“We also have an excellent sheriff’s office that takes care of the city as well as the county,” she countered. “Are you married, Vince?”

“Single, but I have two daughters. How are the schools?”

“Excellent. The top in the state for their size.”

“Nothing strange goes on there, I guess,” he said jokingly, even as he recalled Dennis Farman and the severed finger.

A muscle in Janet Crane’s jaw pulsed. “Not at all.”

“So it’s just the serial killer we have to worry about.”

Now she was getting pissed off. He could see it in the set of her shoulders, the quickness of her breathing, the little line of frustration that made an L between her eyebrows. He wasn’t letting her manipulate him, and she didn’t like it.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Crane. I’m not going to be frightened away. After all, I’m not exactly a part of the target group of victims, am I?”

The brittle smile reappeared. “No, you aren’t.”

“Still, it’s a terrible thing to think about.”

“I heard the man responsible is in custody.”

“They called him a ‘person of interest’ on the news, not even a suspect. I don’t know that they believe he did it,” Vince said. “I’ve read about serial killers. They’re very clever, you know, practically chameleons. This guy could be a businessman, someone respected in the community, but with a dark side. I’ve heard of women being married to serial killers and not having a clue about their husband’s other life.”

“That seems hard to believe.”

“I know, but it makes you want to know if your husband really plays poker on Thursday nights, doesn’t it?”

“I trust my husband implicitly,” she said, tension pulling on the natural downward curve of her mouth.

“But should you?” Vince asked. “That’s the question.”

“You’re making me uncomfortable, Mr. Leone,” she said curtly.

Vince feigned shock. “Oh, no! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—Oh my gosh, no! I’m the last guy . . . Really.” He started to laugh at the very notion. “Believe me, Mrs. Crane, I’m a lover not a fighter.”

“I didn’t mean to imply—”

“No, no, of course not,” he reassured her.

“What with everything that’s been in the news . . .”

“I understand. And if you don’t want to go on—”

“No, no, I’m fine, really,” she said, a little embarrassed. She tried to cover it with a little joke that wasn’t a joke. “But for the record, my boss knows I’m here with you!”

She laughed. He laughed.