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answered his cell phone on the third ring. “Hey, good looking, what are you doing up so early while you’re on vacation?”
    Josh had been a member of the BQK task force she’d been on for several years. They were presently in the same squad working out of D.C. and under SAC Douglas Trotter’s command, who took orders from the ADIC, the Assistant Director in Charge.
    “Officially, I’m still on vacation,” Nic said. “For now, I don’t want Doug to know anything about what I’m doing unofficially.”
    Josh let out a long, low whistle. “I don’t like the sound of that. What are you up to and is it going to get you into trouble?”
    “Yes, it could get me in trouble.” She hesitated telling Josh everything. God, was he going to get a laugh at her expense. If anyone on earth knew how much she detested Griffin Powell, it was Josh. He’d had to listen to her curse the man’s very existence on a fairly regular basis while they were on the BQK task force.
    “I’m listening,” Josh told her.
    “If you laugh, so help me—”
    “Now, why would I laugh at you? Unless you’ve gone off and married Griff Powell—my God, Nic, you haven’t—!”
    “Of course not!” Nic sucked in a deep, courage-building breath. “But I am with Griff.”
    “You’re shitting me, right?”
    “Swear to me that you’ll keep this under wraps until I find out more.”
    “More about what?”
    “You know my theory about there being two BQ killers? That supposedly unprovable theory that I’ve shared only with you and Doug, the theory that Griffin Powell and I both believe to be true?” She added hastily, “And it’s the only thing that man and I share. Get that straight here and now.”
    “Good God, don’t tell me that you and Powell are off on some wild-goose chase to prove your theory.”
    “He called us,” Nic said.
    “Who called you? And is that the royal us or are you referring to you and Powell?”
    “The second BQ Killer called me on my cell phone yesterday and he called Griff, too. He phoned us only minutes apart. He all but admitted to both of us that he’d been the second BQ Killer. He told us he has begun a new game. And he gave us both a clue.”
    “Crap! Are you kidding me?”
    “We know he’s already killed two women and both women were athletes, but we need to find a way to prove that the two crimes are connected. I’m flying to Ballinger, Arkansas, with Griff this morning. That’s where one of the victims was found.” Nic hurriedly filled Josh in on what information she had, then ended the conversation by saying, “If I call you for unofficial help—?”
    “Look, I think you should tell Doug right away and bring him up to speed on this.”
    “No. Not until I’m certain that I can prove to him this guy has started a new killing game and the bureau needs to be involved.”
    “Doug is not going to like your teaming up with Griffin Powell,” Josh reminded her.
    “I don’t like teaming up with him, but right now I’m not calling the shots and neither is Griff.”
    “Then who is?”
    “Our killer is.”

    Amber Kirby had the oddest feeling that someone was watching her, and the sensation gave her the creeps. But she didn’t slow down, didn’t alter her pace one iota. After all, it wasn’t as if she were out here on this walking/jogging trail alone. She had overslept and was running late this morning; otherwise she’d be finished with her three-mile run and be showered and dressed for the day. But Sundays were her day of rest, the only day her hectic schedule allowed her time off, and that would change during basketball season. She didn’t really mind all the hard work—both on the court and off—because her basketball scholarship to UT was the only way she could afford college. That or join the army. And since she’d been the star of her high school team, with a natural athletic ability, she preferred playing basketball to running the risk of getting killed or having her limbs blown off