Free A Killing Tide by P. J. Alderman Page A

retired years ago. Not that he would know anything about criminal law anyway.
    She could call Phil, the lawyer she'd been dating for the last couple of years in San Francisco, but that would take a day or two—Phil wasn't known for returning calls he considered a low priority. And ever since she'd told him she wasn't ready to commit to marriage, she'd definitely been a low priority.
    "I can go get a court order compelling you to give me a sample, or we can get this over with right now," Chapman said, apparently reading her thoughts.
    She hesitated a moment longer, then shrugged.
    He moved closer and held up the swab. "Open up." She complied, and he ran the swab expertly along the inside of her cheek.
    His hand paused, the swab resting lightly on her lower lip, and she looked up, right into his heated gaze.
    She could hear his heightened breathing, sense the strong, steady beat of his heart. His shoulders blocked out the light coming from the window behind him, creating a zone of intimacy around them.
    His gaze dropped to her mouth, and her breath hitched. Bad sign.
    They both took a cautious half-step back.
    His expression curiously grim, he put the swab inside the tube, sealing it and replacing it in the pocket inside his jacket.
    She slowly released the breath she'd been holding and picked up her glass, taking a sip of it. Her hands were shaking. "When can I get access to the Anna Marie?" she asked, trying for a normal tone of voice. "I need to get her dry-docked."
    "Soon. I'm almost done processing her for evidence." He drank a couple of sips out of his glass, probably out of politeness, then set it down on the counter. Walking over to the table, he picked up the envelope of photos. "You might want to think about the fact that someone who has killed once usually doesn't have a problem with killing again."
    She cocked her head. "Does that mean you think someone other than Gary did this?"
    "Anything is possible," he conceded. "And one of those possibilities is that you could be in danger. Why don't you let me tag along, help you find your brother?"
    She tsked. "That was smooth, but I'm not quite that gullible. Or that rattled."
    He merely shook his head. "Then I'll be on my way. Thanks for the coffee and…everything," he said, smiling slightly. "Where do you buy your coffee, by the way?"
    "My partner mails it to me from California."
    "Figures." He gave Zeke a hand command and turned to leave, then stopped. "Do you keep a space heater on board the Anna Marie?"
    She barely kept herself from reacting. "No, why?"
    He shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask—it's not important."
    After the two of them left, Kaz stood for a moment in the silence of her suddenly empty kitchen, waiting for her system to level out. Okay, she needed to reassess. She'd been ambushed by the strength of her response to him. But it was just a little unwelcome chemistry, that's all. She could handle it. Handling men on a personal level had never been her strong suit, as Phil was always quick to point out. But she'd deal with Chapman.
    She sighed and rubbed her forehead. And maybe, just maybe if she repeated that to herself enough times, she'd start to believe it.
    She had no illusions that she'd seen the last of Chapman—he'd probably made it only as far as her curb and would hound her every move. Or simply sic his dog on her.
    He'd been more accurate than he knew. She did have a good idea of where Gary had probably gone to ground. Well, at least, the general area. And she knew whom to ask—if he had a phone, she already would've called him.
    After he'd ducked out of her view the night before, Chuck must've stood at the back edge of the crowd, watching. She'd recognized him in the photo and was still a little surprised he'd allowed himself to be seen. Someone had had a hand on his shoulder—a hand that bore a ring she'd know anywhere. The gold, embossed signet of Astoria High School, Class of '88. Gary had been there, watching from a distance.
    How long did