LITMIR.BIZ

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his morning cup of coffee steaming on his desk, Brady strode into Captain Wilthauer’s office and slapped the newspaper down in front of him. The headline glared up at them:

      Mysterious Winslow Deaths Suspected Homicides

      Captain Wilthauer’s bloodshot eyes rose slowly toward Brady as he replied, “So?”

      “Who leaked this to the press? You know damned well we’re not sure about any aspect of this case yet. The poisoning might’ve been accidental.”

      “You know what the chances of that are.”

      Brady did not respond.

      “Look, we’ve sent the food specimens from the Winslow picnic to the lab for testing. As soon as we find out how the Candoxine was ingested by the victims, you and Stansky are on your own. But until then, the public is demanding an answer here, and the Commissioner is determined to give them one.”

      “The Commissioner, huh? This is a mistake, and you know it. If there is a killer out there, he’s just been put on guard.”

      “We’re going to have to take that chance, Tomasini. The Commissioner has the last word.”

      “That’s where you’re wrong. The lab has the last word, and you can bet your tail that I’m hoping the lab turns up accidental poisoning.”

      “We’ll see, won’t we?” Wilthauer smiled. “Whatever happens, we’re going to eliminate a lot of speculation because the CDC has agreed to allow its expert to remain in the city to do all the testing for as long as we need her.”

      “Her?” Brady felt the knot that tightened in his gut. He repeated, “Her?”

      “Meaning Natalie Patterson, of course.” Wilthauer stared at him confusedly. “You ought to be glad. She’ll get the media off your back by answering most of their questions. Hell, there’s nobody who can contradict her here, either, considering the situation.”

      “Right.” Brady gave a harsh laugh. “Have you seen this expert?”

      “No.” Wilthauer shrugged. “So what?”

      “She’s a babe, Captain, even if she tries damn hard to disguise it, and she’s young. She’s got a hell of a lot less experience on the job than those doctors at the Health Department who couldn’t figure any of this out, and she’s got the look of somebody who’s trying to convince herself and everybody else that she knows what she’s talking about.” Brady leaned forward as he said adamantly, “Unless I miss my guess, those reporters will tear her apart.”

      Wilthauer looked up at him for a moment, then replied, “What’s got into you about this Patterson woman, Tomasini?”

      Brady drew back as if he had been singed.

      “What happened? Doesn’t she like you?” Wilthauer shook his head. “Look, Romeo, take my advice and keep away from her. If she falls flat on her face, I don’t want any of my detectives going down with her.”

      Romeo.

      “Tomasini, did you hear me?”

      “I heard you. Did you hear me?”

      Wilthauer’s expression grew frigid. “Should I have?”

      “How do you expect Stansky and me to conduct an investigation if we can’t depend on the information we’re getting?”

      “She hasn’t been wrong so far.”

      “That’s no guarantee.”

      “All right, show me where Natalie Patterson doesn’t have the background for this investigation, and I’ll get her off the case. Put up or shut up, Tomasini. Now get out. I’ve got work to do.”

      Brady walked back out into the squad room and signaled Stansky to his feet.

      As they reached the door, Stansky asked, “So, how did it go?”

      “I told you,” Brady replied coldly. “We’re screwed.”

      STUNNED, DR. HADDEN MOORE stared with disbelief at the headline on the newspaper lying on the table in front of him. No, it couldn’t be true! Candoxine was untraceable in the human body. There was no way an autopsy could have revealed that it had caused the Winslow deaths!

      He read the article. Frustrated, he slammed the newspaper back down on the table. He had executed the perfect crime and had achieved the perfect revenge on the woman who had led him on and betrayed him—only to be foiled by yet another woman!

      Mattie Winslow appeared before Hadden’s mind’s eye as she had looked the first time he saw her, and he seethed with a familiar rage. He had been representing Manderling Pharmaceuticals at a reception given by Parkerhouse Pharmaceuticals, the major U.S. drug company contracted to handle production of the British lab’s breakthrough cancer drug when it was approved for sale in the U.S. She had been wearing a black cocktail dress that hugged her slim, faultless figure. Her eyes were the same color as her lovely hair, her perfect features bright with laughter, and her beautiful legs so long and slender that his heart had started racing the moment he saw her. She had been the most desirable woman he had ever seen.

      By far the most brilliant scientist on the staff at Manderling, he was also the most extroverted in a field where introverted types abounded. Brilliant and handsome, with blond hair, blue eyes, patrician features and a carefully tended physique, he had always stood head and shoulders above the average man, both literally and figuratively. He had been a prodigy from the moment his progress was measurable as a child. He had graduated university at the age of seventeen and had earned his doctorate at the age of twenty. He was also fluent in five languages, which he spoke with no discernable accent, adding to his suitability as temporary liaison in a country as diverse as the U.S. He had been the perfect choice on many levels to represent Manderling at Parkerhouse when a meeting between the two labs had been deemed necessary.

      Yes, there had been no one who could match him at the party the night he met Mattie, and he’d had the world at his feet.

      He recalled the event, his heart pounding. Mattie had entered the room on the arm of a researcher from Parkerhouse whom she was dating. It was love at first sight for him, and he was determined to have her. The common fellow she was dating was no challenge at all, and in the weeks that followed, he wined, dined and charmed her. He would have given her the world if—

      Fury again flooded his face with color. He had been so sure of Mattie’s love, so certain that no woman, most especially the magnificent creature who had stolen his heart, would be foolish enough to refuse him when he offered her his ring. Yet she had actually had the gall to pretend to be surprised when he did, and to explain that although she was fond of him, she didn’t love him the same way he loved her. Even after she had rebuffed him, he could not make himself believe she had simply led him on.

      Whore!

      He finally had come to the realization that Mattie was lying, that her rejection was simply more of the same type of thing he had experienced all his life—jealousy of his superior intelligence and achievements. When it came down to the wire, Mattie had known she would always stand in his shadow while standing at his side, and she had been too vain to accept that fate.

      But he had loved her and had been prepared to forgive her and overlook that flaw in her character. He was certain he could make her see that she had made a mistake in passing up the opportunity to rise with him as he met his destiny.

      Mattie had said she thought it would be best if they stopped seeing each other, but he’d been persistent. He’d called her until she had her number changed and unlisted. He sent her flowers and precious gifts, hoping to win her back, but she refused to accept them. Desperate to talk to her, he approached her on the street, but she would not speak to him.

      He began watching her apartment day and night, hoping to catch her with the new man who he then became certain had taken his place. Neglecting his work in order to keep up his constant surveillance, he’d finally returned to his temporary office at Parkerhouse Pharmaceuticals

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