“Sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to be here.”

Brodey’s gaze traveled over her cashmere sweater, worn jeans and loafers, then came back up, lingering on her face, making her cheeks fire. My goodness, the man has a way. Had she known she’d be seeing anyone, particularly the intriguing detective, she’d have dressed more appropriately. But at 4:00 a.m., that thought hadn’t crossed her mind.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “The colours for the kitchen were driving me mad. Where’s your sling?”

“You’re here by yourself?”

“Of course.”

“Anyone ever tell you it’s dangerous for a woman to be driving around a city alone in the middle of the night?”

Prior to her panic a minute ago, she hadn’t even questioned it. Maybe she should have. But that was the trusting part of her. The part that didn’t include the male species and wanted to see pretty things instead of danger. She wasn’t a complete lunatic and understood the world to be a dangerous place, but when it came to her creative process, certain things, like possible danger, couldn’t get in her way. “I live ten minutes from here.”

“A lot can happen in ten minutes.”

The Detective

Adrienne Giordano

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ADRIENNE GIORDANO, a USA TODAY bestselling author, writes romantic suspense and mystery. She is a Jersey girl at heart, but now lives in the Midwest with her workaholic husband, sports obsessed son and Buddy the wheaten terrorist (terrier). For more information on Adrienne’s books, please visit www.adriennegiordano.com or download the Adrienne Giordano app. For information on Adrienne’s street team, go to facebook.com/groups/dangerousdarlings.

Table of Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Lexi Vanderbilt’s mother taught her two very important lessons. One, always wear coordinating lipstick, and two, recognize an opportunity when it presented itself.

Standing in the ballroom of the newly renovated Gold Coast Country Club, Lexi planned on employing those lessons.

All around her workers prepared for the throng of club members who would descend in—she checked her watch—ninety-three minutes. As the interior designer about to unveil her latest masterpiece, she would spend those ninety-three minutes tending to everything from flowers to linens to centerpieces. A waiter toting a tray of sparkling champagne glasses cruised by. She took in the not-so-perfect cut of his tux and groaned. The staff’s attire wasn’t her jurisdiction. Still, small details never escaped her. At times, like now, it was maddening.

Oh, and just wait one second. “Excuse me,” she said to a woman carrying a stack of tablecloths. “The sailboat ice sculpture belongs on the dessert table by the window. The Willis Tower goes by the champagne fountain.”

The woman hefted the pile of linens, a not-so-subtle hint that the sculptures weren’t her problem. “Does it matter?”

If it didn’t, I wouldn’t ask. Lexi sighed. “It matters. Unless you’d like to tell your boss, who specifically requested the placement of the sculptures, that it doesn’t.”

For added effect, Lexi grinned and the woman rolled her eyes. “I’ll get the busboys to move it.”

“Thank you.”

One minicrisis averted. And maybe she could have let that one slide given that the club’s manager had to be 110 years old and most likely wouldn’t remember which sculpture went where, but why take a chance on something easily fixed?

Besides, tonight everything had to be perfect.

Functions attended by the richest of the rich were a breeding ground for opportunities. Opportunities Lexi craved for her fledgling design company. At twenty-nine, she’d already been profiled by the Banner-Herald and all the major broadcast stations in the city. She was quickly gaining ground on becoming Chicago’s “it” designer, and that meant dethroning Jerome Laddis, the current “it” designer. He may have had more experience, but Lexi had youth, energy and fresh ideas on her side. A few more insanely wealthy clients touting Lexi’s work and look out, Jerome.

Then she’d hire an assistant, rehab her disaster of a garage into an office and get some sleep.

Lots of it.

Right now, as she glanced around, took in the exquisite silk drapes, the hundred-thousand-dollar chandelier and hand-scraped floor she’d had flown in from Brazil, no questions on the tiny details would haunt her. She’d make sure of it. Even if stress-induced hospitalization loomed in her near future.

The upshot? She’d lost five pounds in the past two weeks. Always a silver lining.

“Alexis?”

Lexi turned, her long gown swishing against the floor and snagging on her shoe. She smiled at Pamela Hennings while casually adjusting her dress. Darned floor-length gowns. “Mrs. Hennings, how nice to see you.”

Mrs. Hennings air-kissed and stepped back. On her petite frame she wore a fitted gown in her signature sky blue that matched her eyes. The gown draped softly at the neckline, displaying minimal cleavage. As usual, a perfect choice.

“I love what you’ve done in here,” Mrs. Hennings said. “Amazing job.”

Being a club board member, she had no doubt shown up early to make sure the unveiling of the new room would be nothing short of remarkable. “Thank you. I enjoyed it. Just a few last-minute details and we’ll be ready.”

“Everything is lovely. Even the damned ice sculptures Raymond couldn’t live without. Waste of money if you ask me, but some battles aren’t worth fighting.”

So true.

A loud bang from the corner of the room assaulted Lexi’s ears. Please let that be silverware. She shifted her gaze left and spotted the waiter who’d passed her earlier scooping utensils onto a tray. Thank you.

Mrs. Hennings touched Lexi’s arm. “By the bye, I think I have Gerald convinced his study needs an update. All that dark wood is depressing.”

Now, that would be a thrill. If Lexi landed the job and nailed it, the top 10 percent of Chicago’s executives would know it. And competition ran hot with this social set. Before long, they’d be lined up outside her office for a crack at outdoing Pamela and Gerald Hennings.

“I think,” Lexi said, “for him we could leave touches of the dark woods. Macassar ebony would be fabulous on the floor.”

“Ooh, yes. Do you have time this week? Maybe you could come by and work up some sketches?”

“Of course.” Lexi whipped her phone from her purse and scrolled to her calendar. “How about early next week? Tomorrow I’m starting a new project that might eat up the rest of my week.”

“I’ll make sure I’m available. What’s this new project? Can you share?”

Rich folks. Always wanting the inside scoop. “Actually, it’s quite fascinating. Remember the murdered broker?”

“The one from Cartright? How could I not? The entire neighborhood went into a panic.”

The residents of Cartright, the North Side’s closest thing to a gated community without the gates, employed private security to help patrol the six city blocks that made up their self-titled haven. That extra money spent on security kept the crime rate nearly nonexistent in those six city blocks.

Except for the offing of one crooked stockbroker.

“That’s the one,” Lexi said. “I’ve been hired to stage the house. The real-estate agent suggested it to the broker’s widow and she hired me.”

“I heard they couldn’t sell. The market is destroying her. That poor woman. He left her with a mountain of trouble. He paid top dollar and if she lowers the price again, she won’t make enough to clear his debts. Add to that any retribution owed to the clients he borrowed funds from without their knowledge.”

As expected, Pamela Hennings was up to speed on the latest gossip. Gossip that Lexi would not share. Being told this information about a client was one thing. Sharing it? Not happening. “I’m looking forward to the project. It’s an incredible house.”

Being an interior designer didn’t always give Lexi the chance to change someone’s life. Her work allowed people to see the beauty in color and texture and shape and made their homes more than just a place to live, but she didn’t often get the opportunity to alter an emotionally devastating situation. Now she had the chance. Getting this house sold would free the broker’s widow from debt and give her children a comfortable life.

And Lexi wanted to see that happen.

Plus, if she got the thing sold in forty-five days, she’d make a whopping 20 percent bonus. The bonus alone would pay for an assistant and give her a life back.

Nap, here I come.

Mrs. Hennings made a tsk-tsk noise. “They never did find the murderer, did they?”

“No. Which I think is part of the problem. I may do a little of my feng shui magic in there. Clear all the negativity out. When I’m finished, that house will be beautiful and bright and homey.”

“The debt, the children and now the police can’t find the murderer. And it’s been what, two years? No woman deserves to be left with that.”

Again, Lexi remained quiet. Don’t get sucked in. But, yes, it had been two years, and from what Lexi knew, the police were no closer to finding the man’s killer. Such a tragedy. “The case has gone cold.”

Sucked in. She smacked her lips together.

“You know,” Mrs. Hennings said, “my husband’s firm recently did some work with a pro bono cold case. I wonder if the investigator who worked on that wouldn’t mind taking a look at this. I’d love to see the man’s family given some relief. And, let’s face it, it would certainly be good PR for the firm.”

It certainly would.

