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here and now-that nature had designed to charm the female of the species.
    Riley was hardly immune.
    "Hey," she said. "Nice goings-on in such a pretty little town."
    "Tell me about it." He shook his head, adding, "Sorry to pull you out of your vacation, but, frankly, I wanted an opinion from someone who probably knows a lot more about this sort of thing than any of us."
    "And you thought I might?"
    He looked sheepish, and Riley tried not to believe it was because he knew it was a good expression for him.
    "Okay, so I checked up on you when you arrived. I didn't mention it later because…well, because I thought you'd tell me about it in your own time."
    "It?"
    "The Special Crimes Unit. It isn't exactly a secret in law-enforcement circles, you know. I made a few calls. And learned a bit more than the standard FBI line of bullshit double-talk."
    Taking a chance, Riley said, "You don't believe in the paranormal."
    His eyebrows lifted. "Is that a problem?"
    "Not for me, no. It's the sort of thing we run into more often than not."
    "I imagine you would."
    "But if it isn't something you believe in, then how much value can my opinion have?"
    "You're an experienced investigator, and your unit deals with murder on a regular basis. Yes?"
    "Yeah."
    "I believe in that. Your experience. That's enough for me."
    Riley looked at him and tried to find a memory, a single memory.
    Nothing.
    As for her clairvoyant sense, it was as absent as her memory. All she knew was what her usual but slightly dulled senses were telling her. He was gorgeous, he had a nice voice, and he was wearing Polo cologne.
    "Riley, I need your help," Jake Ballard said. "Or at least your expertise. I can call your office, make it official so you're on the clock. No need to waste vacation time."
    She hesitated, then said, "If you make it official, my boss will probably want to send another agent or two down here. We seldom work alone."
    The sheriff grimaced. "That, I'm not so crazy about. A major FBI presence wouldn't sit well with the civic leaders. If we scare away the summer visitors…"
    He didn't have to complete that sentence. Towns like Castle and Opal Island weren't as dependent on summer dollars as the northern coast areas were; winter this far south was mild and brief, and visitors came year-round. But the summer season still produced the most income through higher rentals and for other area businesses.
    Her voice mild, Riley said, "Well, I imagine my boss will be okay if we keep this semiofficial."
Yeah, sure he will. Bishop is not going to be happy that we've got a murder now.
And why the hell hadn't she mentioned that fact when she'd called him back to explain where the package for the courier would be found?
    Man, what
is
wrong with me?
    "I can explain the situation," she continued, pushing her way through uncertainty, "and I'd be on the books as an adviser to your office, not an investigator."
    "Suits me," he said promptly. "Look, the doc wants to cut down the body-"
    "No." She softened that with a smile. "It would really help if you could clear most of your people out for a bit. Not long, just a few minutes. I'd like to wander around, take a closer look at the scene before anything more is changed."
    "For the psychic vibes?" His voice wasn't-quite-mocking.
    "For whatever I can pick up," she returned pleasantly.
    He eyed her for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay, sure. My forensics team has done all they can do, and God knows we've got plenty of shots of the scene. But the people I've got combing the woods aren't done yet."
    "No reason to call them in. I just need the immediate area around the body clear."
    He nodded and stepped away to begin issuing orders to send his people temporarily back to their vehicles.
    Leah, who had stood silently nearby, murmured, "What I can't figure out is if he really wants your help or just wants a reason that Ash can't argue with to keep you close."
    "Mmmm," Riley said.
    Who the hell is Ash?
she wondered.

Chapter 4
    I t was one