He rubbed his bristly jaw, but time did run thin. "We'll talk more as soon as I get a chance." He cupped Cash's furry face. "You be good, my man."

Almost as if he understood, Cash did an army crawl over to Alice. He rolled to his back on her lap and gave her a big doggie grin.

Alice cuddled him like an upset child.

"You big mooch." Reese had to laugh.

Well-laid plans went to shit all around him, but at least he had a handle on this.

"Thank you, Alice. It means a lot to know Cash is well cared for."

She didn't look up at him. She kept her face tucked close to Cash's. "My pleasure."

And that was something else he'd like to see.

Alice's pleasure.

There were a lot of reasons why he should curb those thoughts. She was a neighbor. She had some issues going on that he didn't yet understand. And she was his dog sitter.

But... He looked down at a crooked part in her hair. No, he really didn't care about any of that. He wanted her.

Eventually he'd have her.

"I'll see you, Alice."

She didn't say goodbye. But then, she'd never said hello, either.

LOGAN AND REESE stood together while

the lieutenant briefed everyone on the bombing.

Without looking at Logan, she said to Reese, "I want you to take the lead on this."

Given her apparent mistrust, that surprised both men. Logan was heading up the task force; it didn't make sense to switch things up right now, but what could he say? He needed as much free time as he could get. The fact that Peterson was working an angle of some sort could be used to his benefit.

Reese stared at her, then nodded. "Of course."

She went on to name the officers covering the scene at the club and the hospital. "We have two of Andrews's men under watch. They're injured, but should survive."

That was news to Logan. Rowdy hadn't mentioned it, but it made sense.

"They haven't said anything yet?"

"They were being treated, then went to sleep with painkillers."

"And no one pushed for info?" If their injuries weren't life-threatening, someone should have picked their brains at the first opportunity.

"There's enough bad press on us at this point. They aren't going anywhere, and no one has been allowed in to see them."

"I'll head there now-"

She shook her head. "I want you to interview the witnesses."

"We have witnesses?" Other than Pepper, whom he had under wraps.

"Who?"

"Clubgoers, passersby, employees...

typical lineup of possible observers. So far no one seems to know anything, but keep picking. You never know when a clue might present itself."

So she wanted him grounded at the station? Reese sent him a curious look, but Logan could only shrug.

Peterson went on to detail the officers working behind the scenes in supporting roles. There'd be computer checks to do, video cam footage to watch, warrants to obtain.

All in all, Logan wasn't displeased with his assigned duty. When the lieutenant finished, he followed her to her office and tapped on the door frame.

"Got a second?"

As if expecting him, she seated herself and opened a file before saying, "What's on your mind, Detective?"

"Are you having Andrews's death confirmed?"

That brought her head up. For several seconds she scrutinized him. "It's going to be difficult. He must have been holding the bomb when it detonated."

She held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. "No fingerprints."

"Shit." That was too damned convenient for comfort.

"The blast did considerable damage to his teeth as well, and his face...it's gone."

More than ever, Logan needed to see the body.

"I'm expecting an official report later this morning, but who knows? DNA sampling would be the last option."

Too expensive. "Relatives?"

"None that we're aware of." She closed the file folder. "You have reason to believe it's not him?"

"I wouldn't leave it to chance."

"Of course not." She swung her chair from side to side. "So Morton Andrews is presumed dead, a human trafficker is murdered, and you let Rowdy Yates go."

The accusation stiffened his spine.

That's why she wanted to keep him at the station? "I had no reason to keep him."

"Hmm."

The noncommittal sound grated.

Logan held her gaze and waited.

"Was Rowdy able to give you any useful information at all?"

Disliking the line of questioning but determined to hide it, Logan took a seat across from her. "He confirmed that some from the police department were on Andrews's payroll around the time Jack was murdered."

"Old news." She flagged her hand in indifference. "You know where he is?"

"Rowdy?" He's off doing my job for me-but of course Logan wouldn't inform her of that. "Not specifically, no."

She frowned.

Logan offered, "I could probably find him."

"Good. You do that." Almost like a dismissal, she checked her watch.

Logan didn't budge. Because they still didn't have reason to arrest Rowdy, he said, "You want me to ask him to come back in?"

"He and his sister, yes." She lifted her brows at him. "I have a meeting with the press in five minutes."

Trying to show no reaction to her order, Logan stood. "Is there something I don't know?"

"Given that you were running the task force, I shouldn't think so." She put her fingers together and studied him. Finally she said, "But then, you and Detective Bareden were out of touch last night."

Irritation sparked. "For a little while.

Did you try to reach me? I didn't see any missed calls on my cell."

"So you didn't know about Morton's death until this morning?"

Straight-faced, without a single sign of deception, he said, "No."

"You didn't watch any television, listen to a radio...?"

"My personal time is my own," he said, and he told a half lie. "But I was with a woman, and, no, we weren't watching television or listening to the radio."

"Ah. Well, that would explain it, I guess." She stood. "I take it Detective Bareden was similarly preoccupied?"

Logan shrugged. "You'd have to ask him."

Taking a big verbal leap away from her inquisition, she said, "The club is of course shut down, the scene secured, but it won't do us much good. The place was mobbed-all three floors.

Everything had already been trampled and tossed by the time we got there."

"Morton's office?"

"The scene is safeguarded, but even without the damage of the bomb, do you really think he's dumb enough to keep anything incriminating where others might get to it?"

Not really, no. "How was he identified?"

"You mean, given that his face was blown off?" She smirked at him.

"Clothes, hair and ID in the wallet in his pocket." She strode past him. "The build matches and the hair color-what wasn't bloodied-matched up. Now if there's nothing else?"

"No."

"Then I suggest you get to work on those witnesses."

Logan followed her from the office and then kept going to his desk to get the report on the witnesses he'd be interviewing. He wanted to call Rowdy, but not yet. He needed complete privacy for that, and that meant getting through part of the day first. He had questions to answer, plans to make, reports to fill out.

He locked gazes with Reese.

Where to start, he wondered...and with whom?

MOSEYING BAREFOOT around the

property, Pepper saw that it was more weeds than grass, without a speck of landscaping in sight. The sun was so incredibly bright that it hurt her eyes- and she loved it.

The old house could use a new coat of paint. The windows needed a good cleaning. A few flowers would really be nice.

Like a vigilant shadow, Dash trailed silently behind her. He wasn't intrusive, but he wasn't an irritant, either.

Knowing he'd hear her, she said, "If I had a place like this, I'd plant wildflowers everywhere."

"The point of wildflowers," he replied, "is that you don't have to plant them."

"But I would." She stopped at the corner of the house to pull up a sturdy weed. "There are some really pretty ones, and they don't need much care."