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Back The Night Bird
Chapters (60)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. Start Reading
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. FROM THE AUTHOR
  59. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  60. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Frost didn’t answer immediately. He watched the fans parading toward the stadium. “Not in the way you mean.”

Jess squinted at the sky, where darker clouds massed. “Stay objective, Frost.”

“Don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen with her. It’s not that kind of relationship. At least not for me.”

“Well, I’m in no position to give you lectures about who to get involved with.”

He knew she was pissed at him, but it wasn’t just about the case.

Frost and Jess had a complicated relationship, and it had been that way since they met. Jess wasn’t anyone’s idea of drop-dead gorgeous, but she had heat, and Frost felt it. They’d known each other since before he was a cop. Jess Salceda had been the homicide inspector on Katie’s murder. She’d encouraged him to join the force because she saw something in how he looked at the world that she thought the police needed. When he did, she mentored him, sometimes ahead of older cops who didn’t like the special treatment he got. They thought there was something between them, and they weren’t entirely wrong.

Last spring, when Jess was splitting from her husband—a captain in special operations—she and Frost got drunk together and spent all night in bed in an airport motel. The next morning, they woke up to their mistake and swore off it, which lasted a month. Then they found themselves back at the same motel for another one-night stand.

Since then, they’d been sober with each other. Neither one of them wanted a relationship, but like alcoholics, they knew how good a drink could taste.

“I got a call from someone I was hoping I’d never have to talk to again,” Lieutenant Jess Salceda told Frost.

“Let me guess. Darren Newman.”

“Bingo,” Jess said.

“What’d Newman say?” Frost asked.

“He said you broke into his house, harassed him at gunpoint, and couldn’t take your eyes off his girlfriend’s tits.”

“That’s not totally inaccurate,” Frost admitted.

Jess snickered. “He wants me to keep you out of his face, or he’s going to sue the department.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, so stay in his face,” Jess snapped. “Do you think he’s the one doing this? Do you think he’s the Night Bird?”

“I don’t know. The puzzle pieces fit, but we don’t have a shred of real evidence against him yet.”

“Yeah, he’s clever,” Jess said.

“Herb still thinks he killed Merrilyn Somers.”