Investigative help wouldn’t hurt the real-estate agent’s chances—or Lexi’s—of getting the house sold in forty-five days. “Do you think they’d be interested?”

“Oh, I’m sure it can be arranged.”

Gerald Hennings, aka the Dapper Defense Lawyer, pushed through the oversize ballroom doors, spotted the two women and unleashed a smile. Even in his sixties, he had charm to spare. Salt-and-pepper hair and the carved cheekbones of a man who’d once been devastatingly handsome—all combined with his intelligence—added up to someone who ruled a courtroom.

“Gerald,” Mrs. Hennings said, “perfect timing. The board meeting will be upstairs. Believe it or not, we’re the first ones here.”

The Dapper DL eyed his wife with a hint of mischief, smiling in a rueful way that probably slayed jurors. “Shocking.” Then he turned his charm loose on Lexi. “Alexis Vanderbilt, how are you?”

“I’m fine, Mr. Hennings. Thank you. And yourself?”

“I was quite well until fifteen seconds ago when my wife announced my timing was perfect. That means I’ll either be writing you a healthy check or she’s volunteered me for something. Either way, I’m sure it will be painful.”

* * *

BRODEY HAYWARD BLEW out a breath as he watched his sister saunter into the Hennings & Solomon reception area. Finally she’d stopped wearing her blouses unbuttoned to her belly button. He never needed to see that much of Jenna’s skin and said a silent thanks to whichever saint covered brothers in distress.

Jenna stopped in front of him and gave him a half hug so she didn’t bump his sling and the wrecked arm inside of it.

“Nice shirt,” he said.

She waved him off. “Don’t start.”

Hey, he couldn’t help it if he had opinions. “Just commenting is all.”

“How’s the elbow?”

“It works.”

“So, it’s killing you.”

He didn’t bother answering. What good would it do? Six weeks ago he’d blown out his elbow changing a damned tire. The guys at the precinct tore that one up. Hey, Hayward, helluva way to go out on disability. Hey, Hayward, you’d better make up a better story. Hey, Hayward, real detectives don’t get hurt changing a tire. Each day a slew of texts came in from his squad mates, and it didn’t look as if the taunting would end soon because the surgery on his elbow left him with a raging infection that earned him a second surgery and another six weeks of leave. Leave that was slowly, deliberately, driving him insane. Torture was the only way to describe the abundance of nothingness that filled his days. As a homicide detective, he could tolerate a lot of things.

Boredom was not one of them.

Hell, he’d even taken to driving to his parents’ house each day for cop talk with his retired detective father. A week into that, his mother had booted him and told him to get a life.

Thanks, Mom.

Jenna motioned him down the long corridor. “Thanks for coming in first thing. We’re meeting in the conference room. You sure you’re okay with this?”

“Yeah. I’m not getting paid. All I’m doing is giving you my opinion, right?”

“Right.”

“Then I’m not violating any rules.”

Jenna—a private investigator for Hennings & Solomon—had called him the night before asking if he’d assist on a cold case that somehow landed in her lap. Why not? He could kill time—no pun intended—and keep his mind sharp for his eventual return to the job. Plus, there’d be no emotional involvement with this case. Technically, it wasn’t his, so he could walk away without running himself through a meat grinder over it.

“Good. I’ve looked over all the files, but I’m missing something.”

Brodey followed Jenna while eyeing the art lining the walls. Some would call it modern. He’d call it weird with all those slashes of color, but whatever. Art meant a real picture of something. A woman in a park, a kid flying a kite, something he could look at and recognize. This hoity-toity stuff, he didn’t get.

They reached the conference room, where a huge whiteboard smothered with notes and charts covered one wall. His sister had been busy. She’d also done a fine job of organizing her evidence.

She gestured to the wall. “I have it all laid out for you. Just the way Dad taught us.”

He wandered to the board and glanced at Jenna’s notes. Victim’s name, Jonathan Williams. Scene of the crime, brownstone on the cushy North Side. Cause of death, gunshot to the head.

“Crime-scene photos?”

“No. I was hoping you or Dad could help with that.”

Not if he wanted to stay under the radar he couldn’t. “I’ll talk to Dad. Tell me again how you got this case.”

“It’s kind of convoluted.”

“It always is, Jenna.”

“Remember how I worked on Brent’s mom’s murder case a few months back?”

How could a guy forget Brent, the giant deputy US marshal who had stolen his sister’s heart and managed to convince her she didn’t need to walk around half-naked for people to notice her? Brent had enough baggage to fill a 747 jet and Jenna had still fallen in love with him. If nothing else, it showed a boy could overcome a rotten childhood and grow into an honorable man.

“So this has to do with Brent?”

“No. Mrs. Hennings. She was the one who convinced my boss to take on Brent’s case. She’s at it again with this one.”

Did someone say convoluted? “Oooookay.”

“Mrs. Hennings attended a social function and ran into a decorator she knows.”

Brodey gawked. A decorator? This should be good.

Jenna held her hand up before he could crack wise. “The decorator was hired by a real-estate agency to stage the house of the murder victim. The house has been on the market for two years and they’re about to drop the price. Before they did that, the victim’s estranged wife—they were separated, but not yet divorced—wanted to try redecorating it. I suppose when a house is worth close to two million hiring a decorator isn’t an issue.”

Brodey let out a low whistle. “I’ll say. Why am I here?”

“The decorator told Mrs. Hennings about the house, and here we are.”

“What do you get out of it?”

“My boss’s undying gratitude for keeping him out of trouble with his wife.”

Brodey laughed. One thing about Jenna, she knew how to stay on a man’s good side. He pointed to the board. “Whatcha got?”

“You may remember this case. He was a stockbroker living the good life until the market crashed. For years he’d basically been running a Ponzi scheme with his clients’ money. His marriage fell apart and he was drowning in debt. The FBI eventually caught up to him and he was under investigation.”

“He was murdered before the Feds charged him, right? Is that the guy?”

“Yes. On the day his body was found, he didn’t show up for a meeting with his biggest client. That was unusual so his firm called his wife. Apparently he hadn’t updated his emergency contact at the office so her cell phone was the only number they had.”

“Ah, damn. Don’t tell me the ex found him.”

Jenna nodded. “In the laundry room.”

Poor woman. Brodey still hadn’t gotten used to viewing murder victims’ bodies, inhaling that nasty metallic odor of blood and trying to remain unaffected. Forget about a loved one. That? No way.

Refusing to give in to his thoughts, Brodey stood, arms folded, studying the board. “I think I remember this. Looked like a robbery gone bad, right?”

“Yes. In the two years since the murder, the widow has spent most of the insurance money settling their debts, but she’s not in the clear yet. It’s a mess. With the divorce pending, the finances hadn’t been worked out. The house was paid off, but she can’t unload it and needs the cash.”

“Enter our illustrious decorator.”

Jenna gave him a snarky grin. “You’re so smart.”

Whatever, wisenheimer. “The house is empty?”

“Yes. Why?”

He waved at the board. “No photos. I don’t know what you want me to do without seeing the crime scene.”

His sister should have known he’d need photos or some kind of visual. Or maybe that was just the way his mind worked. Needing to see how the crime occurred, run the scenarios, figure the timing and options. All of it helped him work a case.

“I wasn’t sure how involved you wanted to be.”

Outside of being bored out of his skull, he didn’t want to be involved. He’d made detective only a year ago and wasn’t about to aggravate his boss by poking around in another guy’s case. This case wasn’t even his jurisdiction. This belonged to the North Side guys, while he worked Area Central.

“Yeah, but I can’t help you if I don’t know what I’m dealing with. Take me to the house. I’ll walk through it and then study what you have here. Then I’ll tell you what I think, and I’m out.”

Tops, he was looking at two days of research. Two days of not being bored. Two days of getting closer to the end of his disability leave.

All he had to do was pony up an opinion and send his little sister on her way.

Piece of cake.

Chapter Two

Lexi stood in the expansive living room of the Williamses’ brownstone studying carpet that made her think of dirty snow. Such an abomination. What were they thinking putting that disgusting carpet in this house? Given the budget constraints, she’d have to keep it simple, but she could, without a doubt, restore the house to its classic elegance. Flooring she’d splurge on because the situation begged for hardwood. Everywhere else she’d do subtle but warm paint colors and effective accents with doorknobs, handrails and fixtures.

