were you thinking?”
Andrea’s face was completely red. “I was thinking he killed my sister! If I want the chance to talk to him, that’s up to me.”
“Liam—”
“No, Case.” He pinned his partner down with a stare he knew was hard because he saw her flinch. “She doesn’t get it. You don’t understand a guy like that.”
Andrea said, “He’s angry he got Keira and not me.”
“And now he’s going to come after you again, try and finish what he started.”
“Good!”
Liam snapped. “No. It’s not good. How can you say that?”
“You don’t want to arrest him? Now that Kiera’s gone are you going to leave me here, a sitting duck, waiting for him to come back and abduct me this time?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what’s the problem? You think I don’t want the chance to look my sister’s killer in the eye, even though it scares the ever loving crap out of me? I want to kill him right back for what he did to her.”
“You think I’m going to let him get within ten feet of you?” Liam jerked his head, side- to-side. “There’s no way.”
Caisey turned so her back was to him. “He’s right, Andrea. There’s no way that’s going to happen.”
Andrea looked around Caisey, at him. “Neither of you can control the future. You can only put up safeguards. If he tries to take me again, you might not be able to stop it.”
“You want to die?” Liam pushed Caisey aside and moved in close. “You want to go through what Kiera went through?” He swallowed the sick feeling.
Maybe his boss would let him put her on a plane to Australia. But that wasn’t likely, not if they wanted to catch the Chloroform Killer. If he lost Andrea it would be so much worse than some nameless, faceless victim he didn’t know.
“I’m not just going to sit here.”
“You will if I tell you to. I’m in charge, and don’t forget that. I’m the thing that’s standing between you and an insane serial murderer who wants to kill you.”
The noise that burst from Andrea’s throat was a mix of grief and frustration. She spun around and strode from the room. A second later her bedroom door slammed.
“Good going, champ.”
Liam’s head whipped around to his partner.
Caisey’s eyes widened and she lifted her hands. “My bad. Yell all you want. But maybe this will penetrate, and I pray it does.” She pointed at the door Andrea had slammed. “That girl has nothing but her grief and helplessness. If she needs to get angry and rage about how she’s going to kill the killer the first chance she gets, then who cares? She needs to get it out, to feel like she has some control over all this. It doesn’t mean either of us will ever let that happen.”
Liam pressed his fingers against his eyes. “I don’t want her to do something stupid. ”
“You really think she would? Andrea James is prob ably the most level-headed woman either of us has ever met.”
“Or it’s just a front. You saw her family.”
“Yeah, that was a train wreck.” Caisey shook her head. “I thought my lot were dysfunctional, but Andrea’s family takes the biscuit. The mom’s on another planet and the dad is seriously disconnected. Andrea’s holding herself separate from the whole world, avoiding relationships and living her narrow life of work and a boring apartment just so she’s not like them. I’m thinking Kiera was the only honest one among them. At least she knew she had problems.”
Liam sighed. “So what do we do?”
“Apart from everything we’re already doing? I already emailed Burkot about the trace on her phone. I’m waiting to hear back if we got anything.”
“So we just hang around for him to make his approach?”
“I hope it takes weeks. Andrea’s couch is way more comfortable than my old mattress.”
Liam didn’t respond to that. “Did you ask about the key Andrea mentioned?”
“I asked for the list of Kiera’s personal effects. If the necklace was there, we should be able to get it to
Andrea’s face was completely red. “I was thinking he killed my sister! If I want the chance to talk to him, that’s up to me.”
“Liam—”
“No, Case.” He pinned his partner down with a stare he knew was hard because he saw her flinch. “She doesn’t get it. You don’t understand a guy like that.”
Andrea said, “He’s angry he got Keira and not me.”
“And now he’s going to come after you again, try and finish what he started.”
“Good!”
Liam snapped. “No. It’s not good. How can you say that?”
“You don’t want to arrest him? Now that Kiera’s gone are you going to leave me here, a sitting duck, waiting for him to come back and abduct me this time?”
“Of course not.”
“Then what’s the problem? You think I don’t want the chance to look my sister’s killer in the eye, even though it scares the ever loving crap out of me? I want to kill him right back for what he did to her.”
“You think I’m going to let him get within ten feet of you?” Liam jerked his head, side- to-side. “There’s no way.”
Caisey turned so her back was to him. “He’s right, Andrea. There’s no way that’s going to happen.”
Andrea looked around Caisey, at him. “Neither of you can control the future. You can only put up safeguards. If he tries to take me again, you might not be able to stop it.”
“You want to die?” Liam pushed Caisey aside and moved in close. “You want to go through what Kiera went through?” He swallowed the sick feeling.
Maybe his boss would let him put her on a plane to Australia. But that wasn’t likely, not if they wanted to catch the Chloroform Killer. If he lost Andrea it would be so much worse than some nameless, faceless victim he didn’t know.
“I’m not just going to sit here.”
“You will if I tell you to. I’m in charge, and don’t forget that. I’m the thing that’s standing between you and an insane serial murderer who wants to kill you.”
The noise that burst from Andrea’s throat was a mix of grief and frustration. She spun around and strode from the room. A second later her bedroom door slammed.
“Good going, champ.”
Liam’s head whipped around to his partner.
Caisey’s eyes widened and she lifted her hands. “My bad. Yell all you want. But maybe this will penetrate, and I pray it does.” She pointed at the door Andrea had slammed. “That girl has nothing but her grief and helplessness. If she needs to get angry and rage about how she’s going to kill the killer the first chance she gets, then who cares? She needs to get it out, to feel like she has some control over all this. It doesn’t mean either of us will ever let that happen.”
Liam pressed his fingers against his eyes. “I don’t want her to do something stupid. ”
“You really think she would? Andrea James is prob ably the most level-headed woman either of us has ever met.”
“Or it’s just a front. You saw her family.”
“Yeah, that was a train wreck.” Caisey shook her head. “I thought my lot were dysfunctional, but Andrea’s family takes the biscuit. The mom’s on another planet and the dad is seriously disconnected. Andrea’s holding herself separate from the whole world, avoiding relationships and living her narrow life of work and a boring apartment just so she’s not like them. I’m thinking Kiera was the only honest one among them. At least she knew she had problems.”
Liam sighed. “So what do we do?”
“Apart from everything we’re already doing? I already emailed Burkot about the trace on her phone. I’m waiting to hear back if we got anything.”
“So we just hang around for him to make his approach?”
“I hope it takes weeks. Andrea’s couch is way more comfortable than my old mattress.”
Liam didn’t respond to that. “Did you ask about the key Andrea mentioned?”
“I asked for the list of Kiera’s personal effects. If the necklace was there, we should be able to get it to
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