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STEVE STARED AT THE concrete ceiling of his cell, counting the web of cracks, wondering just how long his stay in this place would be. He sighed, praying Lynn’s documentation would be enough to clear his name, or at least to eliminate the chance of a jail sentence, but he also knew it wasn’t enough to save his career.
His mind wandered back to the Windwalker case and he closed his eyes, reviewing every crime scene, every interview and every possible suspect on their list. The case file was thick with current cases, but Steve found a few other similar deaths in shoreline communities up and down the New England coastline and every now and then one occurred on a lake.
The killer had to have a boat, but in all cases, not a trace of gasoline was found on the waterways, which left a canoe or kayak as the getaway mechanism. It also had to be dark because it blended with the scenery alerting no one of its approach or retreat.
All of the thoughts pinging around in his head were documented in the case file, along with the fact that thousands of folks in the kill zone owned kayaks or canoes.
Steve snapped his eyes closed in frustration. He was missing something, and he knew it. Instead of chasing his tail, he wished himself out of the cold cell and into his bedroom at home. The bed was warm, and Jennifer stirred as he slid closer to her under the covers.
Her green eyes widened. “Did they let you go?”
“No, I’m still down in D.C. sleeping in my cell,” Steve said, using finger quotes when he said the word sleeping.
“So, what are you doing here?”
He grinned and shrugged.
Jennifer smiled back and rolled so she was on top of him, straddling his lap and holding his wrists on the pillow. “So, you decided to take a little astral trip just for some action?”
“Ayup,” he said from below her. “Care to see if it’s possible?”
Jennifer’s smile faded, and she leaned down, kissing him, slowly at first and then the heat kicked in. Her grip on his wrists loosened and he ran his fingers into her hair, deepening the kiss and letting the sensation of her heighten his passion.
He sat up, peeling off his shirt and stripping her of her silky nightgown. Their gaze locked, and he ran his finger over her lips, marveling at the soft satin of her sexy mouth. It had been way too long since he studied her curves and he found the sensual line of her neck with his lips, trailing kisses along her neck and shoulder while he caressed her firm breasts.
“I love you,” he whispered and shifted, pulling her underneath him.
“I love you, too,” she said, and her eyes sparkled with the same intensity he was experiencing.
Every time he made love to Jennifer, it felt like the first time and tonight was no different. But unlike their first wild experience together, he took his time until they were both drenched in sweat and panting from exertion.
He kissed her gently and rolled onto his back, exhausted. The last thing he remembered was sending a smile in her direction and then his eyelids closed. The pull dropped him into a black spiral and when his eyes blinked open, the gray concrete greeted him.
This could very well be my life for the next thirty years.
Reality hit with the force of a neutron bomb, crippling his ability to reason and Steve covered his face, taking a deep breath to keep the crawling despair at bay.