Dead Don't Lie (7 page)

CHAPTER NINE

T
HE
NEXT
MORNING
Ryan blew into the bull pen like a volcano ready to explode. His jacket flapped around his shoulder harness as he stormed toward her. Evelyn’s eyebrows shot up. She could count on one hand how many times she’d seen him this spun up. Whatever had set him off must’ve been good...or really bad. From her seat, she held up the cup of coffee she’d poured for him and waited.

He grabbed the mug and shoved the
Seattle Times
under her nose. “Have you seen this horseshit?”

“No, I can’t say that I have.”

He marched around her desk and dropped into his chair. Thumping down his mug, caramel liquid splashing over the sides, he ripped open the paper and started reading.

“‘Dear Editor—you’d be wise to advise the ever-glorious Seattle police force that I will kill one of your precious Seattle families every week until she figures it out. Think fast, sweetheart.’” Ryan slammed down the paper. His eyes grew dark. “Why would they print this shit? And who the hell is
she?
”

“Evelyn is.” Marcus walked up, coffee and doughnut in hand, and sat on the corner of her desk. What was with him sitting on people’s desks? Didn’t his mother teach him manners? But she couldn’t ignore how exceptionally sexy he looked in his tailored tan pants, crisp white shirt, leather shoulder harness and red tie. And those curls. Good god, those curls. She shook her head at the rogue thought.

Get it together
.

“What?” Evelyn pushed back her chair, creating distance between her and the handsome man invading her personal space. She hadn’t meant to be sharp, but the lack of sleep and the heavy weight of this case chipped away at her normally poised, self-controlled demeanor. Its eerie similarity—however vague it might be—to her own family’s murder unsettled her. Add the fact that the fifteenth anniversary of her family’s death was just a few weeks away, and it was no wonder that she was a bit impatient with Marcus.

But now she was noticing how sexy he looked?
Good grief.

She glanced up at him. He smiled and her heart took off.

“You can’t possibly know that he’s referring to me.”

His shoulders raised in a slight shrug. “True. I don’t. But I’d bet my pension on it.”

“Okay, I’ll bite,” Ryan said. “Talk, Mr. Special Agent Man.”

She shifted in her chair, lips curled in a tiny smile. She enjoyed the play between the two men, and Ryan was in rare form today.

Marcus swallowed a chunk of blueberry doughnut before answering. “It’s Marcus. No need for formality. We’re a team now, right?”

Now
that
she hadn’t expected from the Fed. Trying to take over—yes. Putting them all on equal ground—no. She reached for her coffee.

Ryan nodded. “Fair enough. Marcus it is. Start talking.”

“It’s deductive reasoning, really. Anyone with half a brain and access to a computer can do a search and find the names of the SPD detectives.”

Evelyn snapped her fingers. She smiled at Marcus, picking up on his train of thought, and cut in. “Then all they’d have to do is call in an anonymous tip and ask to speak to the lead detective.”

“Exactly,” Marcus agreed. “The poor shmuck on the other end of the line—no offense—”

“None taken.” Ryan shrugged, the fire in his eyes tapering.

“—gives Evelyn’s name out, and bam. The bastard knows who the lead detective is.”

“Holy shit.” Ryan rubbed the back of his neck. “It can’t be that easy.”

Marcus smirked. “It is. I called in to check my theory myself.”

A laugh erupted from Evelyn before she could swallow it. “You didn’t.”

“I did.” Marcus winked and got up from the edge of her desk. He walked to the old desk they’d dug up for him and sat.

“But why?” He looked at Evelyn pointedly. “Why go through all that trouble to single you out?”

Evelyn shuddered. The thought of this psychopath zeroing in on her made her blood run cold. “I have no idea.”

* * *

L
ATER
THAT
AFTERNOON
, Evelyn left the station, having volunteered to do the Starbucks run. The moment she disappeared down the stairs, Ryan turned to Marcus. “Why are you really here?”

He looked at Ryan, deliberating how to respond. Someone didn’t ask that type of question unless they already knew the answer. It annoyed Marcus, but he got it. He’d done the same thing many times over. So why was Ryan asking? Marcus watched him closely. Unless Ryan was trying to vet him to see how up-front and honest he’d be—which again, Marcus understood perfectly.

“Why do you ask? It should be obvious. The mayor called, the Bureau answered.”

