Santiago slid his hand in his pocket, turning his back to the market and focusing on her. “What did you know about him that made you like him so much?”

“He boxed up his unsold food at the end of the day and delivered meals to the homeless. Why do something like that and then kill those women?”

“People are complicated. Good can coexist with the bad.”

Her life had been a study in extremes. “Maybe.”

“Are you off to the café?”

“I don’t work there anymore.” And then catching herself, she said, “I haven’t told Jordan yet. I quit after her attack. She was there for me when I needed her, and now it’s my turn.”

“That’s good.”

This should square us up. She remembered the words she had heard Walker utter to the shadow man. What could Walker have owed Rawlings?

“I guess the more you dig into Rawlings’s past, the more you’ll learn,” she said.

“Anywhere in particular I should be looking?” Santiago asked.

“I’m not really sure.”

She met his gaze and realized he was studying her intently. She was not sure how much Jordan had told him about her past. She hoped her sister had not said anything about the drugs because, for some reason, she did not want to disappoint. “I’ve got to go.”

“I won’t judge you, Avery.”

“You wouldn’t mean to, but you would. I know because I judge me every day.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Saturday, April 24

11:00 a.m.

Jordan lay on her side, her naked body close to Spencer’s. She savored the feel of his corded muscle pressed against her breasts and belly. He was a powerful man but had proved he had a real capacity for tenderness.

His breathing was even, relaxed, and she sensed that his eyes were closed, because when he looked at her, her skin tingled as if snapping with electricity.

Her phone rang, and with her eyes still closed, she quickly snapped it up before the second ring as she rolled on her other side. Without thinking, said, “Detective Poe.”

“This is Casey.”

The woman’s shaky voice sent a jolt of energy through Jordan’s body, and she quickly sat up. She felt Spencer’s muscles tighten and attention sharpen. “Who is this?”

“Casey Andrews,” the woman replied.

“Casey?” she asked. There had been enough media coverage for her to doubt the claim.

Spencer sat up and turned her hand to see the phone’s display. “That’s not the name on your screen,” he whispered.

“Casey. This isn’t your number.”

“He left me a phone. And Max was my teddy bear.”

“Where are you?” Jordan asked.

“I don’t know. It’s dark.”

“How did you get this phone?”

“He left it with me. It took time to find it in the dark. He programmed your number into it.”