"Has the coroner given you an approximate time of death for the victim?" he asked.

"This is my jurisdiction and therefore my case. You don't need to be b.u.t.ting your nose in."

"Why haven't you brought J. D. d.i.c.key and his brother in?" he asked.

"What business do you have with the sheriff?"

"What business did he have in Grady County?"

"This is my jurisdiction," Haden huffed.

"When are you going to arrest J. D. d.i.c.key?" he asked.

Haden's cell phone rang. She turned her back on the agents and stepped around her desk.

She covered her mouth. "I know who it is," she snapped under her breath. "You listen here. They're pressuring me to arrest you." Several seconds pa.s.sed, and then Haden said, "For socking the woman. What'd you think they wanted me to arrest you for?"

"Doesn't she know we can hear every word she's saying?" Noah asked Nick.

"Apparently she doesn't."

Haden's voice had risen. "And I'm telling you my hands are tied here. I'm doing the best I can."

She disconnected the call and tossed the cell phone onto her desk. Nick waited until she turned around before he asked the obvious.

"Were you just talking to J. D. d.i.c.key?"

"No, I wasn't."

"If you don't bring him in, we will."

"This is my jurisdiction."

Nick asked her again if the coroner had given an approximate time of death for Professor MacKenna.

"I already answered the question. This is my jurisdiction and my case." She folded her arms and began tapping her foot. "I want you to get out..."

"We are not going away," Noah interjected.

"What was the cause of death?" Nick asked.

"My jurisdiction," she repeated, dragging the word out.

And so it went. No matter what question was asked, jurisdiction was her answer.

Jordan felt as though she were watching a tennis match, her gaze bouncing back and forth between her brother and the chief.

Carrie touched her arm to get her attention. "How come I can't get the printer to print?"

Jordan leaned over the desk and said, "Your printer isn't hooked up to the computer." Her attention returned to the ongoing argument.

Carrie distracted her again. "Can you fix it?" she pleaded.

"Yes, okay."

"I found the manual for the computer," she whispered. She was keeping her eye on the chief now, making sure she wasn't listening. "But I haven't read it. I told her I had but...you know. I got busy doing other stuff. I guess I should read it, huh?"

"That's probably a good idea," Jordan said. She walked around the desk and began hooking up the cable while Carrie continued to whisper.

"Your brother's really good-looking, but he's got that wedding ring on. It is a wedding ring, isn't it?"

Jordan smiled. "Yes, it is."

"Is his wife alive? I mean, some guys keep on wearing their wedding rings for years after their wives die."

"Yes, his wife is alive, and yes, they're happily married. In fact, he and Laurant are expecting their second child in three months."

Carrie's voice dropped lower. "Jaffee's really nice-looking too. I mean, he's losing his hair and all, but that makes him kind of s.e.xy. I was walking past his restaurant on my break yesterday, and he and his friends were standing there talking to you. That rich rancher...you know who I mean...his name's Whitaker...now, he's really hot. He's on the lean side, but I can tell he's got muscles, and I like muscles. I bet he works out, don't you think?"

Jordan didn't answer, but Carrie didn't seem to mind. "That one there though"-she nodded in Noah's direction-"he's got to be the s.e.xiest man I've ever seen."

Was there any man Carrie didn't find appealing? Just how long had she been in prison? Jordan hoped the discussion had ended, but Carrie wasn't going to let it go.

"I mean...don't you think?"

"Yes, he is s.e.xy," Jordan replied.

"That's what I thought."

Jordan happened to glance up at Noah and realized he'd been watching her. Had he heard the conversation? She hoped not.

The chief was drawn away by another phone call, and Jordan seized the opportunity.

"Nick, what happens now?"

"We're waiting for your attorney."

"Who is he?" she asked.

"I haven't met him, but he comes highly recommended."

"Doctor Morganstern called him," Noah told her.

Startled, she gasped and her hand went to her throat. "You told Doctor Morganstern about this? Why did you tell him?"

Dr. Morganstern was a brilliant man, and his opinion mattered to her. She didn't want him to think less of her, or to think that she was somehow responsible for this mess.

"What's the big deal?" Noah asked.

"You shouldn't have bothered the doctor. He's a busy man."

Nick shook his head. "We work for him, remember? We can't just take off without letting him know where we're going. We had to tell him what we were doing and why."

"Why does that bother you?" Noah asked.

"I just told you why. He's a very busy man," she said as she walked over to Noah and sat on the edge of the desk next to him. "It doesn't really matter to me. I just didn't want you to bother him. That's all."