“Bullshit.” Ryan’s eyes flashed. “Evelyn’s not the only one with friends in the Bureau. I reached out to my buddy, looked into you, just like you did us. Rumor has it you don’t usually consult with local, lowly law enforcement. You head up a special task-force team. One that would benefit from an individual with skills like Evelyn’s.”

Marcus didn’t say anything. He couldn’t. Not without lying to this officer’s face, which he wouldn’t do. He already respected the detective too much. But he couldn’t show his cards yet. He wasn’t ready.

Evelyn’s reputation was nearing legendary status. The Seattle field office had seen to that. Before he’d come along, she’d been approached three times to join the FBI. She’d shot them down each time, which puzzled him. Why would such a promising detective, with her off-the-chart closing rates and primal instincts, scoff at the chance to work with the Bureau? There was more room for her to excel and move up. Plus she’d have bigger cases, larger fish to fry. Most people jumped at that. Yet she’d rejected the offers. Why? From his experience, there was only one reason for someone to turn down such a prestigious offer: something was buried in their past that they didn’t want uncovered.

So when the call had come in to join forces with the Seattle PD, he’d grabbed the opportunity to work with her. He could kill two birds with one stone: unravel the mystery that was Evelyn Davis and bring her onto his team, and help the SPD bag the serial killer stalking their city. Win for him, win for them.

Ryan threw him a hard look. “She won’t accept whatever offer you have up your sleeve. This is her house.
We
are her family.”

“First, I don’t think of law enforcement as lowly. I happen to respect what you do. Second, I don’t expect Evelyn to accept an offer at this stage in the game. She’s turned down my predecessor three times. I’m here to help with this case.”

Which was true. Well, okay, partially. Yes, he wanted to help the SPD capture the bastard. But he’d been commissioned to put together a task-force team to track and infiltrate terrorists that the rest of the alphabet agencies didn’t even know existed, and he wanted Evelyn on it. He’d hoped that working closely with her on this case would give him better insight into how to convince her to join his team.

Ryan studied Marcus. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before smiling, all steeliness in his eyes gone. “I don’t believe that pile of shit you’re trying to pass off as filet mignon for one second. I think you’re trying to poach my partner, but I can’t help admiring you.”

Marcus sat back, stunned.

“I know, I know. Here I am, busting your balls one minute, then saying I admire you the next. But I do. I’ve never see someone go toe-to-toe with Evelyn so calmly and diffuse her without crushing her spirit. It’s impressive. You’re a good man.”

Marcus smiled. “Thanks.”

“And, I appreciate the Bureau’s deep pockets.” Ryan smirked.

* * *

E
VELYN
HAD
BEEN
phoning neighbors for hours and had come up with nothing. Likewise for Marcus, who was calling local boat rental companies, and Ryan, who was digging through phone records.

She tapped her pencil against the thin sheet of paper and stared at the words until they blurred together. She didn’t need to see them to know what they said. Before sharing her thoughts with Ryan and Marcus, she’d worked and reworked her loose profile until her eyes crossed. Their unknown subject, or unsub, was most likely a white male in his late thirties, early forties. He’d be very well-educated and, at first glance, easygoing and approachable.

But Evelyn knew differently.

He most likely had extensive combat training and was volatile and dangerous—extremely dangerous. Given the rage he’d vented at the last scene, she surmised it would only take one wrong look to set him off on a rampage. She shuddered.
God help the person in his line of site when he exploded next.

Because he would. It was just a matter of time.

Evelyn nursed her cold cup of Starbucks coffee, trying to prolong the goodness while simultaneously studying the profile and the man sitting across the room. His five o’clock shadow graced a strong, olive-toned jawline. Thick, dark eyebrows pinched together as he examined the crime scene photos. Tossing the photos down, Marcus pinched his Roman nose and closed his eyes. He tilted his head back, letting out a long breath as he ran his hands through his curly brown hair.

She hated to admit it—and it actually surprised the hell out of her—but he mesmerized her. Had from the moment she’d laid eyes on him, when he casually stood next to Kessler as if he belonged there, with them. He opened his eyes, looked up and caught her in his steady gaze. Her stomach clenched in response. She got lost in the richness of his chocolate-colored eyes.
Yep, totally mesmerizing.

