Free Buried (Detective Ellie MacIntosh) by Kate Watterson Page A

with it. No one thought she looked different, was different, had burned blood-soaked clothing not all that long ago … buried a body …
    The monster in their midst.
    And none of the people sitting at the plain little tables, eating their eggs and pancakes drenched in syrup, and rashers of bacon, had any idea.
    By the time her coffee arrived she was calm, smiling, and the tension between her shoulder blades had eased.
    Outside cars cruised by … everything was perfectly normal. Her plate arrived and she picked up her fork and murmured her thanks and ate with relish for the first time since she’d made the decision.…
    *   *   *
    Ellie stirred, rolled over, and encountered a warm, muscular male body, and she muttered a halfhearted objection when the man next to her pulled her close.
    Very close.
    Naked skin to naked skin … What time was it?
    His hand smoothed her bare hip as she squinted at the clock and groaned. “It’s six o’clock.”
    “Ellie, it’s Saturday.” Bryce kissed her neck and he did that very, very well. “You’re off duty today.”
    It was tempting to pretend that she had the luxury of staying in bed—especially when his hands were doing some very interesting things to certain susceptible parts of her anatomy, but even if she was off, it was a little early for a romantic interlude and she’d promised herself she’d leave by seven at the latest.…
    “Bryce.” She meant to protest, but it wasn’t sincere. She needed this. The connection. Someone was killing cops and there was a pile of bones in her grandfather’s backyard. Not to mention the unsigned lease for another six months for the condo on her computer in a file waiting to be downloaded while she tried to make up her mind.
    “Hmm?” He licked a path along her collarbone, and then lower, pushing down the sheet. “Bryce yes, or Bryce no?”
    “I have to leave by seven.”
    “I have a whole hour … perfect.”
    She laughed, but it was a little breathless and she knew he heard that slight catch. In direct contradiction to what she’d just said, she ran her fingers through his dark hair. “I need to shower.”
    He adjusted their position in one smooth move, and his lips curved in a slow smile. “If we do this right, you certainly will.”
    They had a few problems in their relationship, mostly due to her hesitation to commit, but none of them were in bed. She murmured against his mouth, “That sounds very promising.”
    *   *   *
    It was 7:18 when she pulled out of the driveway, but definitely worth the delay. Ellie slid a CD into the player and glanced over. “You don’t have to come with me.”
    “I like your grandfather.” Bryce picked up a travel cup and took a sip of coffee as they drove down the street. “I am not one hundred percent sure he likes me, but I do know we have one of those purely male understanding things going where if I never mention I am sleeping with his granddaughter—and this morning comes to mind—he and I will get along fine.”
    She blew out a short breath. “That I can believe. He rarely fails to make his feelings clear.”
    “True enough. Old Lutherans usually do.”
    Taking the turn for the freeway, Ellie said dryly, “I hardly think that is unique to the Lutheran faith.”
    “Okay, I’ll concede that men his age have usually decided they dislike tiptoeing around subjects that they worry will upset other people. So, have you thought of asking him what you should do?”
    “About?”
    Mildly, he expounded, “Does he think we should get married and have babies?”
    Put that way, she was slightly shocked. Bryce was not usually so blunt. It was one of the things she liked about him.
    Eventually, she found her voice. “We haven’t discussed it.”
    “And if the subject comes up?”
    She’d meant she and Bryce hadn’t discussed marriage, but she was more than willing to pretend they were talking about her grandfather. “Do you think for some reason it will?” She