It wasn't the fine cuisine or even the Pale Ale that drew Trey back to Cactus Jack's the next night. Rather, it was this strange, irrational belief he might see Marli.

He had no idea why she'd been there, sitting all by herself, checking out everyone in the place, even though she hated country music and didn't drink. She was such a mystery.

He liked a mystery, liked solving puzzles, finding answers.

She made him curious.

Once again he headed to the bar, liking the end seat where Marli had been last night so he could see the entire room.

A different bartender was working tonight. Trey ordered another Surf Coast Pale Ale. While he waited, he surveyed the bar, much as Marli had last night.

No Marli. He glanced at his watch. Still early.

He watched people dancing and having fun. It was amazing how alone you could feel in a crowded bar. Even more alone than he felt at night sitting in his empty apartment. He nursed his beer, sweeping the room with his eyes.

For some reason--he had no idea why--he turned his head and there she was, looking right at him from the other side of the L-shaped bar. Her gaze met his at that exact moment. Her eyes widened in surprise.

He just looked at her, waiting. Would she come over? He resisted the urge to beckon her over. If she didn't come, he'd go over there. But not right away.

She was skittish and any hint of pushing on his part made her back off. He didn't want to scare her, so he waited, tapping his fingers on the bar.

She hesitated, then she slowly moved forward.

He smiled, looked down at his hands clasping the beer bottle and waited. When he sensed her next to him, he looked up. "Hi."

"Hi." Her smile was tentative. "Um...anyone sitting here?" She gestured at the stool beside him. He shook his head.

She slid onto the stool.

"Back again to drink soda and listen to bad music?"

Her lips curved in a hesitant smile. "Yeah."

Trey looked for the bartender to order her a drink. The bartender glanced their way, and Trey lifted a hand, but the guy turned away. Trey frowned. Huh. No tip for him. But a moment later the bartender arrived to take their order. Trey ordered another beer and glanced at Marli. "Diet Coke?"

"Yes, please."

When the bartender slid a large glass across the bar to her, she sent him a quick smile of thanks.

"So you're still in town," she said. "I thought you'd be on your way to San Francisco."

He shrugged. "It's nice here."

"Yeah. Rocky Harbor's a nice town."

"Maybe tonight you'll dance with me," he suggested softly. "Since now I'm not so strange."

She smiled, but her eyes were guarded. "Maybe," she said. "But you're still a stranger. Really."

"It's funny how I feel I know you, though."

She looked away from him, across the bar. "Yeah, I know."

He watched her breasts rise as she took a deep breath. She wore jeans again, skinny jeans with a long, floaty, green top and round-toed flat shoes.

"Would you like something to eat?" Trey asked.

Her eyes came back to him, green and gold and sparkly. "Are you having another steak?"

"Nah. I ate already. Just wondered if you were hungry."

She considered that. "You know, I could eat."

Trey had a feeling he wasn't the only one who'd been skipping meals lately. He grabbed a menu from a stack at the end of the bar and handed her one.

"Would you share some nachos with me?" she asked after a moment of perusing the menu.

"Sure." Again, he got the bartender's attention. The guy sidled up to him, barely looking at him, and Trey ordered the food.

With a grunt, the bartender disappeared. Trey shrugged. "Not very talkative, for a bartender," he commented. "Did you work today?"

"I tried. I've had a hard time focusing lately. But I have contracts, obligations..." She sighed. "My heart's not in it right now, though."

"You know, it helps to talk sometimes."

She eyed him. "Do you follow your own advice, pal?"

"Okay, you got me. Never mind."

"You know, if I was going to talk to anyone, it might be you."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know." She tipped her head to one side. Her long curls swung down past one shoulder. "You give this impression of...security. Like you don't judge people."

"Are you afraid of being judged?"

Her eyes lowered. "Yes."

"Why, Marli?"

She still didn't look up. One finger traced the condensation up and down the big glass she held. She bit her lip. "I'm... I did something awful. In fact, I'm so...angry, disgusted and ashamed of myself. I feel like a monster."

He stiffened. "God, no," he protested. "I hardly know you, but I do know you're not a monster."

"I am. You'd hate me if you knew."

"Why don't you try me?"

