This was priceless. Fury swept away the emotions wearing down her resistance. “Like you don’t.” She leaned in close, stuck her face in his. “You’re so full of shit, Kale Conner. You dropped out of college to take care of the family business. You never went back. You’re living your father’s life, not yours. How are we different?”
He shrugged those broad shoulders. “I do what I do to take care of my family, not to run away from my past.”
“Really?” He was so damned blind. “Then why not go back to school when your brother finishes? Let him take the helm for a while.” When he would have argued with her suggestion, she added, “Or are you afraid you can’t do it?” She had to laugh. “Why not let DeputyBrighton, or the chief’s personal assistant, make an honest man out of you? Are you afraid of personal commitment, too?” He had no right to throw stones.
“You’re right.” He held up his hands in surrender. “I put my life on hold to take care of other obligations. Eventually I need to get back to my own goals.” He shook his head. “But you, you’re the one who’s scared. You have no excuse for running away from your life. You have no family obligations. You have choices. Choices I didn’t have. And you’re pretending they don’t exist. It’s all about work. It’s all about hiding from the emotions that scare the hell out of you.”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m all about work.” She glared at him. “And that’s the way I like it. Work is my life. That is my choice.”
He looked away, shook his head. “You don’t want to see what you’re missing.” He stared deep into her eyes then. “Will you feel better about yourself if you solve the mystery every time? Will that make you happy?”
“You want to make me happy, Conner?” She set her hands back on her hips. “Tell me about Alicia Appleton.”
He wouldn’t look at Sarah now. Good.
“The killer used the same MO as before.” Ramming a hand through his hair, he surrendered to her demand. “Cause of death was exactly the same.”
Renewed anticipation pushed all the other bullshit aside. “Exactly the same?”
He nodded. “The sick bastard sewed her eyes shut and wrote ‘snob’ on her torso. She was restrained with glue, just like Valerie.”
“Anything else?” Damn it. They had to catch a break here. “Was there something in her throat?”
He continued to look anywhere but at her. He rubbed the back of his neck, the tension obviously getting to him. “Yeah, the missing crown.” His eyes met hers then, showed the horror mere words could not convey. “Broken into four pieces. He ... ah ... stuffed the pieces into her throat and then taped her mouth shut.”
Sarah mentally blocked the images for the moment. It was the only way to maintain her objectivity. “No other evidence, nothing?”
“There was something different this time.” He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Like her, he was exhausted. “A drug. They found a beta-blocker in the preliminary tox screen. Oh, yeah, and bleach on her skin. It turns out both victims had been washed with a solution containing bleach.”
A beta-blocker? She frowned. Considered the implications of that strategy. The bleach was a no-brainer. “He was making sure there was no trace evidence left behind.” Which meant he didn’t want to get caught anytime soon.
Sarah could only imagine what Rachel Appleton was going through right now after hearing the details. Damn this bastard!
“You’re sure you’re okay?” He searched her eyes, her face. “After what happened?”
They were back to that again. “You mean with Lex?” What did it take to show this guy she didn’t need him taking care of her?
Conner nodded.
Sarah grappled for patience. “No, Conner. I’m not okay about it.” These people just didn’t understand how the game was played. “But I recognize that Lex accomplished his goal, and that seriously pisses me off.”
Confusion lined his too-handsome face. “I don’t understand.”
“He ensured that there’s no chance in hell the chief is going to allow me even close to the investigation. He’s got you second-guessing my stability and feeling all sorry for me. He manipulated all of you and you don’t even know it.” When Conner still didn’t look convinced, she went on, “Trust me, every move Lex August makes, every word that comes out of his mouth, is a tactical maneuver. He eats, sleeps, and breathes this shit.”
Fury tightened Conner’s jaw. “I should have beaten the hell out of him.”
“For what?” She should be flattered that he wanted to protect her honor, but she wasn’t. She didn’t need anyone taking care of her. “For using me to accomplish his goal?” Conner’s gaze collided with hers. “This isn’t over. I’ll have my move and then he’ll be the one pissed off.”
A halfhearted shrug lifted one shoulder. Conner suddenly seemed at a loss as to what to say next. “I just needed to be sure you were okay.”
How did she get this through his head? “I’ll never be okay, Conner, but I can live with it.”
“Well.” He reached for his coat. “I guess I should go ... then.”
She hated this. She didn’t want him sorry or worried. How did she get the old Conner back? The one who respected her ability and wasn’t scared to death she’d crack? The one who had sex with her in a car ... in the cemetery of all places.
“You’re leaving?”
