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forever.
    “I’m not ready yet,” she said. How could she tell him she didn’t think she’d ever be ready to return to work or any other part of the life she’d had before?
    The doorbell rang, startling them.
    “I’ll get it,” he said, kissing her forehead before he left her.
    She wondered how long it would be before he left her for good.
    He was back a minute later. “Someone here to see you.” The determined look on his face set her nerves on edge.
    “I don’t want to see—”
    Michael stepped aside to admit Lieutenant Holland into the room. She dropped a huge trash bag on the floor next to her.
    Jeannie ran trembling fingers through her hair, wondering if she looked as awful as she felt.
    “Sorry to bother you, Detective,” Sam said, all business. “But I could use your help.”
    “Oh. Really?”
    Sam told her about the threatening card she’d received and about the thousands of cards they now had to go through to see if there were others. “I thought you might be willing to lend a hand with the investigation.”
    Since that would require effort and focus, Jeannie wanted to say no, but the pleading expression on Michael’s face stopped her from uttering the single world that hovered on the tip of her tongue.
    “Can I count on you?” Sam asked.
    Jeannie thought of the hours her lieutenant—and friend—had spent by her bedside as she endured the rape kit examination, the setting of her fractured wrist and the trauma of reliving the attack for the sake of the investigation. Now someone was threatening her sister officer, her friend. How could she say no to helping her? Clearing her throat, Jeannie said, “Of course.”
    Smiling, Sam withdrew several pairs of gloves from one pocket and a fistful of evidence bags from the other and held them out to her.
    Hoping her trembling legs would support her weight, Jeannie got up from the window seat and made her way across the room. Halfway there, she realized she couldn’t remember the last time she’d showered. She took the gloves and bags from Sam.
    Sam waited for Jeannie to look up at her, to make eye contact. In her lieutenant’s eyes she saw a touch of sadness along with determination. “Let me know if you find anything.”
    Jeannie nodded.
    “Thank you.”
    “No problem.”
    After Sam left the room, Jeannie stared at the huge bag on the bedroom floor. All at once, a wave of panic hit her. Why had she agreed to help? She was on leave. They couldn’t make her work. What had Sam been thinking coming to her home and dragging her into an investigation when all Jeannie wanted was to be left alone?
    Possibly sensing her growing panic, Michael put his arms around her, drawing her into his embrace.
    Jeannie took deep, calming breaths of his familiar scent and fought back the panic that threatened to consume her.
    “You can do this, Jeannie. I know you can. Sam must really need your help or she never would’ve bothered you.”
    Jeannie nodded.
    “Why don’t you take a nice, hot shower, and I’ll fix you some breakfast before you get started?”
    “Okay.” She did as he suggested, but only because she was tired of seeing that worried, desperate look on his face. For the first time in weeks, he seemed a little hopeful.
    Standing under the hot water, she thought about Sam and her senator husband and how happy they had been on their recent wedding day—the only time Jeannie had left the house since the attack. The idea of someone threatening them made Jeannie good and mad, which she decided was better than the numbness. Anything was better than that.

Chapter 4
     
    So much for a nice easy return to work, Sam thought as she set up the murder board in the conference room. A double murder and some hate mail would complicate any day, but the post-vacation gods had been particularly harsh on her.
    Crime scene had scoured the kitchen in Carl’s restaurant and hadn’t found a shred of useful evidence. After autopsies, Lindsey reported that both victims had