LITMIR.BIZ

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that there was only one coin earring. She picked up her pearls and pushed aside a bracelet. The other earring wasn’t there.

      “I must have lost it,” she said in a small voice.

      Cody laughed. “You never lose anything. Remember the time I thought I’d lost my wedding band? You had put it where I always kept it. I didn’t find it because I’d already looked there.”

      The grin slowly faded from his face. “That was early on, before I found out nothing ever gets lost around you. You won’t allow it.”

      For some reason, Cody’s words embarrassed her. He’d always made fun of her orderly ways. His teasing had been endearing once. Anger and embarrassment crowded into her breast, along with a peculiar longing for that long-ago time, before Cody’s dogged determination to save the world alone had turned her neatly ordered life into chaos.

      “Why are you so sure he got into my apartment? Nobody just waltzes into an apartment, finds a hidden jewelry case and takes one earring. That’s ridiculous.”

      “It’s not ridiculous if his purpose is to show me how close he can get to someone I—to you. You wore those earrings every day. You wore them in the courtroom. Fontenot doesn’t miss anything. He saw them. He knew I’d understand the significance.”

      “The significance. And just what is the significance, Detective?”

      “The significance is that he can go anywhere. He can do anything. The man is psychotic, but he’s brilliant. He could just as easily have been waiting for you here.”

      “I don’t want to…” She turned away, frightened by the intensity of his gaze.

      He caught her arm. “Listen to me. Ever since they let him out of prison, things have been happening. Little things at first, but escalating.”

      “Th-things?” she stammered, against her will.

      “A cup of coffee on my desk from Mintemans, my favorite place. And I didn’t order it. Then my car was on empty one night when I got home, and full the next morning.”

      “I don’t…understand.” She was lying, of course. She understood, too well. Cody had always maintained that Fontenot was diabolical. He’d been obsessed with putting the man away. Dana knew what Cody was telling her shouldn’t make sense, but it did. It made frightening sense, because it meant that Cody was right about Fontenot. A horrible, shivery feeling skittered up her spine.

      “Then, yesterday morning,” Cody continued, “I opened my car door, and this—” he dangled the earring in front of her eyes “—was on the driver’s seat.”

      “How…?” She bit her lip. She did not want to know how he’d gotten shot, but she couldn’t help herself. “How did you get shot?”

      For a split second, an unguarded look appeared in his eyes. A look of fear. Dana’s heart pounded. “Cody?”

      He shook his head angrily. “I was…distracted.”

      “What do you mean?”

      “Look, Dana. I guarantee you, you don’t want to know.”

      “You’re right, but I’m afraid I need to.”

      “I’m late. I’ve got to get out of here.” He looked around the bedroom. “Is there an old sweatshirt of mine around here? Or a T-shirt?”

      Dana started to press him for the answer, but her pounding heart was stealing her breath. He was right. She didn’t want to know.

      Reluctantly she went to her dresser and pulled out his police academy T-shirt, the one she slept in. She smoothed her palm over the soft material before she handed it to him. It was sad, in a ridiculously sentimental way, to give it up. His shirt had comforted her on many a lonely night. Somehow, she felt safe when she slept in it.

      “My academy T-shirt. I thought I’d lost it. I should have known you’d still have it.” He grinned at her as he shook it out, preparing to pull it on over his head. “Do you have anything else that belongs to me?”

      Dana’s face burned. “No,” she snapped, a queer regret settling into her heart. When he left, taking his mug and his shirt with him, she wouldn’t have anything that belonged to him. “Absolutely nothing. Aren’t you ready to leave yet? I’ve got plans for this weekend.”

      “You’ve got plans for every moment of your life,” Cody remarked dryly as he prepared to don the shirt.

      She wanted to turn away. She didn’t want to watch his lean muscles undulate as he pulled the T-shirt over his head. She certainly didn’t want to see him wince as he lifted his wounded left arm. But somewhere along the way her will had gotten lost, so she stood helplessly, her eyes filled with the sight of the shirt molding his chest and abdomen.

      With a grunt he finally got the shirt on and smoothed his hands down the front of it. She swallowed nervously. That T-shirt had clung to her breasts so many nights. Her own hands had smoothed the material across her belly, seeking comfort when she lay alone in bed.

      His hands had once roamed over her like they now ran down his own body. No. Not exactly like this. This was a natural grooming gesture. He was just making sure the shirt was in place. His hands on her had been different—gentle but insistent, seeking, touching, teasing, and always, always strong.

      She licked her lips and dragged her gaze away from the word Academy stretched across his chest.

      “I’m going to check your apartment and take a look around outside.”

      “What?” she asked, distracted.

      “I’m going to take a look around,” he repeated. “What’s the matter with you?”

      She quickly turned away, pretending to look for something on the dresser. It wouldn’t do for Cody to get a good look at her face right now. She was sure every thought, every emotion inside her was written in her expression.

      “Fine. Fine. Just get out of here. And go to the doctor, if you can manage to find the time, what with saving the world and all. You’re going to have an awful scar there if you don’t.”

      “It’ll go with the rest of them.”

      “God knows you’ve got enough.” She glanced up at his mirrored image, regretting her words, but not able to stop them.

      “You’re a cold woman, Dana,” he said, shaking his head, a touch of sadness marring his features.

      She turned around and looked at the man who had once meant everything in the world to her, and wondered if he would ever know how wrong he was. “I have to be. Otherwise I’d never stop hurting.”

      Cody’s eyes changed, darkened. He took a step toward her, but she backed away.

      “Don’t…” she snapped, holding up a hand defensively. “Just go.”

      He shrugged, then winced when the movement hurt his shoulder. “No problem, counselor,” he said flatly. “Send me a bill for services rendered.” Then he turned on his heel and left.

      Dana heard his shoes on the hardwood living room floor, then heard the front door open.

      “Dana.”

      She sighed in irritation and stepped through the hall to the living room. “What?”

      “Be careful, and call me if you notice anything strange. Anything, you understand? Fontenot isn’t a man to mess with. I’ll have a patrol car check the apartment.” He turned to go then turned back one more time.

      “What, Cody? What now?”

      “Why don’t you go over to Pensacola? Visit your sister. Get out of town for a day or two.”

      “No. I told you, I have plans. Your life, your quarrels, your ex-cons full of revenge, don’t have anything to do with me. I divorced you so I wouldn’t be subjected to this. I have a life,

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