“Every inch of this carpet has to come up,” she said to Nate, the contractor she’d chosen for this job. “I’m betting there’s hardwood underneath.”

And, if it could be salvaged, it would help her budget.

Nate made notes on his clipboard as they wandered through the house. She liked Nate. They’d worked together on several projects, and although he was closing in on fifty, he had the mind of a thirty-year-old. When he did a renovation, he saw youth and exuberance, and his attention to detail and superior craftsmanship made him her go-to guy on important projects.

She moved through the kitchen—again with the dirty snow? This time it was on the walls. She had nothing against light beige. Neutrals with the right texture and undertones—wisps of green, yellow or orange—gave a room dimension. Depth. This beige?

Awful.

“We’ll be repainting in here.”

“Just tell me what colors.”

“Let’s do that soft gray we did in the Wileys’ kitchen. We’ll add color splashes to brighten it up. It’ll be fabulous with the natural light.”

“Got it.”

The laundry room off the kitchen came next, and she hesitated at the doorway. Did Nate know a man had been murdered in here? The real-estate agent had assured Lexi the scene had been sanitized, but what made her nervous, made that little twitch in her cheek fire, was what had seeped beneath the tile. When they tore up that floor, would they find dried blood?

Lexi reached in and groped along the wall for the light switch. Where are you? Got it. The room, roughly ten by ten, lit up, its glossy white walls glowing. A built-in closet with shelves and coat hooks and storage bins lined one wall. The opposite wall housed the washer and dryer.

How odd that the only room not needing updating was the one room she’d been directed to completely redesign.

Then again, a dead body tended to destroy positive energy. She glanced at the floor, imagined Jonathan Williams sprawled across the slate-look porcelain and closed her eyes, hoping to clear that nasty image. A dead body definitely killed creativity. Ditch the body. She opened her eyes again. “I’d like to know what’s under the tile. It’s a shame they want this redone. With all the traffic that comes through here, porcelain is perfect.” She waggled her fingers. “Give me your hammer. Please.”

The tile had to come up anyway and, well, she didn’t want to stress about what had seeped under there. She’d find out now. Face it head-on, as she did any other issue.

Nate pulled the hammer from his tool belt and handed it over. She squatted, ready to administer that first whack, when the front door chime sounded. Someone coming in.

“You expecting someone?” Nate asked.

“No. Hello?” she hollered.

No response. A few seconds later a man appeared—and what a man he was with all that lush dark hair. He wore a sling on his right arm, flat-front khakis and a white button-down shirt under a leather jacket. The arm in the sling was tucked under the jacket, his sleeve hanging loose. His lace-up oxfords were just the right touch. Not too formal, not too casual. His dark emerald eyes zoomed in on the hammer and his jaw—really nice, strong jaw—locked. Modern-day Indiana Jones here.

He stepped forward. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Excuse me?”

Grabbing the hammer with his free hand, he gave it back to Nate. “You can’t do that.”

“I most certainly can. Who’re you?”

“Who’re you? Wait. Don’t tell me. You’re the decorator.”

Oh, and the way he said it. All sarcastic and snippy as if she was some dope. Some airhead incapable of forming a sentence. She breathed in, counted to three and stood tall. “I’m the interior designer. Alexis Vanderbilt. Hired by the owner of this home to do my magic. That includes tearing up this tile. Something I’d rather not do, but when a client makes a request, I generally respond.”

“Brodey?” A woman called from the front of the house.

Brodey. Had Brenda Williams mentioned a Brodey? Lexi ticked names off in her mind. No Brodey.

“Back here,” Brodey Whoever said. “I just met the decorator.”

“Well, technically, we haven’t met. All you’ve done is come in here and make unreasonable demands.”

That made Brodey Whoever smile, and it wasn’t just one of those run-of-the-mill, see-it-every-day smiles. This smile developed slowly, like a growing—and sometimes devastating—wave. Hello, smile.

“You’re right,” he said. “My apologies. I’m Brodey Hayward. I’d shake your hand, but...”

He gestured to his sling just as a stunning brunette stepped behind him. When the brunette spotted Nate and Lexi, her head jerked back. “Oh, hello.”

Now might be as good a time as any for Lexi to take up meditation. “Excuse me, but who are you people?”

The brunette angled around Brodey and stuck her hand out. “I’m Jenna Hayward from Hennings & Solomon. I’m a private investigator assisting on Mr. Williams’s case. I believe you’re aware we’d be helping. This is my brother Brodey. He’s a—”

“I’m helping,” Brodey interrupted, clearly not wanting his sister to explain.

How very interesting. Mental note: do an internet search on Brodey Hayward.

The investigators. Got it. Lexi shook Jenna’s hand. “Right. I’m sorry. Mrs. Williams hadn’t mentioned you were coming by today. We should be done in the next hour or so. Feel free to ignore us. Now, if you’ll step back, I need to see what’s under this tile.” She flopped her hand out to Nate. “Hammer, please?”

“I don’t think so,” Brodey said.

“Pardon?”

“An unsolved murder occurred in this room. Could be potential evidence under there.” He jerked his thumb to the kitchen. “How about working around this area until I can look at it?”

Again, Lexi breathed deep. Channeled her inner calm. “Mr. Hayward—”

“Brodey is fine.”

“Brodey. Great. Thank you. Now, I’m sure the Chicago Police Department has been through here.” She waggled her hands. “They have all their crime-scene people and whatnot. After all, this house has been empty for two years.”

Two years without an offer because potential buyers were spooked about the murder in a supposed high-security community.

Imitating her gesture, Brodey waggled his hand. “If it’s been empty all that time, another hour won’t hurt.” He stepped aside. “If you’ll excuse us, we have work to do.”

The inner warrior in Lexi didn’t just yell, she roared. Frustration railed, turning her vision a starker white than the glossy walls. She didn’t care what kind of an investigator Brodey Hayward was. Treating them like rodents would not do. Relax. This is not a problem until you make it one. Lexi swung to Nate. “Would you give us a minute, please?”

He nodded. “Sure thing.”

Jenna, the beautiful brunette, stepped aside, smiling at Nate as he gave her more—much more—than a brief once-over. She smiled, but averted her eyes, letting Nate know in expert fashion he should forget about her and keep on moving. Nice move on her part. But right now, Lexi needed to strike a deal. Figure out how long they needed to be here and when she could start tearing the place apart. Compromise. That was what she’d do.

“Brodey, I’m trying to get this house redesigned and sold in forty-five days. Do you have any idea what an undertaking that is?”

He smiled at her, a slow, cocky grin that would surely lead to a sarcastic remark. “I’m sure you’re being well compensated.”

Bingo. Everyone liked to rip on the decorator. How she hated that word. As if her bachelor’s in interior design coupled with her master’s in business didn’t qualify her for the Intelligent Club. “Okay, well, just so you know, it’s a huge undertaking. But I’ll get it done. I’m a woman with the promised land in sight and I want the promised land. Tell me how long you need to be in here and I’ll see if I can make that happen.”

“So, all you care about is selling this house? Doesn’t matter that a guy bled out in here?”

Of course it mattered. That was the point. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it. This place has been a financial drain on Mrs. Williams. And, simply put, I like her and she deserves a break. If we get the house sold, she can put her children’s lives back together. If that’s even possible.”

Behind Brodey, his sister was all big blue eyes taking in not just every word, but every vowel, and Lexi didn’t like an audience. She sighed, grasped the sleeve of Brodey’s jacket and drew him into the kitchen away from Jenna.

Once in the far corner, Lexi let go of him and folded her arms. “We’ve definitely gotten off to a bad start here. I want to help you. I do. And it’s not about my compensation.”

Not entirely.

Brodey, quite handsome in his khaki pants and button-down shirt, studied her. Typically, she didn’t go for noncorporate guys. And it had nothing to do with her being a snob. Not one bit. Her world revolved around the ultrawealthy, and with that came an acceptance of spending ridiculous amounts of cash on items most people couldn’t afford to spend ridiculous amounts of cash on. Regular Joes tended to scoff at twenty-thousand-dollar sofas. For up-and-coming executives, it was the norm.

And they didn’t think her frivolous for it.

