When a witness becomes a target…

Can this K-9 track down the killer?

After Karenna Pressley stumbles upon a ruthless drug dealer trying to drown her best friend, she’s on his hit list—and out of places to run. Her ex-boyfriend, K-9 officer Ray Morrow, is determined to keep her safe with his drug-detecting spaniel, Abby. But with danger stalking them, will their reunion be a chance for a fresh start or the end for them both?

True Blue K-9 Unit: Brooklyn

HEATHER WOODHAVEN earned her pilot’s license, rode a hot-air balloon over the safari lands of Kenya, parasailed over Caribbean seas, lived through an accidental detour onto a black-diamond ski trail in Aspen, and snorkeled among stingrays before becoming a mother of three and wife of one. She channels her love for adventure into writing characters who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

Also By Heather Woodhaven

True Blue K-9 Unit: Brooklyn

Chasing Secrets

Twins Separated at Birth

Undercover Twin

Covert Christmas Twin

Calculated Risk

Surviving the Storm

Code of Silence

Countdown

Texas Takedown

Tracking Secrets

Credible Threat

Protected Secrets

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Chasing Secrets

Heather Woodhaven

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90710-5

CHASING SECRETS

© 2020 Harlequin Books S.A.

Published in Great Britain 2020

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Ray’s K-9 spaniel, Abby, began to whine…

He stopped for a second and watched her. Had she found more drugs?

She barked, looking straight at Ray as if wanting him to follow her. He let the leash loose. She barked again and headed for the living room.

A faint beeping reached his ears. He followed Abby back into the living room only to find Karenna, arms wrapped around herself, staring at the back of the kitchen wall.

The paint began to blister and pop with brown spots. “Ray? I think the apartment next door is on fire.”

The fire next door had to be a trap, a way of getting Karenna into the open.

Did they face death inside or outside?

TRUE BLUE K-9 UNIT: BROOKLYN

These police officers fight for justice with the help of their brave canine partners.

Copycat Killer by Laura Scott, April 2020

Chasing Secrets by Heather Woodhaven, May 2020

Deadly Connection by Lenora Worth, June 2020

Explosive Situation by Terri Reed, July 2020

Tracking a Kidnapper by Valerie Hansen, August 2020

Scene of the Crime by Sharon Dunn, September 2020

Cold Case Pursuit by Dana Mentink, October 2020

Delayed Justice by Shirlee McCoy, November 2020

True Blue K-9 Unit Christmas: Brooklyn by Laura Scott and Maggie K. Black, December 2020

Dear Reader,

When I was invited to write an installment of this exciting K-9 series, I wholeheartedly wanted to get the research right. I’d have a question about a detail of Abby’s work life and hours later my family would find me watching K-9 videos, having forgotten the initial question on my mind.

I must thank my local police. I requested to interview a K-9 officer and was invited to a demonstration. When I arrived, I found the entire team of officers and K-9 partners of all different specialties ready to show me their impressive skills and training regimen. The team allowed me to look inside their vehicles and pepper them with questions. They offered me so many ideas on how they would respond in Ray’s situation. They really helped me breathe life into my characters and make the story richer.

I enjoy hearing from readers. You can find me on social media or sign up for my newsletter at heatherwoodhaven.com.

Blessings,

Heather Woodhaven

A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

—Proverbs 16:9

To my editor, Emily Rodmell, and my fellow LIS authors. Thank you for sharing your encouragement and wisdom!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

ONE

Karenna Pressley searched the area, ignoring her gut feeling that this was a waste of time. So far, there was no sign of Sarah.

She hated walking alone, even in Prospect Park—her favorite place in Brooklyn. She tugged her jacket zipper higher. At the rusted lamppost, she turned onto a less traveled path that led to the south side of the lake.

The park provided a nature haven in the city with almost six hundred acres of beauty, but even on a crowded day, she could find isolated spots. This evening the crowds weren’t a problem thanks to the rainstorm that had passed through an hour ago. The sun still shone but wouldn’t stay in the sky for more than a couple more hours, and the May breeze held a cold bite, despite being in the sixties.

Karenna would’ve preferred to meet up at a restaurant after work, but Sarah Mayfair had insisted upon “their bench,” a place they used to meet after high school to discuss whatever drama the day had given. A lot had changed over the past decade, but she would always consider Sarah her best friend forever, even if they no longer wore the tarnished necklaces as proof.

She ducked underneath a low-hanging branch. A few rain droplets managed to hit the back of her neck, the cold moisture sending a shiver down her spine. The thick foliage above filtered out the majority of sunshine, casting shadows across the walkway. Her hearing heightened at the sudden change in lighting. She squinted up the path, hoping to see Sarah already at the bench ahead.

Empty.

If Sarah stood her up yet again, they would have words. Karenna hadn’t seen her in months. Sarah’s go-to excuse lately was “unexpected plans” with her mysterious boyfriend, a guy named Marcus. Clearly, Sarah had given up their pact of sisters before misters. Karenna was finally supposed to meet the mystery man tonight, so she forced herself to keep an open mind. Maybe she’d like him in person.

A couple argued in the distance, out of sight, past the tree line. One of the voices sort of sounded like Sarah’s. Birds squawked, as if scolding them for disrupting the peace. Karenna reached the bench and attempted to brush off the raindrops. The arguing stopped but a splash followed.

Keeping her flats more on the grass than the mud proved a balancing act as she ducked through the branches to get to the bank.

A man, tall, well-dressed, with perfectly coiffed hair and black sunglasses stood in an awkward posture on the slanted bank leading to the water with his left foot on—

“Sarah!” The scream tore from Karenna’s lungs.

Even though she couldn’t see the face underneath the water, she recognized the red boots her friend always wore on special outings. His foot held down her chest, Sarah’s entire head submerged in the water, her arms and legs flailing uselessly. The man’s face turned her direction.

“Get off!” Karenna rushed at him, whipping her purse his direction. She aimed for his head, but the bag bounced off his back and hit the ground. She shoved him with both hands and he stumbled backward.

Karenna turned and grabbed one of Sarah’s flailing arms and tugged, pulling her up. Sarah gasped and coughs racked her body, mud and water dripping from the back of her head and shoulders.

A force like a wrecking ball slammed Karenna sideways into a tree trunk. Waves of pain rushed across her ribs and down her spine. Her heart raced as her chest seized, unable to take a breath momentarily. Her eyes stung with tears at the realization he’d knocked the wind out of her until finally, mercifully, she could breathe again.

“No! Not her!” Sarah stumbled her way. The man spun, placed his hand on the side of her face and propelled her backward. She hit the ground with such force, her body went limp.

Karenna pulled in another breath to scream but his hand clamped over her mouth. She fought to get her bearings, but he dragged her with his other impossibly strong arm toward the water. With one shove, he slammed her back against the mud, the sharp angle of the bank allowing gravity to do the rest of the work. She forced herself to gasp before he slammed his shoe on her chest.

