Lindsey gaped at him in amazement. She had expected him to be angry. “I can’t believe you are laughing,” she blurted. “I thought you’d be furious.”

To her amazement, he pulled her into his arms, and planted a kiss on her forehead. Then he looked down at her, understanding in his eyes. “It wasn’t your smartest move ever, but I don’t think he left you many options. He tried to manipulate you personally with business, and he got socked in the gut. He deserved it.”

“Really?” she asked in disbelief. She hadn’t realized it, but Mark was right. Greg was manipulating her, or trying to, as he always had in the past.

“Yes,” he said, with amusement in his voice. “Really. Now, let’s get the heck out of this heat, and get this meeting over with.”

Lindsey grabbed his arm, deciding his good mood needed to be utilized to the fullest degree. He turned back and looked at her in surprise. “Since you are taking things so well and all,” she said with a pause, “there is this tiny other thing.”

Mark shook his head. “I’m afraid to ask.”

“I interviewed Elizabeth’s boyfriend.”

Mark’s eyes went wide. “What? On your own?” She nodded. “Do you know how dangerous that was?”

Lindsey cringed at his tone. “I will say, as much as I hate to admit it, the owner of the Pink Panther was pretty creepy.”

“You went to the Pink Panther?” he asked incredulously.

She nodded.

Throwing his hands up in the air, he said, “I give up.” Then he grabbed her hand. “Tell me about it later. We need to get this meeting over with.”

Lindsey and Mark stepped into the Carrow’s lobby at exactly eleven-thirty. Two men moved towards them. The one who seemed in charge was stocky, with brown hair and eyes. He also lacked good manners. Not bothering with hello, he eyed Lindsey and said, “Damn if you don’t look just like the victims.”

Mark bit back a harsh retort. He might be paranoid, but Lindsey’s resemblance to the victims bugged the hell out of him. Mark watched the man’s face as Lindsey responded to him. “Yeah, well, it’s coincidence.” But it bothered her, he could tell. Her face was etched with tension, her body stiff.

The man snorted and shoved his hands into his worn jeans pockets. “A damn spooky coincidence.”

Lindsey’s voice held irritation, thick and unhidden. “I won’t introduce myself, since clearly you’ve figured out who I am.” She waved a hand towards Mark. “Kevin Woods meet Mark Reeves, an associate of mine.”

Mark shook hands with the man, who then motioned towards his partner, a tall, lanky man with curly black hair who appeared nearer forty than thirty. “This is my partner, John Conner.”

A few minutes later, greetings aside, they sat at a table, a round of coffee ordered, but no food. Once the waitress filled everyone’s cups, Kevin narrowed his gaze on Lindsey. “I did some checking on you, Lindsey. You’re that attorney who handled the Hudson case.” His tone was accusing.

Lindsey leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, her face cool and composed. “I didn’t know Hudson was known in Nevada.”

Mark didn’t care how they knew about the case. “What’s the point?”

John interjected, “His point is that we did some digging. There are similarities in the victim profiles of Hudson, your new client, and our perp. We are all about solving this case, but we also want to know who we’re dealing with and what their motives are.”

Kevin made a face. “A connection is unlikely. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t trying to make one. Hudson was convicted with DNA evidence. Are you trying to save your name here, Lindsey, or catch a perp?”

Mark felt the heat of anger, quick and hard. He kept his tone low, but it reeked of his frustrations. “That’s out of line. We’re trying to save lives here. Are you going to help us or not?”

“I care about saving lives, not my name,” Lindsey said, as if Mark hadn’t spoken. “And just in case you don’t get how the legal world works—I won my case, and that makes me look damn good. What the guy did or didn’t do after doesn’t impact that job.” Kevin stared at her, his face flushed with the heat of anger. Lindsey continued, determination in her voice. No way was anyone speaking until she was done. “And that’s exactly why I joined the FBI.” She paused and let the words sink in. “I’m here to catch a murderer, plain and simple. If you want to do the same, then let’s get down to business. If not, let’s stop wasting each other’s time.”

Kevin’s temper had noticeable declined. “I’m just trying to make sure we all have the same agenda. Nobody wants this guy more than me. I saw the bodies with my own eyes. I know what he’s like, what he does to his victims.”

Lindsey’s eyes filled with shadows. “You’re wrong. I want more.” Something about the way she said the words silenced the table. For long moments, no one so much as blinked.

Kevin broke the silence, shifting in his chair as if he couldn’t take it anymore. “You’re pretty certain they’re all connected, aren’t you? That your Hudson guy is innocent?”

Lindsey met his gaze with a direct stare. “As you said, there’s DNA evidence against Hudson. That’s hard to beat.” She paused, and then added, “Unless it was planted.”

Mark looked at her with surprise. This was the first time he’d heard this theory, though he thought it made damn good sense. John sat his cup down, leaning forward as if he had already considered her theory. “It could have been planted. I was thinking that on the way over here. I had a case last year . . .” He waved off the words. “Bottom line, it could be a plant. What was the DNA source?”

“I don’t know,” she said, and exchanged a knowing look with Mark, as if she wanted his silent approval.

“There’s no way you could,” Mark reminded her.

She nodded. “I know.” She refocused on the other two men, explaining, “I dropped out after Hudson was charged with the final attack. I never saw the DNA evidence.”

John reached for his cup. “Find out if it was hair, because it’s damn easy to plant. If it is, then it’s a whole new ballgame as far as I’m concerned.” He took a drink. “Okay, let’s backtrack. If the cases are connected, then our perp is now in Manhattan, or at least was recently, right?”

Mark nodded. “Yes, but if it’s the same guy, he’s smart. Williams was picked up, and he dropped out of sight.”

Lindsey cleared her throat. “I did a calendar tracking of all of the attacks yesterday. The timelines support one attacker.”

“That’s all the more reason why we need to play connect-the-dots with you guys,” Mark said deliberately, pleased with Lindsey’s sharp actions.

John turned his attention towards Mark. “I know who you are too. You’ve gotten a lot of creeps put back on the street.”

“Not this again,” Lindsey said. “I though we established we are all on the same team here?”

Her eyes met Mark’s and he could see her apprehension. But she didn’t have anything to worry about. He didn’t let guys like these get to him. Mark shrugged. “You know the saying—don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house.” He paused for effect. “I inherited a lot of bad field work and I’m obligated to do my job.” Mark’s meaning sliced through the air, though his tone was nonthreatening. He was reminding them that police errors set a lot of bad guys free. “I hate what we have to do for the system sometimes as much as anyone else, but I respect what the principles are built on. Just as I am sure you do.”

Lindsey looked at Mark, appreciation in her eyes, before she switched her attention to the entire table. “I believe we can help each other, but we need to be on the same team. Is that possible?”

A waitress appeared and started filling cups. Kevin took a drink of his, and then said, “We all want the same things.”

Mark could tell from Lindsey’s face she wasn’t happy with his response. After a long pause, Lindsey asked, “All of your victims went to the University of Las Vegas, right?”