Free Jane Doe's Return by Jen Talty Page A

friend? Or the fact that I’m far from gay?” He chuckled.
    She didn’t have time to respond. His idiot friend just pulled up. While Travis was distracted, she took the time to pull herself together, and shift as far from him as she could.
    “Shauna, this is Jake Hanson. Jake this Shauna Morgan.”
    “Nice to meet you,” Jake said.
    “Likewise.”
    “How are things going?” Jake asked.
    “The same,” Travis said.
    “Make any connections?”
    “Nope. What about you?”
    “Nothing concrete, but I’ll let you know what I find out.” Jake said. “How long are you here for?”
    “Just the day.”
    “Too bad. Lana would have loved to see you. Not to mention meet your new partner.” Jake smiled. “Besides, you haven’t seen the twins yet. Cutest little buggers you’ve ever seen. I really out did myself this time.” Jake grinned.
    Travis laughed. “And Lana had nothing to do with it.”
    “She’s got Katie.” Jake smiled.
    “Katie’s a daddy’s girl.” Travis shook his head. “I doubt I’ll get over this trip, but I do need to pick your brain sometime.”
    “Anytime.” Jake waved and buzzed off.
    Shauna looked the other way. That kiss still lingered on her lips and she didn’t like it. To be honest, she didn’t like the fact that she liked it. She couldn’t afford to be distracted. Finding out what Travis knew and nailing her attacker were the only thing she should be thinking about.
     
    ****
     
    Travis pulled the boat into the slip with ease, but he’d mentally given himself a good tongue lashing for trying to kiss Shauna. Not one of his most brilliant moments. Regardless of the sparks that had been flying, kissing her was literally his kiss of death.
    The rest of the day he let her get overtaken by his family, just so he could stay away. Every time he got near her, he forgot why he was with her in the first place. He liked women, but most didn’t affect him to the point of distraction.
    Sitting out on the front porch, legs stretched up on the railing, Travis held his sister’s picture in one hand and a soda in the other. There were moments he missed her so much it hurt, like now.
    “Jessica looks a lot like her,” Shauna said, pulling up a chair.
    “Jesus.” His feet hit the floor with a thud. “You shouldn’t sneak up on armed men.”
    She took the picture from him. “Is Jessica like Marie at all?”
    “Marie was very stubborn, like my brother Larry. Bill and I always tried to just get along. Those two were rebels without causes. Jessica is kind of in between. She acts all tough on the outside, but I suspect she’s just like her father.”
    “A big teddy bear on the inside.” Shauna smiled.
    “He’s married.” Travis smiled back. She had a way of breaking down his defenses and making him feel like he could tell her anything.
    “Married, but adorable.”
    “We try not to mention the similarities too much. Bill says the whole thing seems to really bother Jessica.”
    Shauna pointed her face in the direction of the sun and Travis took advantage. He let his gaze enjoy her creamy looking skin and her touchable curves. But he kept his hands to himself.
    “Why’d she run away?”
    “There are times I’m not sure she did runaway.” He stretched his arms out to the side, tilting his head. “She’d told my parents she was staying after school with some friends and she’d take the late bus home. She wasn’t on that bus and it was three days before they found her.”
    “I’m really sorry.” Her gentle touch sent a feeling of understanding through his skin to his heart. He glanced at her face and studied her deep expression. “What are you thinking?” He touched her knee.
    The sparkle in her eyes from the reflection of the sun off the crystal blue lake made it difficult for him to focus on anything but her.
    “If you look at the open cases, it looks like we have two killers. One who rapes, kills, and just dumps the bodies in the woods,” she said.
    “The others are