But something about Brodey Hayward’s dark green eyes made her think of fresh air, lazy days and picnics by the lake. Something she hadn’t allowed herself in a long—very long—time. Her business had taken priority in her life. Yes, she dated, had even thought she’d fallen in love once. At least until she found her up-and-coming executive across his desk exploring his intern’s anatomy. Such a cliché.

Brodey cocked his head and grinned. “You were saying?”

She held up one finger. “Right. Yes. I was saying that each day this house sits on the market, Mrs. Williams is one step closer to financial ruin. I can help change that, but it won’t happen overnight. I need to tear up floors and repaint. I need to dismantle part of the house.”

“And destroy possible evidence.”

She gritted her teeth. “Which is not my intention. Are you always this way?”

“What way?”

“Contrary.”

He shrugged. “I’m a cop.”

Lexi dipped her head forward. “You’re a cop? I thought you were a private investigator?”

“No. Jenna is the PI. I’m a homicide detective. Chicago PD.”

“Oh.”

“But, I’m not on this case in an official capacity. I’m giving my sister an opinion. That’s all. I’m here to look at the scene and then I’m gone.”

“You could have said that. I mean, we went through this whole thing and you’re here for a quick visit?”

“There might still be evidence somewhere. Particularly in that laundry room.”

She’d say one thing about Brodey Hayward—the man had a spine. And the way he stood there, shoulders back, so confident and, well, commanding, even in a sling, she didn’t think for one second he’d let her take a hammer to that tile.

This might take a while. Lexi turned back and peered at the laundry room doorway, where Jenna put her thumbs to work on her phone. “Well, maybe I could work around that room. For now. How much time do you need?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Now you’re just being annoying.”

Brodey laughed. “Maybe. But it’s partially true. Give me an hour and we’ll see what’s what. Is that a deal?”

“One hour?”

“Yes.”

“Deal.”

Chapter Three

An hour turned into two and Brodey wasn’t done. He squatted in the laundry room, ran his free hand over a chipped edge of grout. Without the actual case file outlining the details of the crime scene, he couldn’t form any solid opinions.

He was flying blind. In the dark. Although, if he was flying blind, it would already be dark.

And, hell no, he would not get sucked into this. He’d give an opinion. That was it. Unfortunately, giving an opinion required a basic understanding of the case.

“I need the case file,” he said to Jenna.

His sister stood in the doorway, leaning against the door frame. “I don’t have that.”

“I still need it.”

Maybe he could cash in on a couple of favors. Or his father could. Being a retired detective, the old man had more contacts in the department. And it would keep Brodey off the radar.

Alexis strode into the kitchen, her sky-high heels clicking on the tile. “How’s it going?”

Even on those heels, he looked down at her. Judging by his six-foot-one size, he’d put her at around five-four. Five-five if he wanted to be generous.

Alexis Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt.

Her name stank of money. Seriously, how many women walked around in five-inch heels, a pair of tight-fitting black pants that made a man’s mind go wild and a blazer over—get this—a leather halter-top-looking thing. Who did that?

Nobody Brodey knew. That was for sure.

But he kinda liked it. From a purely male point of view.

“It’s not going,” he said.

“Excuse me?”

“I need to talk to your client.”

Jenna stepped farther into the room to make way for Alexis. “I could have Mr. Hennings contact her.”

Alexis dragged her phone from her jacket pocket. “I’ll call her.”

Maybe the sexy decorator wasn’t so bad after all. Brodey grinned. “Thank you.”

She gave him a sarcastic, bunchy-cheeks grin. “It has nothing to do with your enormous charm. It’ll be faster if I call her. By the time Jenna tracks down her boss and he calls my client, you could be on your way over there. I’m all for efficiency.”

That made two of them. And when efficiency looked like Alexis Vanderbilt, preferably a naked Alexis Vanderbilt because yeah, he was wondering what that looked like, he’d welcome it any day, any time without a doubt. Professionalism aside, he was still a guy who liked action. Plenty of it.

“Brenda?” Alexis said into her phone. “Hi. It’s Lexi Vanderbilt...yes...I’m fine.”

Lexi. He liked that. It fit with her sassy attitude. She bobbed her head while going through the pleasantries with her client and Brodey surmised that, like him, she had issues being idle. For any length of time.

“Yes,” she said. “I’m at the house now. There are two investigators here from Hennings & Solomon.”

Technically, Brodey wasn’t from Hennings & Solomon, but he’d let that go. Not worth the hassle.

“They got here a couple of hours ago,” Lexi continued, “and they have questions for you. Would you be able to speak with them?”

Three seconds passed. Then she handed Brodey the phone. He immediately looked at his sister, waggling the phone at her to make sure she didn’t want to take the lead. She shook her head.

Excellent answer. Not that he would have minded her taking the call, but when the phone hit his hand he got that familiar push of adrenaline, that spark that came with a fresh case and the possibility of leads. At the age of thirty-two, he hadn’t been a detective long enough to turn jaded. The older guys on the squad liked to call him Greenhorn. Being the youngest—and newest—detective to join his squad, he still viewed every case as an opportunity to make a difference while the old guys hoped to retire with their sanity. Twenty years of working homicides on the streets of Chicago would emotionally annihilate even the toughest of the tough. Brodey hoped to retire long before annihilation occurred and already had a start on a healthy nest egg.

He held the phone to his ear. “Mrs. Williams, this is Brodey Hayward. Thank you for taking my call.”

There was a short pause and Brodey checked the screen to make sure the call hadn’t dropped. Nope. Still there. “Hello?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’m here. I needed to step into the other room. My youngest is playing and I didn’t want her to hear.”

The youngest, according to Jenna, had been three when her father died. So, she’d be five now and Brodey tried to imagine that, tried to imagine growing up without his own father, without the memories of ball games and amusement parks and beach visits. All of it a dead loss. Poor kids. A squeeze in his chest ambushed him and he held his breath a second, waited for the pressure to ease before exhaling and clearing his throat.

Stay focused. Forget the kids. That was what he needed to do. “No problem. Are you able to answer some questions for me? I could drop by.”

Because really, what he wanted to see was her. Study her body language and responses. Call him cynical, even as a rookie detective, but the spouse—particularly an estranged one—always got a solid look.

“Now?”

“Yes, ma’am. If it’s convenient.”

“I need to pick up my son from school and then take him to basketball practice at four-thirty. Lexi is coming by at four with samples. I can’t imagine that will take long. I could meet with you then, also. Would that work?”

He wasn’t sure how Lexi would feel about that, but in his mind, murder trumped decorating, so he’d make an executive decision. “I’ll make it work, ma’am. Thank you.”

Brodey disconnected and handed Lexi the phone. “We’re riding shotgun on your four o’clock.”

“Say again?”

“She said you were meeting with her at four and we could meet with her then, too. She’s busy running kids around. We need to maximize our time.”

“She only gave me thirty minutes.”

“She’s now splitting that thirty minutes between us. You’ll need to shorten your list.”

* * *

SHORTEN HER LIST? Brodey Hayward had a serious superiority complex if he thought she’d let him dictate how to do her job. First he horned in on her meeting and now he was trying to take over?

“Uh, Brodey?” Jenna said from her spot against the wall. “I can’t meet with her at four. I have another meeting.”

Thank you. At least now Lexi would still get her measly thirty minutes for what could evolve into a two-hour discussion.

Brodey turned to his sister, his posture stiff and unyielding. He held his uninjured arm out. “What do you want to do, then?”

“Hey,” Jenna shot, “don’t get snippy with me. You’re the one who booked a meeting without checking my schedule. If you want to meet with her on your own, go to it. All I’m saying is I can’t be there.”

“I’m not getting snippy.”

“Yes, you are.”

And now the two of them were going to argue. Terrific. Lexi held her hand up. “Can you two fight about this later?”

“We’re not fighting,” Brodey said.

Patience. Lexi squeezed her eyes shut, begging her beloved and departed grandmother to channel some of her legendary patience. Just a bit. Lexi had inherited her gram’s artistic ability, as evidenced by the stack of patchwork quilts she kept in her closet, but she’d be selfish now and ask for patience, too. Just a little. She breathed in and opened her eyes.

“For the record,” Brodey said, “if we were fighting, there’d be yelling.”

Jenna nodded. “And I might throw something.”

