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touchy-feely side didn’t exactly prove much in a testosterone
pit like a police station.
    “I think Brady had more sense than to get in a pissing match
over some girl,” Paige said firmly.
    “I agree.” John sat on the corner of the desk and propped a
boot on one of the chairs. “He was focused on the job and getting a good review
from Silver. Besides, the fight was inside the apartment, and if you’re
fighting with someone over a girl, you don’t invite them in and then let them
jump you. You have the fight right at the door.”
    “Harris, Kalani,” one of the detectives called, “you’re
canvassing 9th for victims.”
    John frowned, and from his expression, he was about to try
to talk his way out of it, but Paige shook her head. “John, don’t. You and Alex
go work the canvass. Hell, I’m feeling bad enough about the fact that resources
are getting pulled off this rape case. Don’t make it worse.”
    Alex reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “They’ll find
him. You watch—Ross is a tough kid and they’re going to find him.”
    Paige nodded and bit down on a stupid, desperate desire to
just tell them everything. Instead Alex and John grabbed their caps and headed
over to the detective who had called them. The state police had sent down a
profiler and he was in the corner watching everyone with a sharp gaze that made
Paige want to escape. “I’m hitting the bathroom,” Paige announced before
putting her coffee down and heading for the ladies’ room. Unfortunately, the
detectives had called John and Alex away, leaving her with Veronica.
    “I’ll go with you.”
    “Gee, thanks,” Paige said without even trying to hide the
sarcasm. Veronica wasn’t stupid, so she probably knew exactly how Paige felt,
but she followed anyway—either out of some ridiculous sense of solidarity or just
out of a desire to be in the center of the action. Who knew.
    They were barely inside the door when Veronica leaned back
against it as if someone was going to try to push his way in. “Johnson said
that the captain thinks that Brady’s disappearance might have something to do
with the rape case. Have you heard that?”
    “Considering we’ve spent the last two hours sitting next to
each other, you’ve heard everything I have,” Paige pointed out without
mentioning what the captain had said to her.
    If that was true, then this rapist was going to be harder to
catch than anyone expected. Hell, she wasn’t even sure what these things were.
If they were vampires, she’d expect them to kill and move on. Shit. She had a
serious screw loose because she had an almost overwhelming urge to go ask the
state’s profiler to figure the possibility of a vampire into his fancy
equations and geographical surveys. He’d have her committed.
    “It’s a theory.” Veronica leaned against the sink as Paige
headed into the stall. “He was a nice guy. Cute. Alex thinks he might have had
a thing for you.”
    “Alex what?” Paige demanded over the sound of her peeing.
She seriously needed to cut back on the coffee.
    “He thinks Brady liked you. I mean, he wasn’t saying
anything because you were training him, and you like that rulebook of yours too
much to bend it for a man, not even someone as cute as Brady.”
    “He’s ten years younger than I am.”
    “And? Geez, Paige, that’s something to brag about, not
something that would keep him from liking you. Besides, you’re not exactly
chopped liver.”
    “I’m not exactly a beauty queen,” Paige pointed out.
    “By your age, lots of women have just given up and you’re
still in shape.”
    Paige pushed the door to the stall open. “My age?” She
fastened her uniform belt and glared at Veronica at the same time.
    “You’re not exactly young,” Veronica said.
    “I’m not Methuselah. I only recently turned forty.”
    “So, he wasn’t too young for you. He was twenty-nine or
thirty.”
    “He is.” Paige closed her eyes and the image of Brady with
those pleading