happiness above anything or anyone else. If this bastard tried to get near her again, he was in for a hell of a nasty shock. He had a reputation for being fair, for giving second chances, but he had a real short fuse where a threat on Carolyn’s life was concerned. This was a definite threat.
Isaac wasn’t in the mood to take prisoners.
“Yes, poor Pavarotti. He was such a sweet little bird,” Charlotte said. “He wasn’t just Carolyn’s pet. Everyone in the office loved him. Well, not Nina or Josie maybe, but everyone else.”
Isaac wasn’t aware of it, probably since he spent the majority of his time avoiding Nina, but he wasn’t all that surprised. Nina just wasn’t a warm, pet-loving sort of person. “People were always bringing in little treats for him. Burgess even talked about putting his cage out in the bullpen, to kind of brighten the place up.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Burgess.”
Walt Burgess was a merciless hand-to-hand fighter, a hardened, lifelong agent who looked like a thug and had a soft heart for anything smaller and weaker than himself. He taught free self-defense classes for the girls at the local college, starting when his own daughters were teenagers. Over the years, he had roped in many of the other agents to help with that enterprise, including Isaac himself on numerous occasions. Walt just loved it when he could convince those sweet-faced college girls to beat on Isaac or one of the other agents.
“What about Carolyn’s house? Any major damage?” Charlotte asked now, straightening to press one hand to the small of her back. “Heath and Bran were all geared up to get over there with guns blazing the second the alarm sounded, but Conn pulled rank and went himself.”
“Front window smashed with a brick,” he said succinctly. “There was no one on the premises, and no footprints on the lawn. Conn thinks the perp didn’t even leave the front walk and didn’t enter the house.”
“Anything unusual?”
“The brick was painted with insults like ‘bitch,’” he replied.
Charlotte snorted. “Carolyn might not consider bitch to be an insult. She spent years trying to prove herself tougher and smarter than every male agent she ever met. I did the same, so I know. Some days, you only know you’re doing it right because of the number of times some criminal calls you a tough bitch.”
Isaac laughed briefly. He had heard Carolyn and Charlotte talking about that before, laughing and joking and calling each other “bitch” like it was a pet name or a term of respect between them.
“Yeah, but I don’t think she’ll feel the same about the word slut , or some of the other terms that were used,” he said, losing his smile.
Charlotte looked at him. “Right. That’s definitely personal,” she said, frowning. “Could it be an angry former boyfriend? What about the angry former girlfriend of a current boyfriend?”
Isaac was startled by that idea. “Why would you think it was a woman, using insults like that?”
Charlotte eyed him pityingly. “Isaac, women call other women sluts all the time. They do it particularly if they’re trying to steal that woman’s man. Didn’t you notice how many times Nina called poor Sara names when she was trying to get Dash into her bed and Sara was in the way? Try to keep up.”
He shrugged and grimaced, rubbing one hand over the stubble on his face. For a truly excellent reason, a glorious morning-lovemaking session with Carolyn where she had burned both him and Grange to ashes, he hadn’t found time to shave this morning.
“Yeah, I noticed that,” he admitted.
“Everyone noticed that,” Charlotte emphasized. “So, all I’m saying is don’t limit yourself. Don’t rule out a female as a suspect.”
Isaac nodded his head once. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, saluting sharply, and Charlotte laughed.
Chapter 11
When Carolyn walked into her office at ten o’clock, she was calm, at least on the outside. Inside, she felt angry
Isaac wasn’t in the mood to take prisoners.
“Yes, poor Pavarotti. He was such a sweet little bird,” Charlotte said. “He wasn’t just Carolyn’s pet. Everyone in the office loved him. Well, not Nina or Josie maybe, but everyone else.”
Isaac wasn’t aware of it, probably since he spent the majority of his time avoiding Nina, but he wasn’t all that surprised. Nina just wasn’t a warm, pet-loving sort of person. “People were always bringing in little treats for him. Burgess even talked about putting his cage out in the bullpen, to kind of brighten the place up.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Burgess.”
Walt Burgess was a merciless hand-to-hand fighter, a hardened, lifelong agent who looked like a thug and had a soft heart for anything smaller and weaker than himself. He taught free self-defense classes for the girls at the local college, starting when his own daughters were teenagers. Over the years, he had roped in many of the other agents to help with that enterprise, including Isaac himself on numerous occasions. Walt just loved it when he could convince those sweet-faced college girls to beat on Isaac or one of the other agents.
“What about Carolyn’s house? Any major damage?” Charlotte asked now, straightening to press one hand to the small of her back. “Heath and Bran were all geared up to get over there with guns blazing the second the alarm sounded, but Conn pulled rank and went himself.”
“Front window smashed with a brick,” he said succinctly. “There was no one on the premises, and no footprints on the lawn. Conn thinks the perp didn’t even leave the front walk and didn’t enter the house.”
“Anything unusual?”
“The brick was painted with insults like ‘bitch,’” he replied.
Charlotte snorted. “Carolyn might not consider bitch to be an insult. She spent years trying to prove herself tougher and smarter than every male agent she ever met. I did the same, so I know. Some days, you only know you’re doing it right because of the number of times some criminal calls you a tough bitch.”
Isaac laughed briefly. He had heard Carolyn and Charlotte talking about that before, laughing and joking and calling each other “bitch” like it was a pet name or a term of respect between them.
“Yeah, but I don’t think she’ll feel the same about the word slut , or some of the other terms that were used,” he said, losing his smile.
Charlotte looked at him. “Right. That’s definitely personal,” she said, frowning. “Could it be an angry former boyfriend? What about the angry former girlfriend of a current boyfriend?”
Isaac was startled by that idea. “Why would you think it was a woman, using insults like that?”
Charlotte eyed him pityingly. “Isaac, women call other women sluts all the time. They do it particularly if they’re trying to steal that woman’s man. Didn’t you notice how many times Nina called poor Sara names when she was trying to get Dash into her bed and Sara was in the way? Try to keep up.”
He shrugged and grimaced, rubbing one hand over the stubble on his face. For a truly excellent reason, a glorious morning-lovemaking session with Carolyn where she had burned both him and Grange to ashes, he hadn’t found time to shave this morning.
“Yeah, I noticed that,” he admitted.
“Everyone noticed that,” Charlotte emphasized. “So, all I’m saying is don’t limit yourself. Don’t rule out a female as a suspect.”
Isaac nodded his head once. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, saluting sharply, and Charlotte laughed.
Chapter 11
When Carolyn walked into her office at ten o’clock, she was calm, at least on the outside. Inside, she felt angry
Similar Books
