trying to see what was going on was the camera man. Liam shook his head and approached the man. “Mind stepping over here for a minute?”

“Is it Brittney?”

“Please. Just over here.” Liam led him away from the crowd.

“Does Brittney have family?”

“No.” He tried peering around Liam. “She’s a workaholic. Not many friends. I’ve been her cameraman for five years.”

“I regret to inform you that, yes, Brittney Burnes has been murdered.”

“By the Seven Sins Killer?”

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