”Mia, I think you should think long and hard before you choose a career. Because you need to find something that’s going to make use of all of your gifts.“

She stares at me without speaking. Then she blinks as though suddenly coming awake. ”It’s time for me to go, isn’t it?“

I give her an apologetic smile. ”I think so.“

She forces herself to release the pillow, then speaks without looking at me. ”Are you in for the night?“

”Absolutely. I don’t think I can move from this spot.“

Now her eyes find mine. ”You don’t need me to stay and take Annie to school?“

”No, my eyes will pop open at seven.“

A skeptical smile. ”I left my backpack in the kitchen. I’ll get that, and then I’m gone.“

”Okay. I can’t thank you enough for staying late. You just did something I didn’t think anyone could do.“

”What’s that?“ she asks, standing.

”Took my mind off of the Wilsons’ bodies.“

”Well, I’m glad for that. See you tomorrow.“

She picks up her paperback and her cell phone, then leaves me alone in the study. I take a deep breath and settle back against the soft cushion. Mia’s theories of history and detective work acted like a tranquilizer on my frayed nerves. Driving home, I feared I would have trouble sleeping tonight, but my only trouble is going to be making it upstairs to my bedroom. The couch is plenty soft enough to sleep on.

I must have dozed off, because the next thing I feel is strong hands massaging my shoulders. I wouldn’t have allowed Mia to do this if I’d been awake, no matter how good it feels, which-frankly-is pretty damned good. Her fingertips dig expertly into the muscle fibers of my neck, then climb to the base of my skull, slowly easing the pressure on the disks between my cervical vertebrae. I groan involuntarily, and the sound of my pleasure brings me to full alertness.

”Mia, that feels great, but I can’t let you do that.“

”Why not?“

I jerk my head around to find Caitlin staring down at me, looking half amused and half angry. She raises her eyebrows and says, ”You were a little slow to tell the babysitter she shouldn’t be rubbing your neck.“

”I was asleep!“ I protest, getting to my feet.

Caitlin gives me a look of mock suspicion. ”Were you?“

”How the hell did you get here?“

”Hug first, then talk.“

I walk around the sofa and crush her body against mine. Only after I sense her having difficulty breathing do I pull back and look at her. No matter how much time I spend with Caitlin, I can’t get accustomed to the luminous green of her eyes. They seem almost incongruous in her face, which is porcelain pale, while her hair is jet black and very fine.

”Where’s Mia?“ I ask.

”She’s gone home, where she belongs. I slipped through the back door and saw her in the kitchen. She left that way.“

”That’s some timing.“

A little color comes into Caitlin’s cheeks. ”I watched the two of you from the porch for a little bit.“

”Spying?“

”A girl has to protect her investment.“

I maintain my smile, but the thought that came into my head was,You haven’t invested much in me lately- or in Annie, either.

”Are you all right?“ Caitlin asks. ”I know you were at the Wilson scene.“

”How do you know that?“

”I’ve been in touch with my reporters all the way down.“

I pull her over to the couch and sit beside her. ”Down from where? Explain yourself.“

She laughs at my puzzlement. ”I was flying down to Wilmington to see my father. He wanted to talk to me about an acquisition for the chain. Face time, not phone time.“

Wilmington, North Carolina, is the home base of Caitlin’s father, the owner of one of the fastest-growing and most successful newspaper chains in the South. They’re at eighteen papers and counting. Daddy’s company owns the Cessna jet that allows Caitlin to change her flight destination on a whim.

”Ann Denny called me after Sonny Cross was shot,“ Caitlin goes on. Denny is the editor of the Natchez Examiner, which means she reports directly to Caitlin, who is still technically the publisher, despite her long absences. ”I figured you were probably in the middle of whatever was going on here, so I decided, ‘Screw it, let’s turn this plane southwest and go to Mississippi.’ “

”Well…I’m glad you did.“

Her lovely eyes narrow. ”Are you?“

”Of course.“

She gives me a long and searching look. ”Then why aren’t you raping me?“

Her eyes flash invitingly, but I feel no reaction other than anxiety. If I make love with Caitlin now, and then tomorrow vent the feelings that have been building up while she’s gone, she will feel betrayed. Besides, the truth is, I don’t feel like having sex right now. What I most want now is sedation. General anesthesia.

”You’re upset, aren’t you?“

”Yes,“ I concede.

”I heard the Wilson scene was bad. Was it?“

Even this simple question causes resentment in me. Is she asking me out of curiosity, or out of professional interest? ”It was a murder scene.“

”You don’t want to talk about it?“

”Not tonight.“

”What do you want to do?“

”I know this sounds bad, but I think I need sleep more than anything else.“

Caitlin shakes her head and smiles. ”No, I understand completely. Do you want me to stay here?“

”Can you stay all night?“

She seems to steel herself, then says, ”I promised Ann I would go over to the paper at two-thirty for a strategy meeting. She’s working through the night.“

I shake my head. ”Don’t worry about it.“

”Penn, that still gives us almost two hours. I can tuck you in and watch you sleep.“

A year ago I would have loved hearing this. Not now. ”I don’t think I’m very good company tonight. I’ll have my resources back in the morning. We can start over then.“

Caitlin stands. ”Okay. I need to air my house out anyway. I’m going to open all the doors and windows and drink a gimlet. Maybe two.“

”I wish I was up to joining you. Sorry.“

She looks down at me, silently imploring me for some explanation, but she must already know the truth of the situation.

”Caitlin…you wouldn’t even be in Natchez if it weren’t for these murders, would you?“

She bites her lip and thinks this over. ”That’s probably true. But I was coming back in two weeks no matter what, and staying for a whole week.“

”Were you?“

”Yes. Penn, what’s wrong? Please talk to me.“

”We should talk before we slip back into our old routine.“

”Let’s talk now.“

”No. I’m too exhausted. I’ve seen too much tonight. I’m happy to see you, and Annie will be ecstatic. Let’s leave it at that for now.“

Caitlin starts to reply, then thinks better of it. She steps forward and gives me a soft kiss on the lips, then turns and walks out of the study. She’s never been slow on the uptake.

One way or another, change is coming.