Dangerous Waters Read Online Free PDF Page A

going to be very interested in the fact that it had come loose.
    She found the zip of her suit across the back of her shoulders and tugged to get it undone. Pulling her way out of the neck seal was like trying to pry a turtle out of its shell, but eventually the neoprene stretched over her head. She swore as it ripped out a handful of hair.
    A small inflatable sped toward her. Staff Sergeant Furlong was driving, and it was just moments before he pulled up beside the marine lab’s boat.
    “So do we have a homicide or not?” he yelled over the wake and engine noise.
    “Knife to the heart suggests we do, sir.” She schooled her features to give nothing away. “If you give me five minutes, I’ll get dressed and bring everyone up to speed.”
    There was a thick pause. “How are you, Holly? I heard you got injured during your last assignment.”
    “It was just a scratch. I’m fine, sir.” She picked up a towel and scrubbed at her hair. “How’s Penny and the baby?” she asked brightly.
    “They’re great.” His teeth gleamed as his eyes ran over her in a familiar way. Nausea swirled in her belly. “You got here fast.”
    “I was in the right place at the right time. Dad and I decided to take our yearly vacation before I started the new job in Victoria. We were learning to scuba dive near Tofino. We cut the trip short when I heard about the case.” She locked her teeth together.
    His lips compressed. “This is your first case as primary, correct?”
    “Yes, sir.” No pressure . She plucked at her sopping, bedraggled hair. “I need to get dry before I get too cold.” She picked up the evidence jar and pressed it into his hand, taking care not to connect with any skin. “Meet the victim. Part of him, anyway.”
    “I see.” A frown furrowed the skin of his tanned brow. “Is this going to be a problem—us?”
    She laughed and was pleased at how it came out, all tinkling and light rather than rabid and nasty. “There is no ‘us,’ so there’s no problem, sir.”
    He nodded, and a rush of water at the end of the boat made her flinch. Finn Carver hauled himself on board the dive platform and started peeling off gear. How long had he been there? What had he heard?
    Staff Sergeant Furlong gave her a nod. “I’ll see you on the Coast Guard vessel in thirty minutes. They’ve offered us space to begin our preliminary work.”
    She stood straight. “Yes, sir,” she clipped out. And then he was gone.
    Silence hung in the air. The blue sky and gentle lapping of water against the hull seemed inappropriate for her mood, but a hurricane wouldn’t be good either. “Thank you for taking me down today, Mr. Carver. I can appreciate why you weren’t so keen.”
    A sexy dimple appeared in his cheek as he casually stripped down to board shorts. “Call me Finn.”
    “Finn.” She must have been distracted earlier because she hadn’t noticed the sheer quality of muscle packed into that body. This was a man in peak physical condition, with superb observational skills. He caught her looking.
    “Checking me for weapons?” He raised one Viking brow.
    She was a little unsettled by the thought of frisking him in any capacity, especially so soon after talking to Jimmy forgot-to-mention-I’m-married Furlong. “Just keeping an eye on you, Mr. Carver.” She peeled off the wet neoprene and realized she stank. She sat there bedraggled and shivering and figured there were days when the deck was heavily stacked against being a woman.
    “There’s a shower downstairs. Go grab one before you have to report in.”
    Considerate men were the most dangerous. Jimmy Furlong had been a hell of a considerate guy, all the way to the bedroom. And it must have given him a goddamn heart attack when he’d found out who her father was.
    She pulled her wet hair off her forehead. “You need to come over there too. I need to take an official statement.”
    He grunted. “I need to get back to work, Sergeant Rudd. Come by the marine station