A Kiss in the Dark Read Free Page B

the number of accidents in Black River Mine No. 2, the biggest and most active coal mine in the region. He hadn’t wanted to come back; he’d been happy enough in Norfolk, working as a structural engineer for the state of Virginia. Until the night he’d received a call from a friend and former instructor at Virginia Tech.
    Cole had studied mining engineering under Stu Zollweg, and had later participated as part of an inspection team led by Zollweg to identify safety issues in several West Virginia mines. He’d found the fieldwork both challenging and satisfying. After obtaining his Master’s degree, he’d returned to Black Stone Gap and been hired as an engineer in the Black River Mines. But less than six months into the job, he’d lost a good friend in a tunnel collapse. He’d been consumed with guilt and anger; he should have known about the weak tunnel structure. He should have been able to avert the accident.
    Instead of sticking around to help uncover what had gone wrong, he’d bolted. He’d moved to Norfolk the day after his friend’s funeral and had gotten a job as a structural engineer, helping to build highway tunnels and bridges.
    When Stu Zollweg had called out of the blue, Cole couldn’t have been more surprised. But the offer he made was even more surprising. Stu worked part-time for the Department of Labor as a mine safety inspector. The Bureau of Mines had sent safety inspectors into the Black River Mines on several occasions, but had failed to uncover any significant safety infractions. So they couldn’t understand why the accident rate in the Black River Mines was higher than other mines in the country. Now the feds wanted someone to go into those mines undercover and find out why the accident rate was climbing. Stu had recommended Cole for the job.
    If he could gain access to the tunnels, he could provide evidence of what he had long suspected—that the mines were operating in direct violation of Federal safety codes. He just needed to prove it.
    The air-conditioning in the cab was strong enough to softly stir the fabric of her dress, and even by the dim dashboard lights he could see goose bumps raised along her slim arms.
    “Cold?” he asked. “I can turn down the air if you’d like.”
    “No, thanks. It feels good.”
    She started to say something more when the radio unit on the dash emitted a sudden, loud squawk and a disembodied, static voice filled the cab of the truck.
    “Mac, you there? Over.”
    Cole lifted a handheld mouthpiece from its cradle and pressed a button, speaking into the instrument. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m giving the client a lift home, and then I’ll bring the truck and car in. Over.”
    “Do me a favor, Mac,” came the reply. “Can you bring the truck back first? I just got a call that Stu Barlow’s boy wrecked his truck out on the gap road and forced another car into the ravine. The kid’s fine, but his vehicle’s blocking the road. Bobby just headed over there with the other wrecker, so I’ll take yours and meet him there. Over.”
    “Got it. See you in two. Over and out.” Cole replaced the mouthpiece and gave his passenger an apologetic smile. “Looks like I need to bring the truck back to Sully first, then I’ll give you that lift to wherever it is you’re staying.” When she didn’t immediately answer, he gave her a quick glance. “That is, if it’s okay with you.”
    Her attention had sharpened on him. “You’re not Sully?”
    Cole grinned. “No, ma’am.” Keeping one eye on the dark road, he extended a hand toward her. “Name’s Cole MacKinnon.”
    After a moment, she took his hand. Her fingers were slender and cool. “I’m Lacey Delaney.”
    Cole thought the name suited her. Soft. Feminine. It conjured up images of delicate lingerie, like the stuff she had in that bag. He slanted her a smile. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.” She made no move to withdraw her hand, and Cole’s grin broadened as he saw the turnoff to Sully’s