He nudged her. "Yeah, it does bother you." He leaned over and whispered, "You didn't kill the guy, did you?"

"No, of course I didn't," she whispered back.

"Then you have nothing to worry about."

"Tell that to the chief."

"She isn't your problem any longer."

Before she could ask him to explain, Nick's cell phone rang. He glanced at the number and told Noah, "Chadd.i.c.k's calling back."

He flipped the phone open and said, "What have you got?"

Jordan tapped Noah's arm. "Who's Chadd.i.c.k?"

"An FBI agent making some calls for us and checking some things out. He'll come in on this if we need him."

"I appreciate it," Nick said into his phone. "Right. I'll meet you there. I'll give you a call when I'm leaving Serenity. You're going to set it up? That's great. Thanks again."

Jordan and Noah looked at him expectantly when he ended the call.

"Strangulation," Nick said without preamble.

"So it was up close and personal," Noah remarked.

"A crime of pa.s.sion," Nick said. "Rope was used. Chadd.i.c.k said some fibers were found imbedded in the skin."

"It takes a lot of strength to strangle someone. I doubt Jordan has that kind of strength. Even coming up behind him, even with the element of surprise-"

"I didn't strangle anyone."

"Didn't you notice his neck?" Nick asked. "Didn't you see any bruising or discoloration?"

"No, I didn't."

"Were you wearing your contacts? Could you see-"

"Yes, I was wearing my contacts. I could see just fine."

"Then how could you have missed-"

She cut him off. "Look," she said, her irritation growing, "I was too busy noticing he was wrapped up like a sandwich. Oh, G.o.d, I'll never eat anything from a Ziploc bag again."

"Jordan, get a grip," Nick said. "This isn't the time to get all emotional. I know this is upsetting-"

"Upsetting?" She pushed off the desk and took a step toward him. "The way I feel goes way past upset."

He put his hand up. "Calm down. I'm just trying to get as much information as possible before your attorney gets here. I wish your powers of observation-"

She took another step in his direction. "You know what I wish? I wish I'd called Theo."

Noah grabbed hold of Jordan's arm and pulled her back. "But you didn't call Theo. You called Nick. Take a deep breath, okay?"

He made her sit back on the desk. "What do you suggest we do about her?" he asked, motioning to the chief of police. The woman was pacing in her tiny office while she talked on the phone. "I think we should lock her up and throw away the key."

"Jordan?" Carrie whispered her name.

"Yes, Carrie?"

"You shouldn't get mad at your brother. I wish I had a brother who could have helped me when I got into trouble. I do have a brother," she explained earnestly. "He drove the getaway car. He didn't get away though. They caught him too."

Jordan didn't know what to say and so she simply nodded.

"Since you helped me with this stupid computer, I want to help you. Did you know that Maggie...I mean Chief Haden...used to live with Sheriff Randy d.i.c.key? Everyone in town thought they would get married. She thought so too, but he married someone else. And you know what else I heard? Sheriff Randy had a connection through his new wife with one of the town council people, and he got them to give the chief of police job to Maggie so she'd have to move over here to Serenity. I also heard she was going to get fired from her old job anyway." She placed her hand to the side of her mouth as though to share a secret and spoke just above a whisper. "She was mean back then too, and she did a lot of favors for the d.i.c.key brothers." She gave a wink and went on. "She let them get away with a lot of stuff. At least that's what I heard."

"What about her deputy? What's he like?"

"Oh, he's nothing like her. He should have gotten the job of chief of police. He has a lot more experience, and he's worked here longer. I heard he's looking for a job outside of Serenity."

"I don't doubt that. It would be pretty awful working for her."

"I could find him for you."

"You could?"

"I'm sure I could. Deputy Davis is kind of hardnosed about stuff, but he's honest, and as far as I know, the only person he's sleeping with is his wife. He treats me like a real person."

"Would you like Carrie to get on the phone and help you find the deputy?" Jordan asked Noah.

"That'd be real nice," Noah said, smiling at the young woman.

Carrie didn't move. She just sat there staring at Noah as though she was in a daze. Jordan tapped her on her shoulder.

"He said that would be nice."

"What?"

"It would be nice if you would find Deputy Davis."

"Oh...okay." Without looking, Carrie picked up the receiver on the other side of the desk and put it to her ear. The cord was too short to reach, so the phone came flying across, knocking a can of soda and a large stack of files to the floor.