“I can imagine.” A few seconds ticked by, and her tone warmed as she continued. “I hope I wasn’t out of line asking about the future. I’d hate for you to be caught unprepared if this situation goes south. You’ve built a fabulous career and contributed a huge amount to the station.”

“My career isn’t the one on the line here.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll let you get back to work—but I also wanted to tell you I used those ideas we discussed Monday on my podcast. If you get a chance, I’d love for you to listen and give me some feedback over lunch next week.”

“I’ll do my best to tune in. Talk to you soon.”

He pressed the end button, dropped the handset back into the cradle, and walked over to the window that overlooked the city six floors below.

That had been a strange conversation.

And it hadn’t left him feeling warm and fuzzy.

Carolyn’s interest in a radio slot was no secret. She’d been up front about that from day one.

But he’d never made any promises, done anything to lead her to believe she was next in line if an opening did come up. Sure, he’d consider her for a trial run if an appropriate slot ever became available—although that had always been a long shot, as he’d been careful to communicate.

Or it had been until Eve became a target.

Doug froze as a police car tore past the building, lights flashing, in pursuit of someone who’d stepped outside the law to achieve an end that was important to them.

Like hosting a radio program?

No.

He shook his head.

That line of thought was nuts.

Carolyn was a smart woman and an ace reporter. She was prepping herself for a higher-profile career, but she was playing by the rules.

And perhaps she was also playing him.

Not an angle he’d ever acknowledged, but possible.

Yet taking advantage of a man in the throes of a midlife crisis, while of questionable morality, wasn’t illegal. Nor did it have any connection to Eve’s problems.

Carolyn didn’t have any connection to Eve’s problems, other than covering them for the paper.

She wouldn’t jeopardize her career—her entire future—by doing anything risky or on the shady side of the law, even if she did have the investigative skills to dig deep into someone’s background and ferret out dirt. She was too smart to use that kind of information for nefarious purposes.

And she was certainly too smart to plant a fake bomb.

Yet as his phone began to ring again and the advertising manager’s name appeared on his screen, he couldn’t kill the tiny seed of doubt that had suddenly sprouted to life in his mind.

She may have pushed too hard.