Cold water rushed over her forehead and then her entire face. She fought to raise her head but couldn’t lift it far enough to break the surface. The little breath left in her lungs tried fighting its way out of her mouth from the pressure his foot placed on her lungs.

Karenna knew not to thrash against him—she’d run out of oxygen faster if she did—but instinct refused to cooperate with logic as she twisted and kicked against him. She tried to reach his foot with her left hand.

Her lungs burned and her neck began to spasm, begging for her mouth to open. Her right hand reached out desperately, sand and pebbles digging under her fingertips. She grabbed blindly at a handful and tossed it wildly, hoping it would go in his direction. The instant the mass left her hand, she grabbed more and threw again.

The pressure on her chest increased. She grabbed again and flung a handful of pebbled mud. Her other hand found a larger rock and she pulled against the suction of the wet earth to loosen it and threw as hard as she could.

The weight left Karenna’s chest. Her stomach groaned from the exertion as she lifted her head out of the water and drew in a giant breath. Coughs racked her body and sparks of red-hot pain shot through her temples, promising a future headache.

He still stood over her, as he threw off his sunglasses and wiped at his forehead and eyes.

Her left hand reached for something to help pull her fully upright, but she could only grab more of the mixture of mud, sand and pebbles. “Help!” Her scream came out in a desperate screech followed by another sharp inhale. She couldn’t gulp enough air to satisfy her stinging lungs.

The man’s chin had bright red streaks mixed with mud dripping on his chest. One of the rocks she’d thrown had done the job, but he was still standing. He bared his teeth and rushed at her, both fists out, aiming for her shoulders.

She screamed as loud and hard as she could, scooting backward into the water. If she could get past his reach fast enough, she might be able to swim away.

Approaching voices grew louder. People! The man froze, only inches from the waterline, but his murderous glare never wavered. He spun, grabbed the sunglasses off the bank, and bolted, running through a grouping of trees and away from the oncoming group of loud park-goers.

Karenna’s entire body began to shake, even as she strained to flip over to her hands and knees. She crawled across the mud. People had heard her. Help was coming.

Her teeth chattered, water rushing down the sides of her face. She reached the sparse grass, looking up expectantly for her rescuers to burst through the trees.

Nothing.

She crawled toward Sarah, still limp on the ground. Her hand reached her friend’s arm, cold and clammy. Where was the help?

The pounding in her head started. She fought to focus and think straight, but the ground kept moving. Had anyone heard her? Were they ignoring her, thinking she was playing a game?

“Help!” The attempt to scream again was somewhere between a squeak and a whisper. Her heart stopped beating for half a second. Their attacker might realize no one had paid attention and come back to finish the job.

Her cross-body purse, covered in mud, lay next to a puddle five feet away. Her shaking fingers fought with the zipper pull until it finally gave way. She shoved her hand into the damp bag. Please still work. Her hand wrapped around the phone, mercifully dry but sporting a cracked screen. She tapped the emergency call feature.

Seconds seemed to pass before the ringing started. Karenna leaned over Sarah’s face. She couldn’t tell for sure that she was breathing until she noted a small rise and fall of her chest. “Wake up, please,” she croaked.

Karenna’s eyes burned as she heard a voice come through the phone.

“Nine-one-one. What’s your emergency?”

“My friend is unconscious. Someone tried to kill us.” The tree branches to her right moved, despite the still air. “I think he’s coming back to finish the job.”

Officer Raymond Morrow grabbed his K-9 partner’s favorite toy, a rope with a ball on the end, swung it, and tossed it as far as he could. Abby, an English springer spaniel, rocketed through the tall grass. He marveled at her speed. As the field variety of the breed, her legs worked much like the bow of an arrow. With every leap, they pulled inward with tension and then released with power, shooting her across the grass of Prospect Park. Her semi-docked tail had white fringe on the end and resembled a waving flag, making it easy to keep his eyes trained on her. Abby deserved a play break between patrolling for narcotics before they finished their long shift, and the respite served as the only time Ray could allow his mind to drift and process cases.

Recently, a double murder had brought a cold case back to the forefront for the Brooklyn K-9 Unit. Last month, a three-year-old girl’s parents had been killed at their home while she’d played outside, and the MO was remarkably similar to a twenty-year-old unsolved case involving two of Ray’s coworkers. Siblings Penelope and Bradley McGregor worked for the unit, Penny as a records clerk and Bradley as a detective. Their parents’ killer had left no leads except some DNA collected from a watchband. The NYPD had run the DNA dozens of times through the years. All attempts came up empty. No matches in the databases.

Something had been nagging at the back of Ray’s mind, though, something he couldn’t latch onto, frustrating him to no end. He felt certain one of the true crime shows he’d watched in past years held the key, but he couldn’t remember which one. To be fair, he’d consumed copious amounts of crime stories, paying particular attention to mistakes other cops made so he wouldn’t follow suit.

Golden light filtered through the trees surrounding the grassy field. Abby swiftly grabbed the ball, the rope hanging from her soft mouth as she bounced back toward him. Bits of mud left over from the rain peppered the tops of her paws. She’d need a bath.

His radio sounded. “Attempted homicide. Prospect Park—”

Rapid-fire responses burst through the speaker. Ray was on the Windsor Terrace side of the park, but he’d left his patrol car on the Park Slope side and could get there within minutes. He chimed in that he’d assist.

“Time to go to work,” he told Abby. The spaniel dropped the ball at his feet and waited for him to hook the leash back on her harness. In the distance, the Peristyle, a park shelter that looked transplanted from Ancient Greece, held a group of picnicking park-goers. Abby didn’t so much as give them a second glance. Her bubbly demeanor changed as they rounded the corner. The earlier rain had heightened her tracking skills. Instead of washing scents away, the high moisture actually trapped and held scents closer to the ground. While she wasn’t quite alerting, she seemed to be heading toward a less-traveled trail that disappeared through the bushes.

A quick burst of sirens in that direction confirmed Abby’s instincts. They split off the path and spotted an ambulance parked next to a bench. Abby pointed after them. Were there drugs involved in the attempted homicide? Knowing Abby’s narcotics specialty, he had to wonder. He strode ahead and followed after the paramedics through a tight grouping of bushes and trees.

They surrounded a woman, seemingly unconscious on the ground. She looked vaguely familiar. Abby did a little dance, her nose forward, and then sat, which meant she’d caught the scent of a narcotic. Before he could acknowledge her passive alert, his eyes drifted to the other woman being interviewed by a patrol officer who’d beat him there.

Ray’s mouth went dry. Five years had passed since he’d last held her in his arms. Her soaked blond hair, dripping onto the yellow emergency blanket wrapped around her shoulders, looked darker, but he’d recognize those pale blue eyes even if ten or twenty years had gone by.

Karenna Pressley—the woman he’d once thought he’d marry—shivered in place, her hands rubbing her bare forearms. The patrol officer looked over his shoulder and acknowledged him with a nod, and Karenna followed his gaze. Her mouth opened in recognition, but she said nothing.

