She nodded, stunned. „We butted heads quite a few times. He was ruthless. I hated being in the same courtroom with him. He was merciless to the victims, pounding away until they were… nothing.“ She pressed her fingertips against her lips. „I can’t believe this.“

Abe shook the envelope’s contents on the table, found the letter. „ ‘My dearest Kristen, I am so glad the proverbial cat is now out of the bag. I hope you’ve taken comfort knowing these monsters are dead. I’ll continue for as long as I’m able. By now you’re probably wondering why I’m doing this, why I’ve set out on this mission to rid the city of the festering filth that roams its streets. Suffice it to say that I have my reasons. I’ve watched Mr. Trevor Skinner at work in the courtroom, the way he so skillfully turned opinion away from the victim, often rendering them incapable of speaking on their own behalf.’“ Abe paused and looked up at Kristen.

„Yes, that’s very true. I would object and object, but he never stopped. He’s a favorite among the defendants with money. He could make a victim look worse than the accused. The rape cases were so painful.“ Her lips quivered and she pursed them. „He made those women feel so worthless and dirty,“ she finished on a whisper, met his eyes, hers shiny and wet. „I’m sorry he’s murdered, Abe, but I’m glad he can never do that to a woman again.“ She blinked, sending two fat tears down her cheeks and Jack reached out to take her hand.

„We should have done this in my lab,“ Jack said softly. „This is too much for you, after what happened tonight.“

She drew a steadying breath, gently pulling her hand away. „I’m okay, just shaken up. Let’s hear the rest of it.“

„ ‘So in the spirit of an eye for an eye, I devised a punishment that was fitting. Sleep well, Kristen, knowing Mr. Trevor Skinner died unable to say a word in his own defense. Please ensure the criminals of Chicago know that I am watching, I am angry, and I am not bound by the laws of man. I am as always, Your Humble Servant.’“ Abe sighed. „ ‘P.S. You really should finish one job before you start another.’“

„What new job did you start?“ Jack asked.

Kristen’s mouth thinned to a grim line. „Last night I started making curtains for my damn windows.“

Jack’s lips twitched. Then he began to laugh and after a moment she joined him. She had a wonderful laugh, Abe thought, once again feeling as if he’d been kicked in the gut. His face must have shown it, because she quickly sobered, looking guilty.

„I’m sorry, really. It’s just… been a really long day.“

„It’s about to get longer,“ Spinnelli said from the doorway. „You catch the news?“

„We’ve been a little busy, Marc,“ Kristen said wryly. „We were at the press conference. What more harm could she have done since then?“

Spinnelli pulled a tape from his coat pocket. „Where’s your VCR?“

„It’s in the living room,“ she said, worried now.

Spinnelli looked at the box. „Who was it this time?“

„Trevor Skinner,“ Abe said and Spinnelli’s face went as pale as everyone else’s.

„And I thought my day couldn’t get any worse.“

Saturday, February 21,

2:00 A.M.

„You should be sleeping.“

Startled by the sound of Reagan’s nimbly voice on the basement stairs, Kristen jerked her attention from the mantel she was sanding, putting a pause on the delightful fantasy of Zoe Richardson dipped in honey and tied to a thriving anthill. Vicious red ants that bit hard. She was still angry, hours later. Angry that Richardson had insinuated she’d hired a killer. Angry that the bleached blonde bitch had given the criminal community yet another reason to come after her with knives. Angry that Angelo Conti got another chance to posture in front of a camera. And at this very moment, angry that just the sound of Reagan’s voice could make her pulse race.

But none of her anger was his fault. He’d been more than kind, refusing to leave after Spinnelli and Jack left, worried that the men who had accosted her would be back. „I’m sorry,“ she said quietly. „I didn’t mean to wake you up. I was trying to be quiet.“

„I wasn’t asleep.“ She watched as he descended the stairs in a slow, deliberate way. He still wore his hard shoes, as if he expected to go chasing after an intruder any moment. His trousers were still creased, despite all the hours he’d worn them. The only sign he’d relaxed at all was the absence of his tie and the shirt he’d pulled out of his pants, unbuttoned just past the hollow of his throat. Her eyes lingered there, probably longer than they should have. She lifted her eyes to his face where dark stubble shadowed his cheeks, then to his eyes which were shadowed with concern. For me, she thought, and tried not to let it mean too much. „Doesn’t that hurt your shoulder?“ he asked and she looked down at her sandpaper.

„It’s okay. It’s my left shoulder, and I’m right-handed.“

„Oh. I thought you were sewing curtains,“ he said. „The sewing machine makes too much noise, and I -“ „You were trying not to wake me. Got it.“ He walked over to the little windows that lined her basement wall. Unlike herself, Reagan was tall enough to look through the glass without standing on a chair. There was something settling in his size and strength. „Where’s your sewing machine?“

„Up in my spare bedroom.“

„Then he could have seen you from the street.“

Kristen dropped her sandpaper, her palms suddenly clammy. She wiped her hands on her sweatpants. „Yeah.“ She stood up, wincing at the soreness in her knee. „Look, I know this sounds weak and lame, but could we not talk about him right now? It’s driving me insane, wondering if he’s out there, looking at me.“ She rubbed her upper arms, suddenly cold. „Watching me. God, it’s like some kind of Hitchcock movie. I’ve been afraid to get in the damn shower.“

His mouth quirked up, and it wasn’t the first time she noticed how nice a mouth he had. It suited his face which at the moment he was turning her way. „Well, if you want to take one tonight, I’ll stand guard outside your door and I promise I won’t look.“

She went still, every muscle in her body going taut. He’d meant it as a silly tease, intended to make her smile, but she could see his words had affected him as well. His only movement was the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest as his blue eyes flared and held her. The very air between them was suddenly charged. She could almost feel the sparks.

Sparks. Her chin came up as her mind clicked into gear. „You were working the Sparks case, weren’t you? That’s where I saw you before. It was two years ago, in the summer. You were undercover and got arrested with everybody else they’d picked up for possession. I saw you in the holding area.“ She’d heard him before she’d seen him, as she recalled. It would have been impossible not to.

That mouth of his curved in a smile that was almost smug. „I was wondering if you’d remember. Took you long enough.“

She advanced a limping step. „No fair.“ She chuckled, remembering. „You were something else. You had a pony-tail, a beard, a shiner, and a really big mouth.“

He grinned and her breath caught at the sight „I was in character that day. You should have heard what I said about you after you’d gone.“

She was alone with a man she’d known only three days, who made her feel safe and who, if she was not mistaken, was flirting with her. She’d been flirted with before, but had always been left with cold nerves. She now felt the nerves, but she was definitely not cold. „I’m almost afraid to ask.“ How true.

He lifted a dark brow, making him look devilish and to her mortification, her mouth watered and the warmth in her face spread down. Don’t wish, Kristen. It won’t happen.

„Let’s just say my cover was very heterosexual and leave it at that,“ he said dryly, but his eyes never left hers.