Page 2 of Shiver

The woman glanced at the row of tarot card readers and threw the cute one looking at her a wave. “No, thanks. Tonight I make my own fortune.”

Devra’s fingers flew over the keyboard as she slipped into her “zone” where each story overcame her. She typed steadily reliving her dream careful to get down every detail, hoping somehow, in some way, her words would help. Not that they ever had before. Town after town, she watched women die and yet was never able to stop it from happening or help find their killers. The dreams always came too late.

He took something gold and shiny and slipped it around her neck. A gold heart with a rose etched across the front dangled between her breasts, nestling amidst the rivulets of blood seeping from her throat.

Devra stopped typing and stared at the words on her screen, her heart pounding anew. She closed her eyes and pictured the locket in her mind. Her stomach muscles clenched with fear. The locket she’d lost last week. The one her parents had given her on her thirteenth birthday. The one withhername inscribed on the back.

Her vision swam as she stared at the screen. How had this monster gotten her locket? And why leave it on that poor girl? Was it a message for her? The realization hit her hard. He stole her locket.

He knew who she was.

Chapter 2

The next morningRiley parked his Expedition and joined his partner in his car outside a well-kept, small yellow house in the Garden District. Through the plastic bag, he read the word etched on the back of the locket.Devra. He turned to Tony. “I can’t believe you found her so fast.”

“Hey, with a name like Devra, tracking her was as easy as slicing into one of Mama’s homemade pecan pies.”

“What do we know about Miss Morgan?” Riley let his gaze wander over the manicured lawn and abundant flowers lining the walk. There was nothing unusual or even rundown about the house, and yet, a prickle of anxiety ate at him.

“Not much. She’s clean.” Tony inspected her file. “Just moves around a lot.”

“For her sake, she’d better be clean.” Riley tried to squeeze a character type from the place she lived, but it was nondescript, a typical modest home in the lush Garden District, just a few blocks from the opulent mansions that saw a steady stream of tourist traffic.

Concern filled Tony’s large Italian eyes. “You shouldn’t go in there. You shouldn’t even be here now. Go home and be with your family. With Mac.”

Riley fought the guilt and weariness that threatened to overcome him at the mention of his brother’s name. He shut his eyes against the image painfully etched in his mind of his sister-in-law propped against the wall, her throat slit from ear to ear. “I can’t be there.”

Tony’s dark eyes intensified. “Don’t blame yourself. This wasn’t your fault.”

“Wasn’t it? Michelle was taking this case too personally.”

“You couldn’t know she’d go undercover and try to flush the night stalker out alone.”

“I knew some sicko was slicing up prostitutes in the Quarter. I should have watched her better. I should have been more—” he cringed as he said the word “—protective.”

“She would have been insulted, and she would have thought you doubted her abilities as a cop. You know that. You also know if you go in there and confront Miss Morgan, you could blow this investigation.”

“You’re right. But Michelle was family.” A lump the size of a crawdad caught in his throat. “I should have done something. If only—”

“Michelle was a strong-willed cop. She did what she wanted and damn the consequences. You knew that about her, and so did Mac.”

Riley scraped a thumb across his unshaven jaw. “I’m going to track this guy down. I won’t let him get by with this, and I won’t blow this case.” His gaze drifted over the roses, blooming in a riot of color. “I’ll turn on ‘Mr. Charm’ and I’ll be on my best behavior. I just need to see for myself how she responds when I show her the locket.”

Tony closed the file and slid it between the seats. “All right,” he relented. “Two of us will spook her. I’ve been up all night tracking down Miss Morgan and I’m in desperate need of some caffeine. You’re on your own. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Don’t blow it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Riley opened the car door and got out of the car. “I’ll find out exactly what she knows about Michelle’s death. Whatever it takes.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Tony muttered and pulled away from the curb.

Although it was only 9:00 a.m., the hot August heat was already intolerable. Riley walked toward the front door, pulling at his shirt collar, lifting the fabric from his skin. He rapped on the door, waited a minute, then rapped again.

He listened to the incessant buzz of bees surrounding a gardenia bush, growing hotter and more impatient with each passing second.What was taking her so long?As he started to knock again, a shape moved behind the front door’s frosted glass.

“Finally,” he muttered under his breath.

The door opened. His wide ‘Mr. Charm’ smile froze on his face and his heart stopped at the sight of the woman in the white terry robe. A mass of golden curls framed her face falling in reckless abandon around her shoulders. Blue eyes, tired and disoriented, held a dim sparkle deep within their depths.

Michelle.

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