“That’s true. She gave me a black eye with a hockey puck once. And somehow, I got in trouble. Figure that one out.” He stepped over to her, lifted his arm, the one in the sling, and winced. “Ow. Forgot about the bum arm.”

“Ha!” Jenna said. “That’s what you get for thinking you’d give me a noogie.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Liar. I know you. And now that you’re injured, you’re a lame duck. Lame, I tell you.”

He and Jenna both laughed. And just that fast—boom—the tension flew from the room.

Being the only child of an artist and a musician, both of whom enjoyed their alone time, Lexi hadn’t experienced sibling rivalry. She wasn’t sure she wanted to, but this? This was different. This was about love and family and history. As much as she wanted to be irritated with these two, watching them snark at each other and then laugh about it tickled something down deep.

But she wouldn’t show them that. Instead, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, you’re not fighting. Glad we cleared that up. What are we doing about this meeting at four?”

“I’ll do it alone.” Brodey turned back to Jenna. “You sure you’re okay with that? It’s your case.”

“It’s fine. Just make sure she knows you’re only helping. I don’t want her upset when you disappear.”

“I will.” He faced Lexi and pulled a pocket notepad from his jacket. “I guess it’s you and me. Where am I meeting you?”

Chapter Four

Brenda Williams’s two-story house butted up against the neighboring homes and looked like any other on the block. Weathered brick, a few steps leading to the small porch that barely spanned the front door, a single large window facing the street on the first floor, all of it as ordinary and indistinguishable as every other structure on the block.

Without a doubt, a long way from the pristine five-thousand-square-foot, multimillion-dollar greystone she’d shared with her husband. That house screamed vintage details on the outside but modern upgrades on the inside. To say the least, Brenda Williams had downsized. Apparently not by choice.

A wicked January wind whipped under Brodey’s open jacket to the blasted sling. Leave it to him to screw up his arm in the dead of winter. Despite the doc’s cautions, Brodey had been ditching the sling for an hour or two each day to give himself some freedom. That hour happened earlier when his shoulder cramped up. Now he was stuck in the sling for the remainder of the day. Unless he wanted his doctor to rail on him. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

He stepped to the side of the concrete walkway leading to the porch and waved Lexi forward. “Do the honors.”

She climbed the stairs, her long coat covering her amazing rear, and on any day he’d call that one of the great tragedies of his lifetime. And that was saying something for a Chicago PD homicide detective.

Twisted perhaps, but hey, the little things kept a guy like him sane.

Lexi rapped on the door, then turned back. “Did you say something?”

Could be. While working a case he talked to himself. A lot. “Probably.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry?”

“I talk to myself. I work crime scenes by talking my way through them, trying to figure out what happened. Half the time I don’t know I’m doing it.” Like now. “What did I say?”

Because given his lack of focus on anything but her delectable rear, he could easily be accused of lascivious thoughts. Thoughts he’d never deny when it came to a woman who looked like Lexi Vanderbilt.

“You were mumbling something about tragedies.”

Phew. Easy one. “Ah. I was thinking about this house versus the one we left. The whole situation is tragic.”

“That it is.”

The front door eased open and a petite brunette wearing jeans, boots and a long gray sweater greeted them. She wore her shoulder-length hair tucked behind her ears, and minimal eye makeup accented her brown eyes. Beautiful eyes. Big and round and probably at one time alluring to any man. All he saw now was sadness.

“Hi, Lexi.”

“Hi, Brenda. We’re a little early. I hope that’s all right.”

“It’s fine. But I just got home, so I’ll need a minute. Come in.”

Brodey followed Lexi into the foyer, where a blast of warm air thawed him. Directly in front of them a staircase with an oak rail and cool twisted spindles led to the second floor. To his left, through a set of glossy white French doors, was the living room.

Children’s voices carried from the end of the hallway. Kitchen probably. Most of these row houses were built with the same basic layout. Living room, small dining room, kitchen on the first floor. Three bedrooms upstairs. He’d lay money on it.

Lexi spun back to him. “Brodey Hayward, this is Brenda Williams.”

“Hello, ma’am. I’d shake your hand, but...” He pointed to his bad arm.

“That must be horrible in this cold. Aren’t you freezing?”

“It’s not bad.”

No sense in complaining about it. In the grand scheme, he could count his problems in three seconds or less, and that alone was enough to be thankful for.

Brenda led them down the long hallway to the back of the house where the kitchen—called it—conjoined with a small sitting area. Didn’t call that one, but he was close enough. That particular room must have been a modification to the original floor plan. That was what he’d go with.

An older boy of about eleven sat with two girls at the round kitchen table. Table for four. The boy met Brodey’s eyes, and nothing in his gaze conveyed anything he should see in a preteen boy’s expression. No mischief, no relaxed demeanor, no lightness. All he saw there was suspicion. A shame, that.

The girl with long blond hair kept her gaze focused on her notebook. Not even a glance at him. The other girl, the one with her brown hair in a ponytail, gave him a cursory once-over and managed a whisper of a smile. Cripes, these kids were locked up tight. Of the three, he guessed the order of ages would be the boy, blonde girl and then ponytail rounding out the pack.

“Sam,” Mrs. Williams said, “please take the kids upstairs to play for a few minutes while I speak with Miss Lexi and Mr. Brodey. We need to leave in half an hour, so make sure you have everything.”

The boy glanced up, his big eyes drooping and, well...miserable. Suppressed. “Okay,” he said. “C’mon, guys. Let’s go.”

The kids left, shuffling out of the room like obedient soldiers, and to Brodey, none of it seemed right. When he was a kid, all they did was yell and run around and get hollered at. They were kids. Kids did stuff like that. This? He didn’t know what this was. Check that. He did know.

This was decimation.

Mrs. Williams watched them go, her gaze glued to them. “It’s a sad day when the eleven-year-old becomes the man of the house.”

“That it is.”

She slid into the chair her son had vacated. “Please, have a seat. I thought we’d work in here so we could spread Lexi’s samples out.”

Would it be rude if he groaned? Probably. But he was a damned homicide detective. What did he know about decorating? He dragged a chair out for Lexi. “You first?”

With any luck, she’d disagree, which was what he really wanted, but since he’d already crashed her meeting he might as well at least try to be accommodating. Even if he hoped it went the other way.

She shook her head. “No. You go first.”

The decorator is growing on me. He gave her chair a gentle push and walked to the other side of the table next to Mrs. Williams.

“What can I help you with, Mr. Hayward?”

From across the table, Lexi handed him the legal pad he’d asked her to stow in her briefcase. Using his usual pocket notepad was impossible with one arm in the sling. Another reason he needed to deep-six the thing. He angled the pad on his lap so he could write on it without disrupting the elbow too much. “It’s Brodey. I have questions. Basic timeline stuff. I’m sure it’s in the case file, but Hennings & Solomon doesn’t have access to those files.”

“Of course. Whatever you need.”

“You separated from your husband a few months before his death. Is that right?”

“Yes. Two months. Things in the marriage had been off. For a while. We tried therapy, but he was so distracted with work, it was a wasted effort. Toward the end, I couldn’t stand his moodiness and the children were miserable. I knew we had to get out.” She waved her hands around the room. “We found this place and moved in.”

Brodey jotted notes, taking a few seconds to get his thoughts in order. Distracted husband. Any number of things could cause that. Money, job in jeopardy, gambling, drugs, an affair. “Were his work distractions typical?”

“Yes and no. He’d always been obsessed with his job, but that last year was worse. When I asked about it, he continually put me off. I knew something was wrong. I just didn’t know what. After he died, I found out he was stealing from his clients, basically using their money to fuel our lifestyle.”

And, hello, fraud investigation. “How?”

“Every time he signed a new client, he’d take money from their account. He’d keep part of it and then pay dividends to existing clients with the rest.” She squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. “My husband ran a Ponzi scheme.” She opened her eyes, stared right into Brodey’s. “We lived on stolen money.”

Beside him, Lexi shifted, played with her fingers, staring down at them as if fascinated. She needed a poker face. But, in her defense, the average citizen should be uncomfortable with this conversation. Not Brodey. To him, this was nothing. “Do you know if he’d received any threats prior to his death?”

