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knew you would be interested in this particular case. This is personal, more up your alley.”
    Her warm brown eyes turned to her ex-husband. Jake didn’t know why the couple had broken up, but there was no doubting that they still cared. There was also no doubt that there was a wall between them. As Eve’s hand went for the file, she carefully avoided contact.
    “What was your take on the husband?” Eve asked, her eyes sliding away from Alex’s.
    Alex cleared his throat and sat up straighter, his usual professionalism back in full form. “I’m not half the profiler you are. I would rather you formed your own opinions. And he’s her ex-husband. They divorced years ago. He filed. She didn’t contest it.”
    She started to flip through the file. “Then why would he start harassing her now? Especially if he’s the one who decided to leave?”
    “That’s what’s thrown the cops off.” Ian finally took the seat at the head of the table. “Look, according to the cops, she’s somewhat suspicious.”
    “Bullshit,” Adam said. “There was nothing suspicious about her.”
    Jake thought about strangling his partner. He never knew when to shut up. He could practically hear Ian’s thoughts before he put them into words.
    “Adam, don’t make me regret giving this to you. She is the client. Actually, she’s not the client. Lara Anderson is the client. Serena Brooks or Amber Rose or whatever you want to call her is to be handled carefully, and part of her handling is going to be figuring out what’s the truth and what’s complete fiction. She should know a little bit about fiction. She writes a bunch of it.”
    “Are you trying to say she’s not trustworthy because she’s a writer? That’s ridiculous.” Grace looked ready to defend the author.
    Ian held out a hand to stop her. “I’m saying she’s incredibly ambitious. The woman went from working part time at a retail store to publishing fifteen books in a two-year period. She learned the business very quickly. Lara said she’s never had a writer quite as prolific as Serena. She’s worked the whole e-publishing business to spectacular advantage, building a devoted following in a short period of time. A woman like that could use the publicity. Tell me, Grace, what is she known for? What types of books does she write? We all know it’s erotic, but there’s something more, isn’t there?”
    Grace’s flushed face told Jake that Ian was right.
    Ian shook his head in a brief arc. He wasn’t going to take silence for an answer. Ian rarely asked questions for which he wasn’t pretty damn sure of what the answer would be. “And what types of plots does she write?”
    “Suspense.” Grace sighed. “She’s known for writing great suspense plots. Damn it, Ian, that doesn’t mean she’s making this up.”
    “Has she ever written a stalker book?”
    Grace’s head shook, but her words told the truth. “ Three Riders, One Love . The heroine was being stalked. She ran to a small town and found her lovers there. But she’s also written serial killer books and books that feature Russian mafia hit men. They haven’t shown up in her life.”
    Ian’s fingers drummed against the desk. “She’s very creative. This would make a great story. Aren’t all writers looking for a little publicity?”
    “Then why hasn’t she publicized it?” Jake was a little surprised he’d said the words out loud. He’d intended to stay completely neutral, but those big green eyes were haunting him. Now that everyone else was leveling accusations, he felt a need to defend her a little.
    Ian’s shoulder came up in a negligent shrug. “Maybe she’s waiting for the right time. I’m sure she has a book that will launch sometime soon.”
    “Two weeks,” Grace said.
    Eve looked Grace’s way. “Could you give me a list of her books? You can tell a lot about a writer from her work. Writers can be…unstable. They can also be wonderfully sane. Rather like the rest of the world.