Colbey stared right at Seth. “Your boyfriend. Ever seen the inside of a jail cell, Seth?”
Chapter8
Mia set up the murder board in the sheriff’s office, trying not to notice how odd the place felt without Pete in it. Oh, Pete hadn’t deserved the sheriff’s job, but the idea of working here without him, especially since she’d been so wrong about him, chilled her until she shivered.
“You okay?” Kurt asked.
“I’m fine.” She looked down at the badge once again clipped to her waist. She’d wanted this for so long, but it didn’t feel right.
She used two old corkboards, one for the newest cases and the other for Delaney’s. It was nice having all the file folders back in her possession. “I’m telling you, it could be the same guy.”
Kurt sat at the conference table with case files in front of him, reading autopsy reports and looking at crime scene photos. “It can’t be the same guy. You killed Delaney.” He jerked. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
She tried to swallow over her suddenly dry throat. He was correct—shehadkilled Delaney.
“I’m sorry,” Kurt apologized, his blond hair swept back and away from his face. “I know the first time you shoot somebody, the first time you have to kill, is difficult. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you afterward.”
She didn’t tell him that it wasn’t the first time she’d killed somebody. That was a secret she’d take to the grave. Not that Seth and his brother didn’t know. They’d found out during the last case, but there was no reason for her to confide in Kurt Colbey ever again.
Kurt cleared his throat. “So, we need to talk about Seth Volk.”
Mia looked at the case board she’d just created, featuring the new victims. She didn’t have one for suspects. Well, that wasn’t true. She had a board for suspects, but only two big question marks were on it. It was either Delaney’s partner or somebody new.
“I think I should approach this case as if Delaney had a partner and go back through his life with a fine-tooth comb,” she murmured. “Why don’t you approach it as if this is a copycat? We’ll see if we meet in the middle somewhere.”
“I’d love to meet in the middle,” Kurt said, his voice lowering.
She rolled her eyes. “Knock it off, Kurt.”
He sighed. “Listen, I said I was sorry, and I meant it. You can’t be serious about this backwoods country smartass who says he owns the whole place. He’s not your type.”
Mia took a deep breath and turned. If Kurt only had a clue. “I am serious about Seth, and you and I are never going to happen again.” She faced him directly, ensuring he’d get her message this time. “I am more than happy to work with you on this case, and we can even be friends, but that’s it. You need to knock it off.”
His jaw firmed. She had thought him very good-looking when they dated, but that was before she met Seth Volk. While Kurt had very nice facial features, he didn’t come close to the animal magnetism living within Seth’s skin. She grinned at her internal joke. Seth was all animal.
“What’s so funny?” Kurt’s lips curved into a smile.
She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand. Please tell me we can move on and catch this guy.”
Kurt sighed. “Fine, if that’s what you want, but please at least tell me you forgive me. I should have stood by you when everything went down...and I didn’t.”
“You’re forgiven,” she said easily. Truth be told, Kurt Colbey didn’t matter to her anymore.
Her legs trembled, so she nonchalantly drew out a chair to sit. Maybe she was coming down with something else besides that annoying cold. She worried her bottom lip at the thought that Seth’s bite had unleashed something unhealthy in her. She was supposed to be getting stronger, not weaker. Yet, she just didn’t feel right.
“You okay?” Kurt asked.
She nodded. “Yes.” Clearing her throat, she reached for the thickest file on Delaney. She’d memorized it, but looking back over old notes never hurt. Robert Joseph Delaney had been a lawyer moonlighting as a taxi driver in DC. He had stalked, kidnapped, and strangled his victims...before leaving them in a dumpster. All of them were sex workers, and they’d all suffered at his hands.
“Mia?” Kurt asked.
She looked up. “What?”
“I meant it when I said we need to talk about Seth. In a professional capacity.”
“Oh.” She leaned back. “What about him?”
Kurt shifted uncomfortably on his chair. His lips turned down, and he looked away before refocusing on her. “Listen, we talked to a couple of people who hinted that Seth might have been responsible for Pete’s death.”