The shrill ringing of Ryan’s cell phone ripped her back to reality. He answered the call. She could feel her cheeks burning, so she grabbed her mug and headed for the break room.

Now that her beloved Starbucks coffee was gone, Evelyn cradled the steaming mug of second-rate coffee and walked to her desk, careful to keep her eyes
off
Marcus. She threw herself into her chair, then took a sip of the steaming liquid and grimaced.

Ryan hung up and smirked. Evelyn eyeballed him—she knew that smirk.
No way. Not in a million years.
She was way too tired.

“Kate says to come to dinner tonight. She won’t take no for an answer.”

“Ryan, I—”

“She’s already told the kids.”

Evelyn groaned and threw a pencil at him. Ryan dodged the flying object and laughed. “You’re playing the kid card now? Of all times? Really?”

She shook her head, unable to keep her grin from spreading. She loved those kids and, cliché or not, would take a bullet for them. Kate knew that and didn’t think twice about using them to get her best friend over anytime she wanted, nor did she apologize for her blatant manipulation.

Ryan grinned. Deep dimples creased his cheeks and his blue eyes playfully twinkled. “What can I say? Kate wants to see you, Evelyn. Tonight. Seven o’clock.”

“Fine. But tell that wife of yours she’s shockingly bold.”

“Fair enough.” He turned in his chair and nodded to Marcus. “You, too, Moretti. Care to join us?”

Evelyn’s mouth dropped open. She stared at Ryan.

One of Marcus’s eyebrows shot up, but he shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

“Great. Kate will be thrilled.” Ryan turned back to Evelyn and sent her a mischievous glance.

Her heart took off at a mad gallop. She sipped her coffee, desperate to keep cool in front of the two men. She hadn’t experienced this butterfly thing since high school. Peering over the mug’s edge, she sent her partner a scorching look.
Don’t even think about it, Ryan O’Neil
.

“Evelyn, bring Marcus with you, will you?”

“What?” She choked on her coffee.
Jackass
.

She could smell the setup and was going to kill Kate tonight. Ryan returned her glare with a knowing wink. If she wasn’t so nervous at the idea, she might’ve laughed at the way her stomach reacted to the mere thought of being alone with Marcus.
What was she, sixteen again?

“I’m sure he can drive himself. He’s a grown man, for heaven’s sake.”

“True, but he doesn’t know the city like you do,” Ryan countered.

Marcus called from across the room, interrupting the showdown between partners. “You know,
he
is sitting right here and can hear you both.”

They turned to him.

“And Evelyn’s right.” Marcus chuckled, shaking his head before going back to the photos in his hand. “
He
can drive himself.”

Ryan grinned. “Yes, I’m sure you can. I’m not calling your superior federal-agent driving ability into question here. Even on your worst day, we all know you could outmaneuver any of us with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind you back. No doubt.”

Evelyn laughed at her partner’s spirited antics. Once again, Ryan managed to lighten a very, very dark day. She grew still. He was treating Marcus like one of them. Which meant—she glanced between the two men—Ryan had vetted Marcus and decided he was one of them. She stole another look at Marcus. Her stomach fluttered and her palms got clammy. Unbelievable. Why did that excite her?

Ryan put his hand over his heart, threw Marcus an exaggerated smile, then grew serious. “Not kidding, parking’s hell on our street. The fewer cars, the better.”

Ryan gave her puppy eyes that she swore he’d learned from Liam. “Evelyn...”

“Fine.”

Bending forward, she ripped a piece of paper from her notebook and scrawled her address. Completely thrown by her response to Marcus, she tried to keep her hand from shaking as she handed him the paper.

“Be there by six-fifteen. That’ll give us plenty of time—”

Ryan’s muffled laughter interrupted her. She gritted her teeth and willed the blush creeping up her neck to stay put. Ignoring her immature partner, she locked eyes with Marcus. “Plenty of time to navigate the traffic.”

Marcus took the paper from her outstretched hand, a sensual glint in his eyes. “I don’t bite.”

Evelyn’s blood hammered in her ears as her pulse took off.
Oh, crap.

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s what she’s worrying about,” Ryan quipped under his breath.

Evelyn ripped her eyes from Marcus and glared at Ryan. She reached for her pen and threw it. Ryan laughed and easily dodged her latest missile.