What had happened here? His gut turned hot as he remembered it was an attempted homicide. His breath grew shallow. If anyone had hurt her—

The other officer, with the last name Holloway on his uniform, approached Ray.

“I found her guarding her friend with a rock and a stick,” Holloway said in a hushed tone. He relayed a horrific story about a man attempting to drown her friend and then, in turn, trying to drown Karenna instead. Ray glanced over at the unconscious woman again. Now he knew why she’d seemed vaguely familiar. She was Karenna’s best friend.

Holloway gestured toward the grouping of bushes and trees surrounding them. “Ms. Pressley had the feeling the guy would want to come back and finish the job. She had barely survived his attempt to kill her when loud park-goers startled him and he fled. Whoever attacked her and the friend, a Sarah—”

“Mayfair,” Ray finished for him through gritted teeth. Barely survived?

“You know her?”

“Acquaintance. I know Karenna.” Every muscle tensed as he thought about what would’ve happened if the attacker had succeeded.

Holloway studied his face for a minute before he nodded.

A wiry paramedic leaning over Sarah’s form looked up at Karenna. “Did she have drugs in her system?” the man asked.

“What?” Karenna rushed toward them. “No, I told you. He was trying to drown her when I found them. I went after him and he pulled her out and threw her down.”

“You said she was breathing when he pulled her out?”

“Yes. She was fully conscious, but he threw her down hard. She went limp.”

The other paramedic frowned. “Verbal and motor are no response. Pupils pinpointed. Blood oxygen level, heart rate and breathing abnormal…” Her words were meant for her partner, but, given the look they shared, the paramedics thought there was more to the story. Maybe Sarah had overdosed before the attack.

Once again Abby did her little front paw dance and strained her nose at a purse five feet away. “Is that Sarah’s purse?” Ray asked her.

Karenna jolted slightly, as if she’d forgotten Ray was there for a second. “Yes. I mean I think so.”

The other officer gave an almost indistinguishable nod for Ray to take over.

“Find,” Ray said softly. Abby took one bound to the purse, touched her nose to it and sat back, her tail wagging and her mouth seemingly in a smile.

“Good girl.” He pulled out the special toy he only used as a specific reward for a find. Abby popped it in her mouth and flopped down, happy. Ray slipped on gloves to protect himself from potential harmful substances and picked up the purse.

Inside was an empty prescription bottle without a label. He lifted it for further examination. “It’s possible she had a dangerous level of narcotics in her system.”

The paramedic eyed the bottle for half a second while he continued to prep Sarah to be moved to the backboard.

“You don’t know that.” Karenna pointed at Abby. “It could be a prescription medicine your dog alerted on. It could’ve been her boyfriend’s—”

“Boyfriend?”

“Yes, I was supposed to meet Sarah’s boyfriend today.”

“Is he the one who attacked you, then?” Ray took a wallet out of the purse and opened it. “What’s his name?”

“Marcus. I—I already told the other officer I don’t know for sure if it was him. I’ve never met Marcus before, but I was supposed to today.” She closed her eyes tight and bit her lip for a second. “His last name is escaping me.”

“Don’t worry,” Ray said softly. He continued down his mental checklist of items in the purse. “No phone.”

“I couldn’t find her phone, either,” Karenna said. “I looked while waiting for help to arrive. I thought maybe she’d have a photo of him on it and then I’d know for sure. I think the attacker took the phone with him.”

Sounded more and more like the boyfriend was the attacker, but Ray didn’t want to make assumptions. “No medical alert listed.” Ray scanned the driver’s license. “ID confirmed as Sarah Mayfair.” He returned the wallet to the purse, zipped it up and set it on the edge of the stretcher. “Why do you think the bottle could’ve been the boyfriend’s?”

“Because Sarah’s never been a user. She wouldn’t. Maybe she confronted him before I got here. We were supposed to meet at that bench.” She pointed through the trees. “But instead—” Her mouth pursed, and her forehead creased as her gaze flicked to the lake.

The male paramedic injected Sarah with something, perhaps naloxone, the overdose medicine many responders carried, though sometimes was too late for it to work.

The female paramedic approached Karenna and began asking her questions, trying to assess her well-being. Karenna shook her head. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just get her to the hospital.”

“Ma’am, we’re doing that. I need to make sure you’re okay, too. You said he stepped hard on your chest to keep you under water?”

Ray’s ears roared. He had no right to feel so protective, especially after all the years apart, but the surge in his adrenaline didn’t seem to care. Sure, her wealthy father had said Ray’s career wasn’t a fit for her future and that a cop could never give her the lifestyle to which she was accustomed. The man had even insinuated he would be forced to disown his daughter if Ray didn’t back off.

Her father wasn’t the main reason for the breakup, though Ray had never told Karenna about the threat. It was simply a wake-up call to all the other problems they’d been up against. First and foremost, she’d never understood his intense dedication to his job, but her father hadn’t died from an oxycodone overdose like his had.

Abby whined, staring at him, concerned at the change in his demeanor. He leaned down and patted the spaniel’s head. Maybe if he and Karenna had still been together, he would’ve figured out Sarah’s boyfriend was a potential dealer and caught him before Sarah or Karenna had been hurt.

Karenna waved away medical treatment, promising she’d go to a doctor if she had new symptoms. “But I’d like to ride with Sarah to the hospital.”

The paramedic shook her head in reply. “You’ll have to drive yourself since you refused treatment. They also might not let you see her without a family member’s permission until she’s conscious.”

“Ready,” the other paramedic called. They moved as one, rushing Sarah toward the ambulance—a challenge considering the bushes.

“I’ve got her statement,” Officer Holloway said to Ray. “I also requested a team to search the park. There’s not too much to go on, though. Tall, well-dressed, with sunglasses.” The guy pointed at Abby. “If you think this is drug-related, you want to take it from here?”

In other words, Holloway was all too happy to not have to be the one to write the report. Ray was grateful, though. He needed to see the case through if he was going to sleep at night.

“I need to contact her parents.” Karenna said it so softly Ray almost missed it.

“Yeah, I’ll take it from here,” Ray said.

The officer nodded and followed the paramedics, leaving them alone. They were silent at first, staring at each other.

“Why’d you think the attacker would come back?” he finally asked.

Karenna’s eyes glistened and she tilted her head to the sky. “I don’t…” Her voice faltered for a second and she exhaled before trying again. “While I waited for help, I realized the attack on Sarah didn’t seem planned. I mean if a person wanted to murder—”

Ray couldn’t keep asking her to relive the moment, but he thought he could catch her train of thought. “You think it was a heat of the moment crime.”

Karenna nodded.

“So when he attacked you…”

Her eyelashes fluttered as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her frame. “I think he was angry I stopped him from killing Sarah, but more important, I saw his face. And if that was the case…”

She didn’t need to say it. The man would want to clean up his mistake, finish the job. A promise rose to Ray’s lips in a heartbeat. “I’ll find him and make sure that never happens. You’re safe with me now.”

