Thread of Fear

Fiona closed her eyes and counted to ten mentally.

“I need you to interview this kid for me, get a picture of the guy.”

She wouldn’t look at him. She couldn’t. He had this way of bulldozing right over her.

Jack’s hand closed over hers. It was big and strong, and she could feel the heat from him move up her arm into every part of her body. But she knew he was using these touches to wear down her resistance. He was a determined investigator—she’d seen that firsthand. He’d do whatever he needed to, including lie and probably fake emotions, in order to solve his case.

And she still didn’t know why this case meant so much to him.

“You drove all the way to Austin to ask me this?”

“I thought I’d have better luck in person.” She stole a glance at him and saw a boyish smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “You have a hard time telling me no.”

Thank you to the many people who helped with the research for this book, including Chris Herndon, Phyllis Middleton, and Tracy Pullan. I am particularly grateful to Lois Gibson and the dedicated professionals in the—hopefully, expanding—field of forensic art. Also, thank you to Kevan Lyon and Abby Zidle for their ongoing support and for believing in this story.

And finally, a special thanks to Leonard Folgarait for teaching me to love art, in all its forms.