“Shit.”The detective’s gaze zipped to Sean’s.“Anything on similar homicides in N-DEx?”
He shook his head.“No.There’s a glitch in the system, and the program’s temporarily down—what else is fucking new?The HQ techs are working on it, and I’m told they should have it running again in the morning.As soon as it’s up, I’ll re-enter the parameters.”
Lynch let out an exasperated breath.“Jeez, can’t catch a fucking break today, can we?Does anyone have anything positive to add to this mess?”
Sean stood and stretched his shoulders and neck.He pushed an image of Grace giving him a massage from his mind.“Well, I’ve got one of the best FBI profilers coming to see us tomorrow afternoon.Her name’s Suki Ralston.I’ve worked with her on a few cases, and the woman knows her stuff.”
“I know you feds claim profiling has helped in the past, but does it really work, or is it just a fucking guessing game?I mean?—”
Griffin held up his hand, cutting the other man off mid-sentence.“It could be fucking voodoo for all I care, but if it helps us catch this bastard, I’m all for it.”Looking up at Sean, he asked, “What time is she coming?”
“She’s flying into Elizabeth City from Quantico and should be here sometime after two.Knowing her, she’ll dig right in and be up half the night going through the files.My guess is she’ll have a preliminary profile ready first thing Thursday morning.”He turned to Brad.“And the answer to your question isyes, it does work, but it won’t hand you your suspect on a silver platter like the general public seems to think—although I wished it did.It’s just another tool to use to narrow down your search.”
The sheriff stood and started for the door.“Sounds good.Lynch, update your file and leave a copy on my desk.Everyone else, I’ll see you in the morning.”He paused at the doorway.“Oh, and I’d like all of you to be with me at tomorrow’s press conference at eleven.The commissioner and mayor want the public to see we’re using every resource available to solve this.You don’t have to be at every one of them.Maybe every few days until this is over.Politics, politics, gotta love fucking politics.”
Brad grabbed his file and headed for the door.“Smile pretty for the cameras, boys.”
The other men groaned.Dealing with the press and politicians was always a pain in the ass for investigators, but sometimes they were a necessary evil.If you kissed their asses often enough, they might help out somehow when you really needed it.
Montoya and the Malone brothers said goodnight to the chief and detective and walked out to the station’s parking lot.Montoya gave the others a quick goodbye before hopping into his car and driving off.He’d mentioned earlier his nephew’s high school baseball team was playing its first game of the season against their biggest rival, and if Rafe hurried, he could catch the end of it.
Brian’s navy blue Dodge Ram was parked two spaces away from Sean’s Mustang.When they reached their vehicles, Sean looked at his brother.“I’m starving.What do you say to dinner and a few beers at Sassy’s?”
The local restaurant was a few doors down from their uncle’s hardware store and had been a favorite among Whisper’s residents for many years.Before Bonnie had taught Dan how to cook nutritious meals for his three orphaned nephews, the Malone teenagers and their uncle had spent many nights eating at Sassy’s.The restaurant’s namesake had passed away several years ago, but her daughter and son-in-law had taken over the business and kept it thriving.
Tossing his keys in the air, Brian caught them again.“Sorry, bro.I get together with some guys from work on Thursday evenings for a little three-on-three basketball at the ‘Y.’We usually go out afterward, though, for a few beers.Why don’t you come with us?”
“No, thanks.I just want to sit and relax tonight, maybe catch a game on TV.You go ahead, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You sure?”
Sean nodded.“Yeah.I’ll just stop, pick up a six-pack, and chill on the couch.”
“All right.See you tomorrow.”
“Later.”
Grace steered her shopping cart up and down the aisles of the Stop and Go grocery store.Two blocks away from her PT office, the store wasn’t as large as most chain supermarkets, yet it still had plenty of name brands, a full buffet of hot food for when you weren’t in the mood to cook, and a wide variety of fresh coffee beans to choose from.
As she strolled through the aisles, her thoughts turned to Sean.This was nothing new since she had been thinking of him all day.She’d really had a fun time the evening before, and all they had done was sit on the floor and share a pizza.He’d walked into Pro-Care wearing a sports coat over a T-shirt and jeans, which fit him like a glove.He’d looked yummy with the coat on, but when he took it off, and she saw the snug fit of the tee over his sculpted chest and shoulders—Lord, help her, he’d been downright gorgeous.His body was hard and tight.Her hands had ached to touch his shoulders, chest, arms, and back and feel every contour.A lock of his hair had kept falling down over his forehead, and she wished she’d been courageous enough to reach out and stroke it back into place.
She sighed.Oh, well, back to reality.
Aside from daydreaming about the sexy Sean Malone, it had been a long yet productive day, and although she was hungry, she wasn’t in the mood to fix a big dinner.She’d just picked up a hot, precooked chicken to place in her basket when she heard atsk tskbehind her.Spinning around, she found herself looking into a pair of teasing, mocha-brown eyes, and her heart skipped a beat.She’d been thinking of the man all day—hell, she’d been thinking of him just a few seconds ago—and now here he was, standing in front of her, grinning that adorable grin that made her insides flutter.
“What?”she asked as a smile spread across her face.
“Bonnie would have a fit if she saw you buying any pre-made food.”
Grace laughed.“Only if it’s frozen and processed.A fresh chicken is okay in her book.Besides, I already grabbed the fixings for a salad and a baking potato to go with it.”
Sean rubbed his growling stomach.“Stop!You’re making me even hungrier.And to tell you the truth, I’m getting one of those chickens for my own dinner, along with a beer or two.”
“Why should we get two chickens when we can split one?”Grace queried, hoping he would agree.“I’ll get the food, you grab the beer.”
“Sounds good to me.”He raised his eyebrows and lowered his voice, so it was dramatically sexy.“So, babe, your place or mine?”
She laughed at his antics.“Um, mine, if it doesn’t matter to you.I have a few things in here that need to be refrigerated.”She indicated her half-full cart.“Besides, you haven’t seen my new place yet.”
