Free The Dying Game by Beverly Barton

that?”
    “You saw the expression on Griff’s face.”
    She wanted to contradict Judd, to tell him she didn’t know what he meant, but what was the point in trying to give him false hope? One glimpse at Griffin Powell’s tense features and she’d had the same gut reaction as Judd had. Gale Ann Cain was probably dead.
    Special Agent Friedman nodded to Judd and smiled at Lindsay. “How are you Ms. McAllister?”
    “Getting by,” she replied. “You?”
    “Yeah, about the same,” Josh said. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again soon.” He turned and shook hands with Griff, then headed down the hall toward the elevators.
    “The guy’s got the hots for you,” Judd said. “Who is he, a new Powell agent?”
    Before Lindsay could reply, Griff responded. “He’s Special Agent Friedman. He joined Curtis Jackson’s investigative team on the last Beauty Queen Killer case. You remember Carrie Warren, don’t you, Judd?”
    Judd narrowed his gaze, glowering at Griff.
    “You don’t remember her name, do you?” Griff snorted. “Oh, that’s right, you spent most of November and December drunk. How could you possibly remember anything about the last case.”
    “There’s only one name that matters to me,” Judd said. “Jennifer Walker.”
    Griff clenched his jaw.
    Wanting to ease the growing tension between Judd and Griff, Lindsay asked, “How is Gale Ann Cain?” Dear God, please let her be alive.
    Judd chuckled, the sound as cold as the February night.
    Griff looked right at Lindsay. “She died about thirty minutes ago.”
    “Without identifying her killer, no doubt,” Judd said.
    Griff directed his gaze to Judd’s bearded face. “You’re right, she didn’t ID him. But she did give us some information we can use, something we didn’t know about him before now.”
    “You’ve got notebooks filled with info.” Grinning mockingly, Judd shook his head. “What good does new info do? What good is the profile you have of him? What good—?”
    “You want me to drop this case?” Griff asked. “Just say the word and—”
    “Don’t feed me that line of bullshit,” Judd said. “You forget, we go back a long way. I know you. You wouldn’t quit this case if your life depended on it.” He sneered at Lindsay. “And neither would you.”
    Griff glanced at Lindsay. “I’ve got things to do.” He inclined his head toward Judd. “You keep Happy Jack here on a leash.” He glowered at Judd. “If you give Lindsay any trouble, I’ll—”
    “He won’t,” Lindsay said.
    Griff sighed heavily. “Gale Ann’s sister found her minutes after the attack.”
    “Then I want to talk to the sister,” Judd said.
    “Not tonight,” Griff told him.
    “Why not tonight?”
    “Damn, Judd, the woman just lost her sister.”
    “Yeah, and that makes her victim number what? Twenty-nine? Thirty? If I’d found Jenny only minutes after the attack, I…” Judd’s voice trailed off. He clenched his teeth tightly and squinted his eyes as he looked at Griff. “Can she ID the guy?”
    Griff clasped Judd’s shoulder. “Here’s the deal. I want you to leave the hospital. Lindsay will book you a local motel room for the night, or I can get Carson to drive you straight back to Tennessee right now. Or if you can behave yourself, you can come to Griffin’s Rest tomorrow and meet Gale Ann’s sister Barbara Jean.”
    Two thoughts instantly flashed through Lindsay’s mind: One, she hadn’t known that Griff had brought Powell agent Rick Carson to Kentucky; two, why had Barbara Jean Hughes agreed to spend a few days at Griff’s home?
    “Ms. Cain’s sister is going to be staying with us?” Lindsay asked. How on earth had Griff managed that? By using his powerfully persuasive charm, she told herself. That’s how. Griffin Powell most certainly had a way with the ladies.
    “I’ll bet Nic Baxter is hopping mad that you’ve whisked her eyewitness right out from under her nose,” Judd said. “I’m sure she demanded that