“I don’t know. The police asked me, but I was such an idiot—completely in the dark. I know we had a plan. At least I did. I wanted that happily-ever-after. Only, my husband turned out to be a liar and a thief. I’m not the one who committed a crime, but I’m left with the fallout and the paralyzing debt. I guess you could say my plan blew up.”

Sure did.

She shrugged. “I’m trying to make it right. As much as I can anyway. My kids don’t deserve this, and I’m not sure how much to tell them. Sam is old enough to have suspicions, but he’s never asked specific questions and I don’t have it in me to tell him. Does that make me a strong parent or a weak one?”

Brodey wasn’t sure she really wanted an answer and it probably wasn’t his place to give one, but being naive didn’t make her a criminal.

Unless, of course, she murdered her husband.

“I’d say it makes you human,” he said. “You’ll figure out what to tell them when the time is right.”

She met his gaze and her eyebrows lifted a millimeter. Classic body language for surprise. Excellent. If he’d scored points, great, but in this situation, he was damned certain his answer was the right one for different reasons. Reasons that involved three kids who’d lost their father.

Williams was a schmuck, but he was their schmuck.

Brenda glanced at the oversize clock on the wall. “I’m sorry. We’ll need to leave in a few minutes and I know Lexi had some samples for me.”

“Of course,” Brodey said. “Is it all right if I follow up with you in a day or so?”

“Certainly. And thank you. If we can, I’d like to know what happened to him. He wasn’t a great husband, but I loved him. Whatever his sins, I loved him.”

* * *

AT SIX-OH-FIVE Brodey hustled through his parents’ front door and got the shock of his life.

Jenna and Brent, his sister’s massive US marshal of a boyfriend, had beat him there. What the hell? On any normal day, he arrived early and they were late. Tonight, he needed them to be later than he was because one thing was for sure. If dinner was ready and you weren’t there, they didn’t wait.

No. Sir.

“Well, hell. The one time I’m late and you two can’t throw me a bone and be even later than I am?”

Brent scooped a mountain of mashed potatoes onto his plate, then passed the bowl to Brodey’s youngest brother, Evan. “My fault,” he said. “Problem with my witness got squared away faster than I thought.”

“Anything good?” Dad asked.

“Eh, death threat. Not on my shift, though. Shift before mine. I got him to a new location and headed back before the Eisenhower went schizo.”

Brodey slid into his normal chair next to his mother just as the meat loaf hit his spot. But damn, he loved his mother’s meat loaf.

“I swear,” Mom said, “we cannot get through a meal in this house without some form of law-enforcement talk.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” Brent said.

“It’s certainly not your fault.”

Across from him, Jenna snatched a roll from the basket of bread and handed it over. “How’d you do today, Brodey? With the widow?”

Pretzel rolls. Mom had gone all the way tonight. He took two rolls and sent the basket to his father. “I need the case file. She says she didn’t know anything until after he bit it. I think I believe her. Not sure. Dad, can you get me any notes on this thing?”

Before his father could answer, Jenna held her hand up. “What happened to you getting in and out quick?”

“Still goes. I’ll look at the file, tell you what I think, then I’m gone. I’m still holding to my two days of research.”

“She got to you.”

“Stop it.”

“Or maybe it was the kids.”

He breathed in, sent his sister a glare. “Stop. It.”

She elbowed Brent. “Told you this would happen. He’s cooked. He must have seen those kids and his heart melted. I know my brother.”

Dad snorted. “That you do, my angel.”

Whatever. “Maybe I’m curious. I’m a detective doing my due diligence. The widow was cleared, but she’s definitely angry.”

Dad swallowed a mouthful of food and waved his fork. “You like the widow for this?”

“I don’t see her taking this guy out, but she should get another look. See what’s what.”

Dad did his quasi head tilt/nod. “After dinner I’ll make a couple of calls. See who can get a copy of a report or two. You never know.”

Exactly what he’d walked in here needing. His father always came through. Always. “Thanks, Dad.” He looked across to his sister, who eyed him like a tiger on prey. “I’m not denying I saw those kids and all I could think was they got screwed out of ball games and fishing trips with their father.” He poked himself in the chest. “I got that. They didn’t. Doesn’t seem fair.”

“It’s not fair,” Jenna said. “That’s why I knew you couldn’t walk away from this. Family is too important to you.”

What the hell did that mean? “You played me?”

She grinned. “Only a little.”

His little sister, the conniver. And a damned good investigator. “At least you admit it. After today, we’re in this together. You, me and decorator Lexi.”

Chapter Five

Dawn broke just as Lexi finished sketching the Williamses’ kitchen. She stood at the center island, random sheets of discarded sketches strewn around her. Half the night she’d stewed over the color of the kitchen walls until finally, unable to visualize the finished product—something that rarely happened anymore—she’d dragged herself out of bed, grabbed her sketching tools and drove to the house.

Here she’d be able to create a sketch and add the color variations until she found the perfect combination. When all else failed, her artistic ability, her skill in re-creating a room by hand drawing it, always came through. Unfortunately for her, this time it happened at 4:00 a.m. when she’d had next to no sleep. But if sleep wouldn’t come, she’d do what she always did and work.

And with the lost time due to the Hennings & Solomon people—Brodey Hayward specifically—she needed to get moving on this project or risk blowing that forty-five-day deadline.

She glanced at the window above the sink, where morning sun peeped through the wooden blinds. Streaks of burnt orange splashed across the countertop in neat little rows, their perfection beautiful and uniform. Using pencils and charcoal, she shaded the area around the window, then added a touch of tangerine. Instantly the drawing came to life. Excitement bloomed in the pit of her stomach and launched upward as her fingers flew across the sketch, then switching colors, shading, switching colors again and filling in accents. All of it combining to create a visual of a room that would be homey, bright and warm.

Finally, after an hour of discarding sketches, she’d hit on it and now, with the sun rising, she moved faster, trying to capture every nuance, every shadow, every angle, before the light changed.

The long, shrill tone of the alarm sounded—door opening—and Lexi shot upright, pencil still in hand. Someone was here. She’d locked the door, hadn’t she? Sometimes she forgot that little task, but even she wouldn’t be foolish enough to walk into a strange house at four in the morning and not lock the door.

The buhm-buhm of her heart kicked up, a slow-moving panic spreading through her body. Had she locked that damned door?

A second later Brodey stepped into the doorway, his head snapping back at the sight of her. He wore black track pants and a heavy sweatshirt. No jacket in this cold? The man was insane. His sling was gone and he held a manila envelope in his left hand.

Lexi blew out a hard breath and tossed her pencil on the counter. “Goodness’ sake, Brodey. You scared me.”

“Sorry. I didn’t expect anyone to be here.”

His gaze traveled over her cashmere sweater, worn jeans and loafers, then came back up, lingering on her face, making her cheeks fire. My goodness, the man had a way. Had she known she’d be seeing anyone, particularly the intriguing detective, she’d have dressed more appropriately. But at 4:00 a.m. that thought hadn’t crossed her mind.

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “The colors for the kitchen were driving me mad. Where’s your sling?”

“You’re here by yourself?”

“Of course.”

“Anyone ever tell you it’s dangerous for a woman to be driving around a city alone in the middle of the night?”

Prior to her panic a minute ago, she hadn’t even questioned it. Maybe she should have. But that was the trusting part of her. The part that didn’t include the male species and wanted to see pretty things instead of danger. She wasn’t a complete lunatic and understood the world to be a dangerous place, but when it came to her creative process, certain things, like possible danger, couldn’t get in her way. “I live ten minutes from here.”

“A lot can happen in ten minutes.”

Time to get back to work. Arguing with stubborn people never accomplished much. This, she knew. She resumed drawing a roman shade on the kitchen window. Tangerine would work beautifully.

Brodey wandered to the island, where her discarded sketches smothered the top. Immediately, she snatched them up, but he set his hand on one, tilted his head one way, then the other. “You drew these?”

“Yes, but they’re my discards.”

“They’re pretty good to be discards.”

“That’s nice of you to say, but trust me, they’re discards.”

He pointed at the almost-complete sketch on her pad. “That one looks great.”

“Thank you. I was stuck on which colors to use. Sometimes when I put it on paper it helps me work it out. When the sun lit this room—” she swooped one hand “—it was spectacular. I think I need bursts of tangerine in here.”

“Uh, okay.”

Lexi laughed. “You didn’t tell me where your sling was.”

