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ME could scoop up what was left of Cynthia Adams and they could all go home. He’d take the teenagers’ statement, check her apartment for ID, and then he’d get the hell out of here.
    Another minute. Just another minute. Tess Ciccotelli chanted the words in her mind, a mantra to keep her composure until she was alone. Cynthia was dead. Dear God. Lying on the street, ripped apart…
    Don’t think about her. Don’t think about her dead and mutilated. Just run. Run fast. Just another minute. Then you can fall apart, Tess. But not yet. She fumbled the key in the car door lock, conscious of Todd Murphy and his partner behind her, watching. Todd and his very angry partner, whoever he was. He said his name was Aidan Reagan, she remembered, finally getting the key to slide into the lock, pul ing the door open. She made her mind focus on the picture of the man’s cold blue eyes. He’d been so angry. No, he’d been furious. Just another -“Tess?”
    Dammit. She bobbled her keys, dropping them to the dark street where they skittered underneath her car. She drew a deep breath. So close. “I’m all right, Todd. Go and do your job.”
    “I am. Tess, you’re shaking.”
    “Todd, please.” Her voice hitched, humiliatingly. “I need to get out of here.”
    He took her arm and guided her into the driver’s seat. “You shouldn’t drive, Tess. Let me call somebody to get you home.”
    “There isn’t anyone,” she said numbly. “That’s what took me so long to get here. I called my partners, my friends. I never come to a patient’s house alone. Not done. Not ethical.” She was rambling now and couldn’t seem to stop herself. “Nobody was home, so I came anyway.” She closed her eyes. Opened them again when all she saw was Cynthia… lying there. “And I was too late.” “This isn’t your fault, Tess,” Murphy said gently. “You know this.”
    A sob was building. Resolutely Tess shoved it back. “She’s dead, Todd.” How stupid was that?
    Cynthia Adams lay gutted on the street, her head a ball of Jell-O, her guts hanging out for all to see. Yeah, she was dead all right.
    “I know.” He took her hand, gave it a squeeze. “How did you know to come tonight, Tess? Did she call you?”
    Tess shook her head. “No. I got an anonymous call from one of her neighbors.”
    “Why did she jump?”
    His voice was calm, so gentle, battering the dam that kept her tears at bay. “Dammit, Todd, let me go. Please. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, I promise.”
    “I won’t let you go until I’m sure you’re all right.”
    Tess drew another deep breath and let it out slowly. Gripping her steering wheel with both hands, she lifted her gaze over Murphy’s shoulder to where his partner stood next to a squad car, his hard face illuminated by its bright flashing lights. He was looking at them. Watching her. Even from this distance, she could feel the man’s piercing stare. His animosity. Those intense blue eyes were narrowed, his jaw tight. “You have a new partner,” she murmured, holding her gaze steady, as did Reagan.
    “Yes. Aidan Reagan.”

    13
    Karen Rose

    [Suspense 5]

    You Can't Hide
    Aidan Reagan. “He’s related to Abe?” She knew Abe Reagan, trusted him. Trusted his wife Kristen. They were good people.
    “Aidan and Abe are brothers.”
    “That makes sense then.” Aidan Reagan mirrored his brother’s dark good looks. They had the same dark hair, the same blue eyes, although Aidan’s were harder, starker than his brother’s. His face was sharper, his jaw a little squarer. His mouth… softer before he’d realized who she was. He had the capacity for compassion. Just not toward me.
    “Tess, he-” Murphy’s voice stumbled to a halt.
    “Doesn’t like me,” she said levelly. “It’s all right, Todd. Not many of them do.”
    His sigh was deep and sad. “He was there, Tess, in the courtroom that day.”
    Murphy didn’t have to say which courtroom. They both knew. Harold Green had murdered three