Crime Seen Read Free

okay.’’
    ‘‘That’s fine,’’ I said. ‘‘Come on over when you get into town and I’ll give you the spare key. We can talk rent then if you’d like.’’
    ‘‘Perfect. Thanks again, Abby. And I’m so glad you’re feeling better.’’
    I clicked off with Candice and poked my head into the study in search of Dutch, who had stopped his eavesdropping around the time I’d agreed to sublet some space to Candice. ‘‘That was a dirty trick you pulled,’’ I said as I handed him back the phone.
    ‘‘Needed to be done,’’ he said gravely. ‘‘Now, have a seat. I want to talk to you.’’
    ‘‘Sounds serious,’’ I said. I plopped down in one of the leather chairs across from his desk.
    He looked at me for a long moment and, as always, I felt my breath catch at the beauty of the man. Dutch Rivers is tall, blond, and incredibly handsome. But the most riveting thing about him is his eyes. They’re midnight blue in color, and whenever they bore right into mine, the way they were doing then, I knew I was in for a lecture. ‘‘I’m worried about you,’’ he began.
    ‘‘Here we go,’’ I said. Dutch was big on worry, but usually only where I was concerned.
    ‘‘I’m not kidding,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s time for you to think about getting your feet wet again.’’
    ‘‘But I took a shower this morning,’’ I said lightly.
    ‘‘Edgar.’’ He sighed. ‘‘You know what I mean.’’
    ‘‘I’m not ready,’’ I said as I looked down at my hands.
    Dutch didn’t say anything for a long minute. Finally, he made a startling suggestion. ‘‘Not even if it’s to help me?’’
    ‘‘Pardon?’’ I asked, lifting my eyes to his. ‘‘This is a new twist, Agent Rivers.’’
    Dutch picked up three folders on his desk and waved them at me. ‘‘When you were in there talking to Candice, it gave me an idea. These are the three cases I’ve been working this month, and I’m at a road-block on all three. I need a break, Abby, and I was thinking you could do for me what you usually do for Candice.’’
    My jaw dropped. Dutch had never asked me for help on a case. In fact, he’d all but fought me off every time I’d tried to assist with an investigation. For him to ask me this favor meant he’d turned a corner of sorts, and the sneaky bastard had done so knowing full well I could hardly turn him down. Still, I was a bit doubtful that he was for real. ‘‘Are you fooling with me? Because if you are, that would be a low move on your part.’’
    ‘‘I’m dead serious,’’ he said, holding my gaze.
    ‘‘I see,’’ I said, weighing my decision. Half of me really wanted to help. After all, my boyfriend was legendary for his skepticism. I’d seen him run to the aid of a female ghost who’d disappeared before his very eyes, and he still tried to deny what he’d seen. He was also the type of guy who liked to be the hero, and asking for help wasn’t something he’d ever been comfortable with.
    But if I were honest with myself, I’d have to admit that the trouble wasn’t so much on his end as on mine. I hadn’t used my radar to any real extent in nearly ninety days, which was an all-time record for me. In fact, I’d worked hard not to use it. The truth of it was, my intuition had failed me at the moment in my life when I’d needed it the most. I’d been sucker punched in the chest by a bullet that I’d had no idea was coming.
    And that was what was really eating away at me— the fact that when I’d relied most heavily on my intuition, it had failed me. What if it failed me when I was sitting with a client? I just wasn’t ready for that hypothetical yet.
    So Dutch was really throwing me a curveball with an offer that would allow me to step back into the ballpark with no risk of injury. I could give some remote impressions about a case in which I would never meet the actual players involved, and if I was wrong— so what? The FBI would continue to investigate, and