“Home. It annoys me. I’ve been trying to do a few hours each day without it.”

“Maybe you should check with your doctor about that?”

“Nah.”

As suspected. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those know-it-all stubborn males.”

He gave her one of his cocky grins where one side of his mouth quirked, and she immediately wanted to draw it. “Don’t call me stubborn.”

Once again, that smile, a little devilish, a little charming and a whole lot irresistible, turned her liquid. It had been months since she’d had even a remote interest in a man. Finding your so-called soul mate sprawled across his desk with another woman tended to do that to a girl. Made her a little less inclined to trust males in general and a whole lot more inclined to demand absolute honesty. No secrets. At all.

And now, tough guy Brodey Hayward had released her smothered sexual desire. On the bright side, at least she wasn’t a dead loss and still felt something. Even if it was only lust. “What are you doing here so early?”

He held up the envelope. “My dad got me copies of crime-scene notes. I wasn’t sure if you worked on Saturdays, but figured I’d get here early and get out of your way. Who knew you’d be here at the crack of dawn?”

“You rolled out of bed this early so you didn’t mess up my schedule?”

He shrugged. “You compromised with me yesterday. I owed you one.”

All that female desire inside her whipped into a frenzy and she damn near needed a cold shower. “Please tell me you’re single because I could kiss you smack on the lips.”

“I am most definitely single.”

She snorted, then waved him off. So much for her hoping to make him blush. Huh. How she loved a man participating in a little verbal swordplay. “Brodey Hayward, I think I like you.” She gestured to the laundry room. “I don’t need to be in there yet, so help yourself. I can work around you for an hour or so.”

He held up the file. “Thanks. I read the detective’s notes, but I need to see the room. Something isn’t right.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have the photos yet. Can’t picture the scene. If I set it up, it’ll make sense. Want to be my dead body?”

Ew. “Are you kidding?”

“Actually, I’m not. I brought tape, but it’ll help if I could see an actual body. All I need is for you to lie on the floor.”

She glanced at the sketch desperately waiting for her attention.

He held up his hand. “It’ll take five minutes. Promise.”

“Five minutes?”

“That’s all. I need a visual.”

A visual. Considering her early-dawn sketching, she could relate. “Fine. But only because I understand about visuals.”

“And, uh, after you play the dead guy, I’ll take your place on the floor and maybe you could sketch it for me?”

A frustrated laugh burst free. This man. “What happened to five minutes?”

He grinned. “That’s just for lying on the floor. The sketching is separate. Look at it this way. The faster I know what the scene looked like, the sooner I form opinions and hand this thing over to my sister. Then I’m out of here and you’re free to do your thing.”

Now this boy was talking. And good for him for being intellectually competent enough to figure out how to motivate her.

“If I sketch and lie on the floor, you’ll let me get to work in there? Including tearing up that tile?”

“Assuming we don’t discover evidence that needs to be collected, yes.”

Lexi sighed.

“Hey, I know,” he said. “But I won’t promise that until I know what I’m dealing with. At the very least, it’d be irresponsible.”

For that, she’d give him credit. Some men would lie simply to get their way. Like her cheating ex. Not going there. Thinking about him only aggravated her.

She tore her sketch off the pad, set it aside and grabbed her chalk and a pencil. “I have a house to dismantle. Let’s get to work.”

* * *

BRODEY WATCHED OVER Lexi’s shoulder as she finished her sketch, and the faint smell of her shampoo, something minty, he thought, like spearmint but not really, worked its way into his system and—look out now—relaxed him. He liked it.

Maybe too much.

She angled back, looking up with those greenish-brown eyes, and something in his brain snapped. Something being the male side of him that hadn’t seen any action from a female in a couple of months. Sure there were women he could call, but with the damned arm in a sling, everything—sex included—was way too much work. And it scared the hell out of him because how many men didn’t want sex? None that he knew.

Whatever. Mind snap.

“Are you paying attention?” Lexi asked.

More than you know...

“Yeah. I’m thinking.” He brought one arm around her so he could point at the sketch and brushed her shoulder along the way. Immediately, he regretted it. Even that meaningless interaction brought his body—very male body—into the red zone. Only thing to do here would be to put his growing erection out of his mind. Maybe today would be the one time that trick worked, but not likely. Considering it had never worked before. “The body needs to be closer to the door.”

“Well, Brodey, this is not to scale. You have to allow for some wiggle room.”

“I know. It still needs to be closer.”

She flipped her pencil to the eraser side and scrubbed it across the paper. A minute later, she’d busted off the outline of the body in the exact place he wanted. “Perfect,” he said. “You know, you’re really good at this. You should work for the PD.”

“No. Thank you, though. What was he wearing that night?”

“Black pants.”

She filled in some shading to reflect the slacks the victim wore. “That’s better.”

“Why not?”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, her perfect lips slightly puckered, her eyes zeroed in as if she’d read his every X-rated thought. Only the hum from the furnace below could be heard in the quiet house, and Brodey’s pulse knocked harder. All he had to do was bend down a few inches and those perfect lush lips would be his.

“Wow,” he said.

She stepped away, putting distance between them. “It wouldn’t work for me. I generally don’t sketch people. I do furniture. Furniture is easy. Even if I had the level of skill it requires, I’m not sure I could handle that type of work. I have a friend whose mom was a sketch artist, and it’s emotionally draining. What you do—a homicide detective—is a gift. Whether you realize it or not, the average citizen couldn’t face the horrors you see every day. I’m one of those people. I like serenity and homey environments. It’s what I’m good at.”

Good observation since he was already counting down the years—fourteen and a half—until he reached retirement. Not that he didn’t have a passion for the job, a passion for righting a wrong, a passion for justice. That justice was what got him out of bed every morning, but studying mangled bodies for thirty years, like some of the guys on the job, didn’t seem like a banner way to stay sane. Twenty years would be plenty. Like his dad.

After shading the body, Lexi scratched her cheek, leaving a dark smudge trailing down her face, and he itched to run his fingers across the spot, over the delicate curve of her jaw, and wipe it away. Just to put his hands on her.

She held the sketch out. “What do you think?”

I’d like to tell you what I think. Back to business here. He took the sketch. “It’s good. Let’s put it on the floor so I can look at.”

“Okay. You’re all set, then? You don’t need me?”

And, hell, if she wasn’t the cutest damn thing with that smudge on her cheek. “I’m all set. Except...” Against his better judgment—considering his partial erection might go full-blown—he gently ran the pad of his thumb where the remnants of her sketching marred her creamy skin. Major mistake because now his body went haywire, every nerve snapping.

More.

That was what he wanted. More of her skin under his hands.

She didn’t flinch, but locked her gaze on his, and the message was clear. She knew what he wanted. And she wasn’t running.

“Smudge?”

“Yep.”

“I do that all the time. You’d think I’d learn by now. Thanks for telling me. I’d have been walking around like that.”

“No problem,” he said. “If touching a beautiful woman’s face is the worst thing I do today, I’d say I hit the jackpot.”

For a good twenty seconds, she stood in silence, clearly deciding whether to take the bait. Come on, Lexi, let’s play. But, nope. She broke eye contact and headed to the kitchen, where she’d left her sketches. She turned back to him, casually leaning against the island, but her folded arms and fingers digging into the sleeves of her sweater screamed confusion.

“You know,” she said, “you’re quite charming when you want to be. I like that about you.”

Charming. He’d take it. There were a lot of things he liked about her, too—her confidence, her skill, her ability to shut down an uncomfortable conversation without making a big deal about it. The woman had a way about her.

“I do try.”

She nodded toward the laundry room. “How long until you’re finished?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll read the ME’s report and the crime-scene notes again. The angle of the body is weird.” He shifted in the doorway. “Unless he was standing like this, facing the wall. Or maybe the killer moved the body. I don’t know. I need to study it.”

“So, what you’re telling me is I won’t be able to get into this room again today?”

Here we go again. All that light banter from twenty seconds ago? Gone. Vanished. Vamoosed. “Lexi, I don’t know. Trust me, I’d love to tell you it’ll be today. It might be. I need to study these notes more. Sorry if it’s ripping into your forty-five days, but the guy is dead.”