"You know," she said slowly, "maybe you could help me." Then she shook her head. "Nah, never mind. You're just passing through."

"Help you with what?" His curiosity aroused, he turned his body to face her.

She eyed him. "Never mind."

"Just tell me," he said. "If it's something I can help with, I will."

"It's a long story." She bent her head and her long curls hid her face.

"I got all night."

"Okay." She blew out a long breath, lifted her big, tortured eyes to meet his. "My best friend was murdered."

Chapter 3

Oh, Christ. He couldn't speak. Just stared at her.

The bartender slid a plate of nachos onto the bar in front of them. They both ignored it.

"We...we'd been here that night," Marli continued, her voice low but controlled. "At Cactus Jack's. Krista and I, and some other friends of ours. We were celebrating her new job. She met a guy...she really liked him. They left together. The next day, she didn't show up for work. Nobody knew where she was." She swallowed a sob. "The police found her car with her body in it. She'd been raped and s-s-stabbed. And her car was set on f -fire with her in it."

A chill ran down Trey's spine. "Holy Christ."

She nodded and brushed moisture from her eyes. "The guy she left with that night had to have been the one who did it. I thought... I know it's crazy, but I thought maybe he'd come back here. To the bar."

His heart lurched to a stop. "You're not serious. Is that who you're looking for?"

She nodded. "I saw him that night. I got a really good look at him because he was flirting with me a bit, too. I'll know him if I see him."

"What the hell do you think you're going to do if you see him? Jesus, Marli."

"I don't know. Call the police." Then she made a rude noise. "They aren't doing anything about it."

"That's crazy. I'm sure they're investigating it."

"You said you're an FBI agent." She looked up at him. "That's why I thought maybe you could help somehow."

He made a noise that was almost a growl. "When did this happen?"

"Two weeks ago." She dug into her purse and pulled out her wallet, found a small photograph and handed it to him.

Trey gazed down at the image of a very pretty woman. The candid photograph captured her quiet reserve. His eyes narrowed as he took in her heart-shaped face and long, platinum blonde hair.

"This is Krista," Marli said, her voice thick. "She was my best friend."

"She was blonde," he murmured.

Marli nodded. "Yeah. I was always jealous of her perfect straight hair."

He looked up at her. He loved Marli's hair, the way it bounced and gleamed with fiery highlights. His gut clenched hard. "You're blonde, too."

She blinked at him.

"What do you know about the case? What have the cops told you?" he asked, the hairs on the back of his neck lifting.

"Not much. I heard more on the news than I heard from them. They interviewed me a million times, until I barely remembered my own name. But they sure didn't tell me much."

"They have a suspect?"

"Oh, yeah. It was all over the news." She gulped. "Apparently some serial killer. He's been traveling across the country raping and killing women."

Trey froze. His skin went iceberg cold. Son of a bitch.

Time stood still as he processed what was going on here. It was un-fucking-believable. The room shifted out of focus, then back in.

Marli shuddered and swallowed hard. "That bastard. I can't believe... Oh, shit." The tears started again and she furiously wiped them away with her fingers. "Damn it."

"It's okay." He set the photograph carefully on the bar. He brushed her tears away gently with his fingertips. "It's okay."

Why the hell hadn't he heard about this? Jesus Christ. Sheldon Barnes had killed again, and where had he been? Wallowing in self-pity. He hadn't been watching the news at all lately, and no one from the Bureau had bothered to pick up the phone and tell him. Shit. Guilt struck him like hammer blows.

"Not only is it hard because she died, and how she died...but I've been a basket case ever since." She drew in a long breath. "The cops told me not to worry, said if it is this guy, he doesn't usually stick around. He takes off for somewhere else."

"That's true," he murmured.

She opened her mouth, then closed it. "What do you mean, 'that's true'?"

His lips twisted and he ran his tongue over his teeth. He needed to think.

Now he understood the shadows he'd seen in Marli's beautiful eyes. She was nuts, of course, even to think of trying to find Sheldon Barnes, although he couldn't help but admire her courage. After everything she'd been through, it was a wonder she wasn't cowering in her house twenty-four-seven. He didn't know whether to be impressed or pissed. This was one gutsy woman.