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about the case, if anything. His father watched him with intense interest. In Ben’s experience, whether active or retired, cops never lost their curiosity when it came to police work.
    “No. Her relationship to the case is peripheral.” He went on to explain about the women in Seattle who had come to a bad end and Barnett’s connection to them.
    “If she never met him, what brought her into the picture?”
    “It happened by chance.” Ben leaned back in his chair and took a few moments to sift through the details.
    “She became involved through a former neighbor, who’d hooked up with the suspect.” Ben proceeded to explain about Allie wiring money to Jimmy Rix.
    “Several men, those two included, were rounded up after a bar fight and hauled into the county jail,” he continued. “They were all fingerprinted, given a court date and released. By then, it was almost dawn. Before any of them could retrieve the vehicles they’d left in the bar’s parking lot, the owner had the cars towed. All but one, a Chevy, was claimed the next day.
    “The cops hung on to the car for several more days, at the impound lot, then traced the registration to a Seattle woman. When they got no response from her, they did a computer search and learned she was a homicide victim. She was found with a paper heart, inscribed Forever Mine, on her body.
    “They subsequently interviewed all the guys who were involved in the fight and got lucky. One of the men, whose apartment Rix had been flopping in, had gone bar-hopping with Rix and Barnett that night. He informed the cops both men were headed to San Francisco with the intention of hooking up with Jimmy’s former neighbor, Miss Nash. She’s the woman we’re babysitting.”
    “Unlucky break for her,” Martin said.
    “Yeah, further investigation led them to another popular neighborhood hangout. The bartender recognized Dave from a police artist’s sketch. A few nights earlier, he and the victim had left together at closing time.”
    “Tough,” Martin said.
    Ben swallowed a forkful of eggs. “They dusted the car for prints and found Barnett’s and Rix’s inside. Then the authorities in Seattle began investigating open cases of missing and murdered women. Bingo. Barnett had a connection through the University of Washington to at least two of the women who are still missing.”
    “And the woman here in San Francisco?” Janice asked.
    Ben explained about the phone calls to Allie and her refusal to vacate the house. “The perp made it his business to get real chummy with her. He’s smooth, turns on the charm with every call. Unless he’s captured soon, we’re pretty sure he’ll turn up here in the city. When he does, Thompson or I will be waiting for him.”
    “Is this woman you’re guarding young or old?” Janice asked.
    “She’s younger than me, but her age isn’t important.”
    “Is she single?”
    Ben didn’t need three guesses to figure out where his sister headed. “She isn’t my type, and it’s strictly professional, so don’t bother digging there.” He finished his coffee and stood. “I have to leave.”
    He gave his father’s shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll go fishing, Pop, as soon as I’m free.”
    “You know where to find me.”
    His sister walked him to the front door. “This woman…”
    “Forget it.”
    “Okay, but at least answer one question.”
    Ben fished his car keys out of his jacket pocket. “Make it quick.”
    “Is she pretty?”
    He shrugged. Now, he understood why Beth Ann had developed the habit. His sister could be relentless in her questioning.
    “You’re with her twelve hours a day and you haven’t judged her looks? Danielle really must have soured you on women.”
    He called up a mental image of Ms. Nash. She had a slender but curvy body, a creamy complexion and good features. No, make those the kinds of features most men searched for in a woman and rarely found. Every time he encountered her with a tape measure draped around