“Oh, don’t even go there. Do not try to make me feel like I’m being unreasonable for wanting to get this project done. I have been nothing but cooperative. I want to give this woman peace as much as anyone. Part of that will come from unloading this house before she’s forced into bankruptcy. So, spare me your lecture.” She scooped up her pad and shoved the loose sketches into it. “Call me when you’re through holding up my work.”

Great. Mad. How the hell had this become his fault? He moved to the island, where she’d already left skid marks on her way to the front door, and held his arms wide. For once, the elbow didn’t holler, but the gesture was useless since she couldn’t see him. Well, fine. His whole point of getting here early was to work alone. All she did was distract him. Between her looks and the way she smelled, his body responded to her. Couple that with her insistence that he rush through his investigation, and Alexis Vanderbilt snatched his energy. Just sucked him dry.

The front door slammed and he shook his head, pondering whether or not to chase after her. Let her go. He’d get more done without her.

Even if she smelled good.

* * *

LEXI TROMPED DOWN the Williamses’ walkway, sketch pad in hand, coat flapping and the wrath of a winter day descending on anyone fool enough to venture outside. Mere breathing brought the wind—frigid, bone-shattering wind—burning down her throat.

“I need to be a snowbird,” she muttered.

“Morning.”

She halted a second before slamming into a man walking his Yorkie. “Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“I see that.”

The man wore a long wool coat over a suit. His close-cropped, graying hair gave him an edge of sophistication that topped off the whole “I have money” vibe. By the looks of him and the adorable dog, he was a neighbor. He held a mug in one hand, and the aroma of hazelnut reminded Lexi she hadn’t put anything into her system in nearly twelve hours. On the way home, she’d stop at the coffee shop and load up on caffeine and sugar. A chocolate croissant might do the trick. The man eyed her, then glanced back at the house. “Are you the real-estate agent?”

On the surface, the question seemed harmless, but Lexi had worked with enough gossipmongers to know her words could storm this community. “No. Not the real-estate agent.”

“Ah. The designer, then.” Mug in hand, he gestured down the block. “Phillips. We live two doors down. We heard Brenda hired someone to stage the house. It’s a rotten situation.”

The gossip trail. How she despised it. “It is indeed.”

But wait. He was a neighbor, presumably questioned by the police. Perhaps he saw or heard something that could help Brodey’s investigation along.

And get her back on schedule.

“Mr. Phillips, were you home the night Mr. Williams died?”

The tiny Yorkie nudged the leash and Phillips took three steps closer to the tree. “I was. The police talked to my wife and me.”

“Did you see anyone?”

“No. Didn’t hear anything, either. With the increased security, we’re usually aware of problems, but it was quiet that night. Perplexing.”

Perplexing. Interesting word choice. And the cadence, so direct, pegged him as a lawyer or maybe an executive with a lot of authority.

“I see. Thank you.”

“Of course. When your work is complete, do you mind if my wife and I take a look? She wants to redo the kitchen.”

Lexi smiled. Crabby and dressed like a coed but somehow she might gain a client from this. “That would be up to Mrs. Williams, but I’d be happy to ask her if you’d like.”

“I’d appreciate that. Thanks.”

Once tucked into her car, Lexi jotted Mr. Phillips’s address and a note to herself to ask Brenda about him. Maybe she’d even be nice and share her conversation with Brodey. Maybe. For now, she needed food and a shower before her appointment in Lincoln Park. A quasi-appointment. Her college roommate, thanks to her new job as an on-air anchor for a local cable news station, had finally taken the plunge and bought a house. If it could be called a house. Sucked from the clutches of foreclosure, the three-story monstrosity needed loads of work.

Candace had recruited Lexi to help.

Ninety minutes later, Lexi knocked on Candace’s front door, where the knocker promptly fell off in her hand.

The door swung open. “Hi, doll.” Candace spotted the detached door knocker and plucked it from Lexi’s hand. “I forgot to warn you about that. I have a new one. I just don’t know how to install it.”

“I can do it. Do you have a drill?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Lexi laughed. “About me installing it or the drill?”

“The drill. You can do anything. Everyone knows that.”

“I love when you suck up.”

She swept her arm in a huge semicircle. “Welcome to paradise.”

Lexi glanced around the foyer, where fist-size holes marred the walls. Someone had done a number on the place. “If this is paradise, I want out.”

“I know. The old owners ripped every light fixture out. They even took the copper pipes. The place is an eyesore, but your very own Nate said it’s structurally sound. Don’t worry. All the mold has been removed.”

Mold. Dear God. “Excellent.”

“Thank you for squeezing me in.”

“It’s fine. I’m working on another project that suddenly has a delay. A delay by way of a hunky detective.”

Being a single and clock-ticking female, Candace pursed her lips. “Hunky detectives?”

“One hunky detective. Not plural.”

Candace rolled her bottom lip in disappointment and Lexi raised her hands. “Don’t stress. The way things are going, he and I don’t exactly agree, so he might be yours by default.”

“What happened?”

“It’s the Williams project. Brodey is on short-term disability leave—elbow surgery—from the police department. He’s a homicide detective.”

“Ew.”

“Exactly. Anyway, his sister, Jenna, is a private investigator Mrs. Williams hired to look into her husband’s murder. Jenna recruited him to help. The man is bored and has thrown himself into this. At this moment, he’s coming up with all the reasons I can’t demolish the laundry room.”

Candace folded her arms and leaned against a railing that looked barely stable enough to support its own weight, never mind hers. “And that’s killing your forty-five-day timeline.”

“Yes. Thank you! The hunky detective doesn’t seem to understand that I need to get this house sold. I want that bonus. The bonus gets me my assistant, a solid seven hours of sleep every night and time to clean out my garage so I can make it an office. I’m ready to collapse.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t cleaned that mess out. Hire someone to do it, for God’s sake.”

“No. There’s a ton of stuff in there from the old owner. There might be lost treasures I can use.”

Candace waved her to the kitchen. “I have a fresh pot on. You need to decompress for a few minutes before we get into this.”

That sounded heavenly. Decompression. With a pal. Realization hit that she’d spent the past months virtually ignoring her friends. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For being a bad friend.”

“Honey, you’re helping me with this pit and not charging me. You’re a great friend.”

“That’s not what I mean. I’ve been busy and haven’t made time for the people I care about. That’s not right.”

“So, you help sell the Williams place and hire an assistant. You’re fixing it. Don’t be hard on yourself because you’re ambitious. Now, back to more important matters. What’s up with this hunk? Has he discovered anything on the murder?”

They entered the kitchen, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee taunted Lexi’s senses. The surprisingly clean maple cabinets glowed, but the peeling linoleum counters had to go. The cabinets could probably stay, but not the linoleum. Candace filled two mugs and set one down next to the cream and sugar so Lexi could destroy a perfect cup of black coffee. Her friends knew her so well.

“He just started. Heck, I’m even helping him. On the way out of the house this morning I met one of the neighbors walking his dog. He stopped me. Being nosy, I guess. Anyway, I asked him if he saw anything the night of the murder.”

“And?”

She dumped two teaspoons of sugar into her coffee, poured milk in and took a gulp. “Nada. Of course, I don’t know what I expected. I just want this thing wrapped up so I can get to work.”

Candace set her cup on the island and leaned on her elbows. “I’ve been following this story for work. It’s amazing that in such a tight community they have no leads. Someone had to have seen something.”

“You’d think. Maybe talking to the police scares them.”

“What does your hunky detective think?”

“He thinks there’s evidence in the laundry room and won’t let me rip it up. We had a blowout about it this morning.”

Candace tilted her head and narrowed her eyes in that determined-reporter way of hers. “You like this guy.”

Unfortunately, yes. “You haven’t seen him. There’s plenty to like. Setting aside that whole pushy-alpha-male thing. Honestly, he’s a little annoying.”

“And, yet, you like him. Which, correct me if I’m wrong, is a big step for you. You haven’t been interested in a man since—”

Lexi’s arms shot up. “Whoa, girlfriend. I know exactly how long it’s been. We don’t need to discuss it.”

Candace waved her off. “What are you doing about this blowout with the detective? Come on, Lex, I can tell you like this guy. It sounds like he’s just trying to do his job—even if it is a volunteer assignment.” She leaned in, gave Lexi a wicked smile. “How often do hunky detectives come into your life?”

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