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deal with anything else.
    “Yeah.” I finally turned in my seat until I was facing him. We came to a stoplight and he looked at me—his eyes filled with a little bit of laughter and a lifetime of love. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
    His sensual lips curved upward and I felt the slow burn of arousal roll through my body. I wondered if it would ever get old—looking at the sheer maleness of him and feeling my bones turn liquid and my heart flip in my chest.
    “And just so there are no surprises,” he said. “I’ve known your real name since we were in fifth grade. I’ve been holding back the information for a potential blackmail opportunity.”
    My mouth dropped open in surprise and I felt the flush of embarrassment creep up my neck and cheeks. “All this time and you never said anything?”
    “I’ve thought about it many times over the years. I came really close to using it once or twice, but I could never get it to come out. The name doesn’t fit you.”
    I sunk down in the seat a bit and crossed my arms over my chest. “Well thank God for that. What kind of respectable doctor is named Jericho? And what the hell were my parents thinking? It’s like they stole me just so they could make my life miserable. What kind of people do that?”
    “The shitty kind, appare ntly. Don’t worry, love. Your secret is safe with me.”
     
    ***
     
    Graves Funeral Home sat right on the corner of Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon, and it took up two full lots. It was a three-story Colonial with dark red brick and white columns that flanked the front entryway. Two massive elm trees stood in front of the house, the leaves new with spring and bright green. No grass grew beneath the trees, and the roots were gnarled and grew out of the ground, cracking the sidewalk.
    Jack backed the Suburban up under the portico where we loaded and unloaded bodies. It didn’t take long to get the victim moved onto a stretcher and up the ramp that led into the large kitchen. This was the private area of the funeral home where guests weren’t allowed. The big stainless steel door that led to my lab was just off the kitchen, and I keyed in the code and waited until the locks released.
    Frigid air blasted me in the face as soon as I opened the door and Jack and I maneuvered the body inside and to the elevator. Despite the temperature, sweat broke out on Jack’s brow as soon as the smell of the embalming fluid hit him. I immediately went and turned on the fans to the highest setting.
    I tried not to pay any attention to the five boxes that sat unobtrusively in the corner—the same boxes my father had been looking for. This was the only secure place I could keep them, but I wondered if the security on the door would really keep him out. Jack had a large safe in his closet where he kept extra guns, a few heirlooms, and extra cash. I was thinking it might be better to move them there, that way we could go through the boxes in the comfort of our home instead of huddled in the basement with a dead body.
    “You okay?” I asked after I got the body settled on the table. “There are bottles of water in the fridge if you want one.”
    “I’m good. It’ll pass after a few minutes. ”
    I grabbed a fresh pair of gloves and then tossed him the box. I worried about the shape the victim would be in even after such a short trip in the car. Victims found in the water after an extended period of time were extremely delicate, and I knew if I was going to get viable prints for Colburn the work was going to be painstakingly tedious.
    I unzipped the body bag and we carefully removed the victim, making sure not to brush against his sensitive skin. I cut his shirt down the middle and peeled it away from his chest and shoulders. His flesh was already patchy and raw in places just from the trip down the river. My complete attention was on getting the sleeve from the arm when I felt Jack pause.
    I looked up to make sure he was all right and wasn’t going to be