TWO

Safe with Raymond Morrow? The same guy who’d ripped her heart out five years ago by breaking up with her wanted to keep her safe? The promise sounded more dangerous than helpful.

After a year of dating him, she’d really thought they had a future, but after they’d gone to the next level of meeting each other’s families, he’d simply said it was obvious they weren’t going to work out. That was the last time she’d heard from or seen him in five years.

The lack of closure had almost turned her into a needy mess at first. Only her pride had kept her from seeking him out and begging for specific reasons. Instead, after a few weeks of daily visits to get a brownie from The Chocolate Room, she’d rallied and focused on what kind of person she wanted to be and the kind of life she wanted to live.

That painful time of reflection had emboldened her enough to step out from under her father’s influence and make her own way in the world. So far it’d been a hard but worthwhile transition. She’d changed a lot since she and Ray had broken up, but one thought still stung. If Ray had ever really loved her, wouldn’t he have stuck around long enough to explain his concerns, to give them a fighting chance?

Karenna couldn’t voice her thoughts aloud, though, or he might assume she wasn’t over him. His declaration, however, helped jolt her out of reliving the attack on an endless loop. She self-consciously glanced down at the yellow blanket draped over her before returning his gaze. “I never thought we’d run into each other like this.”

His hair, wavy and thick on top but curled on the sides, was on the verge of being too long for the job. Ray always waited to schedule a trim until the last minute, but she’d never complained because she loved trailing her fingers through his hair while they talked or watched television together. Take-out and relaxing after work had been a favorite way to spend time together. He’d always fidget with his dad’s army challenge coin, rolling and flipping it back and forth over his knuckles. After a while he’d unwind enough to talk about their day, their hopes and dreams…

She blinked the thoughts away. The dark blue uniform complemented his eyes, a dark brown that reminded her of chocolate. He’d only grown more handsome with age.

Figured.

Meanwhile, her mascara—since she hated the waterproof type—had likely created dark circles under her eyes, and she didn’t even want to think about the state of her hair. Shallow thoughts—especially given the would-be killer on the loose—but she couldn’t help it. In daydreams, she’d always looked attractive and happy when she bumped into Ray after so many years. Reality wasn’t as kind.

His expression, much like his posture, looked hard and unmoving as he hitched a thumb over his shoulder. “Can I give you a ride somewhere?”

She hesitated. Her pride wanted to prove that she didn’t need his help at all, but the sun dipped dangerously close to the horizon. Either she waited alone for a ride she couldn’t afford, walked home while constantly looking over her shoulder, or accepted his offer. “Yes, please.”

He gestured to the opening in the trees closest to her. The cute dog at his side, with fluffy ears, moved to Ray’s left as if knowing exactly how he would command, and they walked side by side on the path. Park-goers in every direction seemed to be paying attention to her now. Perhaps it was the combination of dog, officer and yellow blanket that did the trick, but in any case, she only felt more self-conscious and scanned the surroundings for his squad car.

“I need to track down this boyfriend. Marcus,” he said. “Has a last name come to mind yet? Did Sarah ever send you a photo of him or them?”

“Only once, after I teased her that he was an imaginary boyfriend because I still hadn’t met him. She insists on using the Now You See app—you know, the one that shows texts or pictures only for a minute before it disappears. So annoying because you can’t go back and reread what was discussed. I only have the app because of her.”

He nodded and made a note on his phone. “So if you saw a photo of him… Was the boyfriend the same one who attacked you?”

That seemed like an easy question, but she couldn’t answer with certainty. “It was back when they first started dating. The photo was far away and, if I’m being honest, I didn’t really care what he looked like at the time so I wasn’t paying much attention. He might not have even known Sarah took it.”

“Anything else you can tell me? Identifying details?”

“He seemed to have money. I can’t explain it, but I know he was wearing high-end stuff.”

He shrugged. “Well, I’m sure you would know.”

She stiffened at his comment. His tone was congenial and light, but something felt off.

“After a harrowing experience,” he continued, “the mind takes a while to calm down. So if you think of anything else in the next couple of days, let me know.”

The sounds of birds and nearby traffic didn’t overcome the awkwardness of walking together. She gestured at his dog, a breed that looked like a cross between a collie and a poodle. “I always thought K-9 dogs were German shepherds or Labrador retrievers.”

“Often, they are, but English springer spaniels have an incredible sense of smell. Police in the UK use them often.”

“Congratulations, then. A K-9 team was always your goal, right? Narcotics division, I assume.”

His expression hardened, maybe because of the implication that she used to know him so well. “Yes. Thank you.” They walked in silence a few more steps. “I was offered the job when more positions opened up in preparation for a new K-9 Unit in Brooklyn. I got assigned my furry partner several months ago.” He flashed a genuine smile. “We clicked instantly, and Abby and I have been inseparable ever since.”

The cute dog glanced up at Karenna and tilted her head down in a fast nod as if to say, “You’ve got that right.”

“Here we are.” Even Ray’s squad car had changed, now an SUV model. A sticker on the back door read Police Dog Keep Back.

Karenna took a step away from Abby and pointed. “Is she that dangerous?”

His eyebrows rose. “Abby?” He laughed. “No. She’s a soft-mouth dog, but all K-9 vehicles have the warning. We need the public to stay back, no matter the breed, when we get the dogs out. Especially if we need our partner to get right to work.”

He opened the backseat and Abby jumped in before he moved to open the passenger door for her. “I… Uh, I didn’t realize officers called the dogs their partners,” she said.

He helped her into the vehicle and closed the door behind her. She’d been in a patrol car before, as a ride-along once when Ray had worked in the traffic division. The computer system above the console seemed pretty similar. He quickly got in behind the wheel.

“I call her my partner because Abby is my partner.” He stared out the windshield. “She risks her life for me and the public. Referring to her as my partner reminds me of that.” He offered a slight smile and turned on the car. “I assume you still live in Park Slope?” His vowels grew longer when he was annoyed.

She glanced at him. True, there were swanky portions of the neighborhood, like her father’s company apartment she used to live in, but there were also apartments that were bare bones—still ridiculously expensive, but she managed to scrape by to make ends meet. “Yes, I live in Park Slope, but not at the same place I used to.”

He smirked slightly, but she didn’t owe him any explanations. Even though she had walked away from her father’s company and the cushy job and apartment it had provided, she didn’t want Ray to think it was because of him.

“Where to?” he asked.

She took a deep breath and tried to refocus. All that mattered right now was Sarah. Even if she came out of her coma, that man who’d tried to kill them was still out there. Karenna grabbed her purse and searched for her keys in the small zippered pocket. Sure enough, she still had Sarah’s spare key on the ring.

For the past few years she’d lived on her own but still wasn’t able to make ends meet without pulling from her trust fund. Her job focused on working with nonprofits, and she’d felt like a fraud whenever campaign budgets were discussed when she couldn’t even make her finances work without dipping into her father’s money.

