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She frowned “His English skills aren’t very good, are they?”

“Yeah, which does point to ourmembers who isn’t behind bars”

“Hmm Maybe” She looked unconvinced “Or it could just be soer elsewhere”

“What ard, but he was interested in hearing hers

She crossed her arms “If one of Taylor’s pals wanted one—or, at least, they wouldn’t have bothered with a note”

He nodded She’d obviously learned a few things at the DA’s Office He just wasn’t sure he liked her being acquainted with the seedier side of life Sure, he’d often , but he knew better than most just how bad the alternative could be

“The person who is doing this obviously wants to scareht fit better with Kendall, who’s a white-collar criminal”

“You know so, petunia?”

“What?” Her chin ca a sarcastic remark

“You took the words right out of my mouth”

Her shoulders relaxed a little “That’s probably the highest compliment in your book”

Five

Allison didn’t knohy she’d let Connor talk her into spending the weekend at his getaway cottage in the Berkshires, west of Boston Soe of scene

She sat in the living roo on her brief in response to Kendall’s attorney’s pre-trialpresented to the juryShe could hear Connor one into town for groceries, he’d gone to work on his computer There were four of them in the den, she had discovered, plus some hitech computer accessories

She was thankful that the past week had been less eventful than last Saturday After they’d discovered the anonymous note in herto the police that Connor had surilled, the dull throbbing at her te

The police had since inforraphs and note hadn’t turned up any fingerprints other than Connor’s, though the envelope that they had co probably that of her mailman None of the shop owners or anyone else near the locations where the photographs had been taken had re suspicious

Yet, despite the uneventfulness of the week, she hadn’t felt relaxed Whereas before she’d only thought soraphs confirmed that to be the case

It was a spooky and unsettlingly thought She now found herself turning around at oddher

So, at the end of the week, when Connor had argued she could work just as well at his country house as she could at the townhouse, she hadn’t disagreed too strenuously In fact, she ad him around made her feel safe Perhaps it was the photos and note that had done it, but she no longer had the saet rid of him

And going to Connor’s place was a distraction When they’d arrived that e” was a two-story, wood-frame structure nestled in the woods, well back from the road It boasted four bedroo rooood measure, a hot tub

She tried hard not to think about the hot tub—and tried harder still not to think about the fact that her bedroom was next to his

She looked through the sliding-glass doors leading to the outdoor wooden deck and watched Connor fire up the barbecue grill Beside hi

Deciding it was tiathered up her papers, putting them in a neat stack on an end table

When she got outside, Connor was nursing a beer and watching the rays of the disappearing sun twinkle through the branches of the trees

He opened another beer and handed it to her

“Thanks,” she said, watching as he expertly used a long fork to turn the steaks “You know, I could al you cook for me, Rafferty”