Silent Witness Read Free

asset to the OIG. Unfortunately, she has no investigative experience, so you’ll have to train her. I hear she’s smart and catches on fast. She’s a Jungian trained analyst by trade. That won’t hurt us. We’re always needing a shrink’s advice in our cases. Nice to have an ‘expert’ in-house, eh?”
    â€œYes, sir.” But not in his office. And not working with him!
    â€œOne last thing, Mr. Cochrane.” Dornier fixed him with his best you’d-better-not-screw-this-up look.
    â€œYes, sir?”
    â€œPowers higher up than you and me have designated this little test as ‘very important.’ So, the partnership is equal. Agent Tanner is not here to fetch you coffee or deal with all the unpleasant little tasks on cases you don’t like handling. She’s not your secretary or assistant. It’s up to you to make this a success. Is that clear, Lieutenant?”
    â€œYes, sir, very clear. I’ll make it work.” How?
    Dornier smiled. “That’s what I wanted to hear. Dismissed, Mr. Cochrane. In the next week, we’ll find you a bigger office, so the two of you can fit into it.”
    Hell’s bells! Jim left the room in shock. He didn’t hear the normal workplace sounds, the low voices, or see the people looking in his direction as he stalked angrily back to his office. Tanner had no investigative experience! Of all things to saddle him with! Gone was his easy, rolling gait. He marched stiffly down the passageway, feeling like a boiler ready to implode. His pa’s soft voice came back to him. Son, don’t bawl over spilt milk. Jest find yerself ’nother cow to milk, instead.
    Jim’s gaze flew down the passageway. Ellen Tanner was in his office, leaning against his reference table, awaiting his return. She stood out like a sore thumb—completely out of place in his world of sharp, crisp uniforms. Her hair was wild, her face winsome, her green eyes gentle, not cocky. She was a damn shrink.And what the hell was a “Jungian” analyst? He’d never heard of that type before. What had he done to deserve this curse? He was more frightened of her as a woman than as a cohort at this point. Some unknown power drew him helplessly to her on an emotional level. That scared the living bejesus out of him because of his split from Jodi.
    His heart was pounding, jumping up and down and doing somersaults in his chest at the moment. He was feeling terribly vulnerable, completely off guard.
    Slamming the door behind him, Jim glared at Tanner. “Okay, so we’re partners,” he snarled. Ouch. He saw the hurt leap into her eyes at his nasty growl. This wasn’t the real him. He’d never snarled at a woman. Raking his hand through his hair, Cochrane railed at himself over his lack of manners. Ellen Tanner was a hapless pawn in this game, too. He shouldn’t be firing salvos at her, but he was scared to death.
    â€œLieutenant, I think we need to talk about this situation, don’t you? You’re obviously unhappy.” Pissed off. Angry. Disappointed. Ellen could add a litany of other adjectives that were clearly etched in his expression, voice and body language. She tried not to take it personally, but dammit, she was only human, after all—analyst or not. Worn out by the last gutting two years of her life, she felt wounded by his glare.
    Jim turned. Those balmy green eyes had suddenly become focused—on him. Gone was the softness. He felt as if he was under the gaze of a red-tailed hawk intent on nailing her hapless prey. “Agent Tanner, the last thing I need right now is talk. I’ve just been informed that you’re my partner. We’ll get a larger office sometime in the next week. That’s the only plus in this as far as I’m concerned.” Panic struck him. Talk? Not a chance! She was a shrink. She was trained to talk. Cochrane did not want her inside his head, or have her