So six months ago she’d made a drastic decision and moved into the smallest place yet. Sarah had taken one look and insisted on giving her a key to her bigger and nicer apartment, telling Karenna she could crash whenever she wanted.

Sarah was the closest thing she had to a sister, but Karenna had still been too proud to accept. She had used the key to take in Sarah’s mail and water her plants when her friend was out of town. Sarah hadn’t gone away lately, though, since Marcus had come into her life.

The thought of him made up her mind. “I want to go to Sarah’s place. She probably has a photo of her boyfriend in the apartment. I can confirm whether it’s the same guy and you can put an alert out on him. Right?”

“Theoretically, yes. But I don’t have a search—”

“No, I’m not asking you to. I’ve got her key and she said I could consider myself an unofficial roommate. I’m going to look for a photo and make sure this guy can’t hurt her again.” She rattled off Sarah’s address.

He frowned. “If the boyfriend is the attacker, it’s possible he has access to Sarah’s apartment, too. I can’t stop you from going, of course, but…”

“If it’s going to cause you problems, just drop me off. I feel like I’m failing her by not knowing whether the attacker is the same guy or not.”

He sighed. “Technically my shift is over. And since he could be there getting rid of evidence himself, I’d feel better if I went in with you. In an unofficial capacity. As a friend.”

She almost flinched at those last words. They were not friends, and the last thing she wanted was more time alone with Ray. Even the smell of his aftershave, like the smell of a forest after a rain, taunted her with memories. The fastest way to get him out of her life was to confirm the identity of the attacker. “Fair enough. I mean… I’d appreciate that.”

His left eyebrow raised but he didn’t reply.

Ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of Sarah’s brownstone. Karenna left the emergency blanket and her damp jacket in the vehicle when Ray opened the doors for her and Abby.

Past the wrought iron front gate, she ran up the stairs to the front door and used the silver key. Once inside the building, they took the elevator to the third floor. Sarah’s apartment was the first one on the left.

Ray touched her shoulder gently. “Please let Abby and me go in first as a precaution.”

She gave Ray the key to the apartment. He unlocked the door then stepped inside and poked his head in the two rooms before waving her in. “All clear. We’ll wait while you look.”

Every piece of furniture looked brand-new, including the leather couch. Sarah had no qualms about using her modest trust fund to supplement her freelance art income. Although, Karenna wouldn’t have thought her friend could afford high-end new furniture, either.

She moved to the bedroom. While her clothes were mostly dry, her shoulders and arms were freezing. She grabbed a blue cardigan—one she’d actually loaned to Sarah ages ago—from the closet and slipped it over her arms.

The pink and orange shades from the sunset shone through the open blinds as Ray entered the bedroom with Abby. “Any success?”

His K-9 partner strained toward the nightstand and did a little dance before she sat down, her nose pushing against the drawer.

On the nightstand there was a photo of Sarah and her parents in front of the Eiffel Tower.

“Karenna?” Ray pointed to the drawer but made no move to open it. “I know you want to protect Sarah, but whatever is in there might help the doctors treat her.”

Her heart raced. She wanted to help Sarah, but what if whatever was in that drawer would actually ruin Sarah’s life if in the hands of a cop?

Ray saw the fear in Karenna’s eyes at his request. Despite her ruffled appearance, she had an ethereal beauty that had only magnified over the years. And right now she looked in desperate need of warm, comforting arms around her. If only he didn’t know how right it felt to hold her close.

She looked between Abby and Ray. “I told you I wasn’t expecting you to do a search. I had no intention to give consent. I agreed you could come because I was worried—”

“That the boyfriend might show up.” Ray blew out a breath. “You’re right. This isn’t an official search. Obviously, you have a key, but you’re not a regular resident. Even if I wanted to, claiming consent to search wouldn’t hold up in court.” He pointed to the drawer again. “Nevertheless, what’s in there could help Sarah get the right treatment, but as you said, you’re the unofficial roommate. It’s up to you.”

She crossed the room to get to the nightstand. “Or, whatever is in there might point to her boyfriend.”

Ray didn’t argue. Denial that friends and family had a drug problem proved hard to overcome, even with evidence.

Abby placed one paw out in front of Karenna’s path as if to say, “Wait your turn.” Ray almost laughed at the gesture.

Karenna hesitated then reached past and opened the drawer. Another pill bottle, mostly full, without a label, rested on its side next to discarded bobby pins, a bottle of hand lotion, a pair of sunglasses and a few pens.

“Please allow me, Karenna. We don’t know what’s in there yet.” Raymond had dealt with his fair share of illegal drugs and depending on the dose and chemical variations, the stuff could be lethal by touch or smell. “Just last month an officer searched a car that had cotton balls soaked in fentanyl. He passed out and hit his head.”

He held up the bottle to the light. The pills inside were stamped with a well-known antianxiety brand name, but the letters were crooked and some of the pills looked cracked and flaky. Lots of narcotics were made to look like legal prescriptions, though, and he knew this particular one like the back of his hand. Definitely a fake. “Either Sarah is messing with oxycodone. Or this mysterious boyfriend is.”

Karenna’s face fell and she crossed the room to the window. “No. I’m telling you, Ray, she wouldn’t.” Her voice shook. “I shared with her what happened with your dad and made her promise she would never touch the stuff.”

Something unfurled in his chest, but he didn’t take time to analyze it. “Why would you go so far as making her promise that to you?”

She slumped onto the edge of a pink wingback chair next to the other nightstand. She stared out the window and shook her head. “She was hanging out with some acquaintances from school who used to be into that sort of stuff and I was worried. I know people can grow up and change but…”

Unlikely. But he didn’t want to cause her more grief. “Let’s say you’re right and the pills belong to the boyfriend. She found his stash, took the bottle away and chucked it in here with the intention of flushing the pills later. If she confronted him at the park about it, then we would have a motive.” And if the drugs turned out to be Sarah’s, then there were a couple of other motives he could think of, too.

Her face paled, and she pulled back into the chair as far as she could. “Ray,” she whispered. “He’s here. Down there. Outside. Across the street.” Her entire body looked rigid, her fingers gripping both armrests.

“What?” He strode over and looked out. The sky had dimmed to the darkest blue shade right before the colors on the horizon disappeared and the moon took over the shift. Ray didn’t see anyone out there, but he didn’t hesitate to grab his radio and call in for backup.

Ray grabbed the cord and lowered the blinds. His radio crackled with confirmation backup was on the way. He turned to Karenna. “Tell me what you saw. Was it the man who tried to kill you? Describe him. What was he wearing?”

“Yes, yes. It was him. He had those horrible sunglasses on. Dark hair. Black jacket for spring but it looked kind of tailored to him. Crisp. Dark shirt, dark pants, but with dress shoes that looked expensive.”

That description probably fit half of professional New Yorkers. His frustration was probably evident.

“I’m not good at fashion like Sarah. I don’t know.”

