Temperature Rising Read Online Free PDF

while.”
    “What?” Mac had to force his attention back to his partner. “Oh, yeah, deal.” He looked at the paper he’d been writing information on. With a sigh, he placed it in his drawer and closed it with bitter finality.

 
    Chapter Three
     
    Laken didn’t slow down in her rush to leave the building until she reached the park across the street. She wanted to be away from the men, from their questions and their doubts. She wanted to be home, only she just couldn’t make it. Drained and shaky, she sank down on the grass under a tree and dropped her head wearily into her hands. Frustration flowed through her. She’d only been trying to help, but their questions had made her feel guilty. Maybe she was for not finding some way to stop the psycho, which was foolish. She hadn’t actually been there. She hadn’t even believed it was real until she saw the picture in the paper.
    How was she supposed to stop him? The thought hit her hard, and she shook her head. She was an architect with her own problems at the moment. What did she know about catching killers? A big, fat nothing. She collapsed back against the tree. It wasn’t her responsibility, but he was going to kill again. She would never forget what she saw, what she felt.
    She needed to find some way to stop him if she wanted to save her own sanity, but how? She came back to that simple question again. The police didn’t believe her. The pang she felt in her heart ripped deep, like a great sense of loss she didn’t understand. Maybe she was going insane.
    With a groan, she tried to keep herself from throwing up. The hatred and anger of the hunter still burned in her. She didn’t want to remember it, but it was like it had infested her. She had to find a way to stop him, or she was afraid it would never leave. But for now what she needed to rest. Maybe get some sleep, but she was afraid to close her eyes, afraid of what she might see.
    ****
    Mac didn’t know what drew his eyes across the street to the park, but he could hardly believe what he saw. There she was, sitting on the ground as if she’d just dropped there. Her head hung low. She looked defeated, and he hated the thought that he had helped do that to her.
    It was sheer luck that he didn’t send up a chorus of horns as he cut across the street, not paying attention to cars. He kept his gaze locked on the woman.
    “Miss Williams.” He wasn’t sure what else to say. “Are you all right?”
    A tiny mirthless laugh came from her, and she tilted her head up. “Don’t worry, detective, I’m not going to go all psycho on you.”
    The beautiful green and gold eyes were red-rimmed, but he couldn’t tell if she’d been crying. He started to squat down, but when his leg protested with a jab of pain, he settled on the grass beside her instead. “I wasn’t worried about you going psycho. I was wondering if you were all right.”
    “Let’s see, I’ve been sick, had nightmares of someone murdered, had the worst two days ever with my career, made a fool of myself to the police so they think I’m a nutcase, if not possibly a killer. I’m not sure if I am all right.”
    Mac wasn’t sure how to come back to that. Before he could formulate a comment, she started to talk again.
    “I’m sorry. Sarcasm doesn’t become me. I don’t know why I said that, besides that it’s been a horrible day.”
    “So what happened?” He studied her.
    “You really want to know?”
    “Yes, I do. I’m interested.”
    She hesitated only a moment before she began. “I told you I’m an architect. Two months ago the president at the firm I work for announced the opportunity for anyone in the firm to work up a design for a new big project. We were given the guidelines and specs to go by. It was open for rough drawing to be done in a week then the top three were to be picked.
    “Mine was one of the top three. We were then given the two months to do the complete plans. Unfortunately, I still had to do my other