“Did he see you? Did it look like he was leaving or coming?”

She threw her hands up. “I don’t know!”

He held his hands out. “It’s okay. We’re going to get away from the windows and stay inside until backup arrives. Officers are going to check the perimeter and make sure he’s not out there. If he is, we’ll get him. This will all be over with, and I’ll take you home.”

Her face looked paler than the eggshell-colored wall behind her. She pulled her shoulders back and attempted to smile. “That sounds easy enough. Thank you.”

His stomach flipped at her attempt to sound tough. She didn’t move from the chair, though. Her fingertips turned white and they pressed as far into the padding as possible. He fought the impulse again to hold her hand and pull her in for a hug.

She never did like asking for help, which was probably why he was so surprised after a year of dating to find out that she’d been raised by a wealthy investment banker who ran the biggest conglomerate on the east coast. Karenna was nothing like the stereotypes of rich girls. “Hey,” he said. “Let’s try to find a photo of the boyfriend while we’re waiting here for the officers to finish looking around outside.”

Her eyes shifted to the walls, a new hopeful gaze to them.

He reached over and rested his hand on hers. He tried to ignore the electric heat rushing up his arm. “Today’s been too much, right?”

She closed her eyes and exhaled before letting them flutter open again. “I’ll be fine, Ray.” Her voice had regained its business-like tone. She glanced at his hand with one eyebrow raised.

He removed it instantly and stood. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I’ll close the rest of the blinds. I’d like you to wait in the living room, away from the windows.”

His radio squawked and Ray answered, relaying what little detail he knew about the man they were looking for to the responding officers. The fact the attacker was at the apartment building seemed a strong indicator they were dealing with Sarah’s boyfriend. He hoped they could interview some of the neighbors to see if anyone had a better description of the guy.

Abby stayed at his side as he made the rounds, closing the blinds. He was in the small bathroom when she began to whine. Odd. He stopped for a second and watched her. Had she found more drugs?

She barked, looking straight at Ray then bouncing as if wanting him to follow her. He let the leash loose. She barked again and headed for the living room.

A faint beeping reached his ears. He followed Abby into the living room only to find Karenna, arms wrapped around herself, staring at the back of the kitchen wall.

The paint began to blister and pop with brown spots. “Ray? What do we do?” Her voice cracked with uncertainty. She held up a shaking finger. “I think the apartment next door is on fire.”

As if agreeing, the smoke alarm closest to them went off. A hiss from the ceiling immediately followed. Sprinklers descended and sprayed freezing water over their heads. For half a second, Ray’s muscles were paralyzed with indecision. A fire coming from the apartment next door had to be a trap, a way of forcing Karenna into the open. So the question remained.

Did they face death inside or outside?

THREE

Karenna hunched over as the cold water from the sprinklers pelted the top of her head.

Ray bolted for Sarah’s room and returned with a New York Mets cap and jacket. “Throw this on. We can’t stay here, but we can try to disguise you.”

She didn’t hesitate, even though she would normally never betray the Yankees. Ray’s radio burst with voice after voice giving out updates. Ray pressed the side button and asked for officers to meet them at the apartment door. Two seconds later, a knock sounded.

Ray reached for the doorknob but it wouldn’t budge. He tugged harder, almost flying backward from the effort.

A male voice shouted from the other side of the door. “A key was put in the door and broken off. The lock is completely frozen. Stay back. We’ll need to break the door.”

The doorknob had been sabotaged?

Abby barked again. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ray muttered.

Karenna followed his gaze, squinting through the water dripping from the bill of her cap, to the blistering kitchen wall. Flames began to flicker between the stovetop and oven hood. The sprinklers didn’t seem to have an effect on the fire.

Abby shook her fur wildly, pelting Karenna’s feet with an added deluge.

A thud hit the front door and the bottom half vibrated but didn’t budge from the frame.

“Step back. They’re trying to kick the door down. It’s faster than waiting for a battering ram. But…” He gestured for Karenna to keep stepping back. She followed him inside Sarah’s room.

He flattened his back against the wall and peeked out the window. “Fire escape starts here. If they aren’t able to get us out in the next minute, we need to consider taking our chances out there. Though I fear that’s what he wants.”

Her mouth dropped and the scent of charred wood assaulted her. She cringed. “You think we’d be easy targets?”

His eyes met hers. “You’d stay behind me the whole time. I wouldn’t let him get you.”

Her breath caught at his intensity. Unlike the patrol officers she sometimes saw, she didn’t see a bulletproof vest over Ray’s shirt. “No.” Her heart pounded at the implications, at his willingness to sacrifice his safety for hers. She couldn’t let him do that when it had been her idea in the first place to come to Sarah’s apartment.

A snap and deafening crack filled the apartment. She spun toward the noise as the front door splintered apart from the frame at the hinges. An involuntary scream escaped her as she flinched.

Rivulets of water fell from the hats of the two officers who ran into the apartment.

Ray placed a hand on her back. “Let’s get you out of here.”

The officers flanked all sides of her and rushed her down the hallway to the stairs.

“So far, all clear,” the officer to her right said. “Property manager said the fire next door to you was an empty apartment, in the process of a remodel.”

“Good to know. Stay on guard,” Ray answered on her left, with Abby at his heel.

They reached the front door and Ray made a signal to wait. He took a step outside, tentatively. Three radios sounded at the same time on their shoulders.

“Possible arson suspect spotted running from the scene,” the radio voice crackled. “Lost visual at crowd letting out of a movie theater.”

Ray groaned. “So while I waited for backup we gave him time to start the fire and leave. Great.”

Karenna whipped her head around to look at him. His eyes widened, as if he hadn’t meant to say it aloud. Was his comment a dig about when they were dating? He had a tendency to rush into situations without waiting for backup as protocol dictated. It had been a sticking point between them that his supervisors happened to agree with her on.

In fact, the way he’d run into danger unnecessarily had been her biggest struggle when they were dating. He couldn’t stand to wait for backup if he thought his actions would pull another drug dealer off the streets. It had begun to seem like his entire career was solely based on revenge, and that he was unconcerned whether he lived or died in the process.

She’d told him her concerns a few weeks before the end of their relationship. Surely, that wasn’t why he’d broken up with her. She’d wondered about it back then, as well, but it hadn’t made sense. Their conversation had never become heated and she’d felt heard by him. He’d said he would consider her thoughts.

The topic hadn’t come up at all in the couple weeks preceding the break-up. So that couldn’t have been why’d he called it quits.

Not that it mattered anymore.

A fire truck honked nearby. Ray leaned over so he could speak above the noise into her ear. “We need to get to the car and give the firemen room to do their job. Are you okay? Do you need a medic?”

“I’m fine,” she hollered over the clatter, unwilling to turn her face any closer to him.

The officers didn’t give her a spare inch of space to move until she was inside the police vehicle again while Ray secured Abby in the back. Smoke billowed out of a window on the left side of the building. Residents gathered in a cluster on the sidewalk half a block down, looking up.

She couldn’t stop staring at them, even as she coughed the remainder of the foul smoke from her lungs. If she hadn’t gone to look for that man’s photo, would all those people still have had to leave their homes tonight?

Ray hopped in and glanced behind him, checking on Abby before he faced forward. “Can I have your address?”

Her cheeks heated. “What will happen to the residents?” The attacker had endangered all their lives.

“The responders will give them contact information for some organizations that might be able to help them, but if they didn’t have renter’s insurance, it’s going to be expensive.” Ray’s voice had a silky quality whenever he spoke in low tones. “Let me take you home, Karenna.”

She closed her eyes and gave him her address. A few minutes later they were parked in front of her brownstone.

Ray hesitated at the wheel after he shut off the vehicle. “Our shift has been over for a while, and Abby doesn’t eat while she works. Do you mind if I feed her while I make sure your place is secure?”

“Of course not.”

Something had shifted in Ray’s demeanor. He seemed more like the charming man she’d met at the police ball all those years ago when her father had asked her to go in his stead for the fund-raiser event. Ray had asked her to dance and they’d ended up being the last ones to leave. She blinked away the memories.

Ray followed her through the gate with Abby and a backpack that she assumed held the dog supplies.

Instead of going up the building’s front stairs, she sidestepped around. Ray froze for a minute. “You live in the basement?”

“I believe they refer to it as the garden level.” On the left side of the stairs, the door was hidden from street view. “With a private entrance.”

He laughed. “Garden level does sound more sophisticated. I have one of those, as well.”

“A garden level?” She inserted the key to unlock the dead bolt before moving to the doorknob. “Does that mean you’re not living with your mom anymore?” Keeping the surprise from her question was harder than it should’ve been. Ray had been taking care of his mom since high school, after his father had died. Any money he’d made from that point on went to help his mom pay the rent so she and his little sister wouldn’t have to move.

“My mom decided to move in with my aunt a few years ago. My sister is actually staying with me right now while she tries to find her own place.”

That had to be a relief for him, but they weren’t friends who shared feelings anymore so she let his comment go.

Ray wanted to be the first inside the apartment again.

His silence felt heavy as he examined her humble studio apartment with its miniature fridge and stove, the love seat that doubled as her bed, and end tables that worked as both dining room tables and nightstands. Thankfully, she had put away her laundry from last night.

“You…” He turned around to face her. His eyes had never been wider all night, not even when they’d run out of a burning building. “You live here?” The positive lilt to his question was obviously forced.

Her neck burned with the scrutiny. This was exactly the conversation she’d wanted to avoid. “Yes.” The place was small, but it was all she could afford while still being in the neighborhood she wanted.

He strode into the bathroom, peeked behind the shower curtain and came back into the living room. “I’ll just check the windows and locks.”

The towels were in the armoire, so she grabbed a few. “It might not help at this stage, but here.”

He smiled and their hands brushed as she handed him one. The hairs on her arm seemed to stand on their ends from the electricity.

She spun away, quickly pulling out a T-shirt and jeans from her drawer and pointing to the bathroom. “I’ll just be a second. Feel free to help yourself to whatever you need for Abby.”

As she feared, the bathroom mirror didn’t pull any punches. She looked like a raccoon wearing a bad wig. Her professional attire of black-knit shirt and wide-leg trousers was wrinkled and appeared more like a bad set of pajamas.

She glanced at the bathtub and an involuntary shiver went down her spine at the thought of lying in water again. The man’s sunglasses and sneer came to mind once more.

Nope. No more baths, no more sinking her head underneath the water. She breathed deeply, filling her lungs repeatedly while reminding herself it was over. She could breathe normally. In fact, showers only from now on…speed showers. Would dry shampoo get the job done?

After removing the two remaining bobby pins, the few strands of hair left in the twist dropped to her shoulders. She combed it as best as she could, wiped a washrag underneath her eyes, and applied some lip balm. In dry, soft clothes, she felt ready to face Ray with a little more of her dignity intact. She also felt more like herself. At work, she stuck to a minimalist professional wardrobe of whites and blacks, but at home she preferred pastel colors even though they probably made her pale skin look washed out.

She stepped into the room and Ray turned to face her, two dog bowls in his hands, one filled with kibble, the other with water. He set them down and Abby ate, then lapped up the water.

Ray crossed the room and held his hands out. “Look. I know we have a complicated history, but I’m determined to see this case through. So we’re going to be seeing each other until I get the guy behind bars. Maybe we should clear the air and discuss our breakup.”

Her stomach clenched so tightly she fought against nausea. While she desperately wanted to know what exactly had caused him to call it quits in the first place, the day’s drama made her bones feel heavy. She wasn’t sure she could handle reliving all the feelings of getting dumped and rejected all over again. “It’s been a really long day, Ray,” she said instead. “Do you mind if we table this for now?” Or maybe forever. The bottom line was he’d dumped her and she’d moved on.

“Fair enough. I guess I just wanted you to know that when I look back…” He sighed and placed his hands on his waist. “I realize I could’ve handled, or communicated, things better. I still had a lot of growing up to do back then.” He turned to see Abby was done with her bowls. “We’re good?”

She wouldn’t go that far, but she nodded to prevent further discussion.

He gathered Abby’s things but stopped abruptly at Karenna’s desk and fingered something on the top of her stack of papers. “You’re working for a nonprofit?”

She fought against the weariness. Might as well put everything on the table. “I work in donor development for a marketing agency specializing in nonprofits.”

His eyebrows rose up and down as if processing the new information. “You don’t work for your father anymore?”

“I’ve been on my own for the past five years.”

“Because of what happened with us?” He looked shaken. “I didn’t want—”

“I wanted a job I earned on my own merit.” Her throat was so tight with raw emotion she was on the verge of crying. “If you don’t mind, I really am tired.”

“Of course.” He grabbed the doorknob and looked over his shoulder at her. “I’ll make sure there’s a patrol car making the rounds by here tonight. You should be safe. Lock up after me.”

“Do you think the fire was his way of trying to finish the job tonight?”

He worried his lip as if debating how to answer. “The important thing is no one was hurt. While you were freshening up, they let me know the fire was started with a flare and a container of grease right against the adjoining wall to Sarah’s apartment. I guess it’s a type of fire that’s a challenge to put out. Maybe he hoped the fire would ruin any possible evidence he might’ve left behind in that apartment. Whatever his motive, don’t worry. Oh, and, Karenna? Did Sarah have a spare key for your apartment?”

Karenna shook her head. “No.” She didn’t feel the need to explain her apartment wasn’t worth having a key for.

“Try to get some sleep. We’ll find him before he gets another chance…”

He didn’t need to finish the statement. Her lungs tightened at the thought, remembering all too well what that man was capable of.

Ray filled his fourth cup of coffee for the morning, having hardly slept. The paperwork alone had kept him at the station for hours before he could call it a night. But then thinking about Karenna… Well, he needed more coffee than usual.

He relayed the previous night’s events to a few of the other officers who’d just arrived at the limestone building in Bay Ridge dedicated to the Brooklyn K-9 Unit. “And the witness, a victim herself, happens to be my ex-girlfriend.”

Henry Roarke, a fellow K-9 handler with biceps that seemed to get bigger if the guy even thought about going to the gym, quirked an eyebrow. “You had a girlfriend once?”

Ray’s spine straightened, even though he’d noted the teasing tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Not, like, a couple of dates?” Henry held both hands out as if physically examining his statement. “This was a person that you actually referred to as your girlfriend and she reciprocated by calling you a boyfriend?”

K-9 detectives Nate Slater and Bradley McGregor both chuckled at the interrogation as they filled their own coffee mugs. Their canine partners were currently waiting at the training center next door while the officers attended the shift briefing.

“Yes, a girlfriend.” Ray looked around as if someone would appear to back him up. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

Henry crossed his arms over his chest and pursed his lips for half a second. “I’ve known you for the past few years, and you, my friend, are married to the job. I’ve never seen someone so determined to get the most collars—”

“Not just any collars—” Ray held up a finger, ready to argue his point. His dad’s old army challenge coin rested in his shirt pocket at all times, a reminder of who and what he was fighting for.

“Yeah, I don’t think the kind of collar matters when you miss every dinner,” Nate interjected. “Henry might have a point. I’ve never seen someone try to get overtime as much as you…and not for the pay.”

“Before calling me out maybe you should look in the mirror yourself—”

“I’m about to be a family man now. I’ve seen the light.” Nate smiled and slapped him on the shoulder. Nate was engaged to marry Willow Emery and together they were adopting her three-year-old niece, Lucy Emery. Lucy’s parents had been the victims of what might be the copycat murder of the twenty-year-old McGregor double homicide.

If the unit could find a lead on the cold case then maybe they’d finally get somewhere on the recent Emery murder, too. His brain still teased him that there was something about the true crime shows he’d watched that could help. If only he could remember what.

He shook his head at Nate. “So I’m driven. Everyone on this team is. It’s the nature of the job.”

“Yeah, we are.” Henry lifted his chin as if pointing at him. “But you take it to a whole other level. I’m just pleased you used to have a life.”

Nate and Bradley laughed and walked ahead of them toward the meeting room, following their unit commander, Sergeant Gavin Sutherland, and the other K-9 officers for their morning briefing. Giving each other grief was par for the course, and Ray gave as good as he got, so he shook the teasing off and took his last sip of coffee.

“You ever think about getting her back?” Henry asked.

“It was five years ago, Henry. Ancient history.”

“Ah, I get it.” He sighed with compassion. Henry was known for speaking his mind, even if it wasn’t his business. He’d recently been placed on modified desk duty for claims of excessive force, even though he insisted he’d followed protocol when the suspect went for Henry’s gun. Internal Affairs was investigating, and the wait was tough on everyone.

They walked together into the room. “I ended the relationship,” Ray said. “But now I’m the lead officer on her case.”

He had ended it—and questioned the wisdom of that decision multiple times. Last night’s conversation with Karenna had played on a loop, the main reason he couldn’t sleep. Everything looked less clear in the morning light, but he wasn’t about to start analyzing his feelings now. The past was the past.

“Good luck with that,” Henry teased.

Ray mock rolled his eyes then looked across the table. “Are we getting started, Sarge?”

Gavin glanced at the clock in the room over Eden Chang’s shoulder. As their resident tech guru, she wasn’t normally part of the meeting, but she was explaining something about a fix to the sergeant’s tablet. Gavin nodded and excused her with a thumbs-up. “Thanks. Glad we hired an expert who’s a true tech genius in all regards.”

“Hired an expert.” Ray repeated the words aloud. Something clicked in his mind and he slapped his thigh in vindication. “We need to hire an expert, a genealogy expert, a geneticist. Something from a true crime TV show I saw a while back has been driving me crazy. Remember that serial killer in Wisconsin, back in the eighties?”

Officer Belle Montera’s eyebrow rose. “Hate to break it to you, but someone already solved that case.”

He ignored the laughter that followed. “It’s how they got him that’s been driving me crazy.” He glanced at Bradley, feeling a little awkward about sharing his unorthodox idea on how they might catch the man who murdered his fellow officer’s parents. At least Bradley’s sister wasn’t in the room. He didn’t want to raise false hope that they might bring their parents’ killer to justice.

Gavin turned to face him. “It was DNA, wasn’t it? We’ve already checked the databases dozens of times, Morrow. It’s a dead end.”

“No.” He shook his head. “We haven’t checked genealogy. You know how people send DNA in to find out their ancestry?”

“After a decade, my cousin finally found her birth father using one of those sites,” Henry said with a frown. “But those are private companies that aren’t open for us to use.”

“I know that. Hear me out. People can upload their encrypted findings to a public database to help them find other relatives.”

“That way people don’t all have to use the same service to locate relatives,” Eden, still standing next to Gavin, said with a nod.

“Law enforcement can access CODIS, the FBI’s combined DNA index system database,” Ray added. “And, if they find a match, they can issue a warrant to the private DNA sequencing firm that comes up. In the Wisconsin case, they contacted a geneticist that helped fill in the gaps of their collected DNA sample to help them find the closest relative in the database. Once they narrowed down the family group, they were able to pinpoint the suspect.”

“So you need a sleuthing geneticist willing to look at the DNA from the McGregor case and examine the public database.”

“Basically.” Ray nodded.

Eden crossed her arms. “I’ve got a connection to a geneticist we’ve been using in the NYPD off and on. She’s got a stack of cases ahead of us, but I think she might be willing to do us a favor and bump this up. I can contact her to come work with our forensics team, but I think she would tell you not to get your hopes up.”

Gavin nodded. “Nevertheless, this case is personal to the team, and I would think, with the media attention to the two murders, the higher-ups would have no problem bumping this up the forensic ladder. No stone unturned. Contact her.”

Ray blew out a breath. Maybe God would finally listen to his prayers now and at least bring one murderer to justice. His phone vibrated. He normally had his phone muted during a meeting but contacts underneath his favorites tab still got through. Other than his mom and his sister, he only had one other person in that category, the one he’d added last night. A quick glance at the screen showed Karenna’s name.

I have news. Can we talk soon?

The text made his heart race even though there was nothing there to cause alarm. Still, he stood. “New development on the case I told you about, Sarge.”

Gavin nodded and Ray walked out the door to call her.

Penny McGregor, their records clerk and Bradley’s sister, waved him down. Penny was only twenty-three and, like everyone in the unit, Ray always felt protective toward her. “We got the results on those pills you wanted tested.”

Ray studied the report she handed him. He hadn’t wanted to be right. The results confirmed his suspicions, though. This was now a drug-related case, which meant there was a dealer he needed to hunt down before anyone else got hurt. Especially Karenna.

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