Free Ripped in Red by Cynthia Hickey

said they hadn’t seen the victims the night they died, but I want to dig deeper.”
    “I don’t think they know the killer. The victims were both visiting family here.”
    “I know, but I’m at a dead end here, Colin.” Her face was lined with stress.
    “I’m starting to agree with Ingram.” He eyed the loose pants and shirt she had on. “I think you need to start dressing like one of the pretty people and lure this freak out of hiding.”
    She sighed. “Such a bother. I worked hard to get where I’m at in my career. Looking like a fashion plate won’t help me be taken seriously.”
    “It’s all about the attitude.” He grinned. “If you act kick ass, people will think you are. You can do that in stilettos as well as work boots.”
    “Stilettos are out of the question. I’ll break my neck.” She slid from the stool. “I’ll go see what I have in my closet. There may be a shopping trip in my future.”
    He laughed. “You make that sound like a death sentence.”
    “It is.” She motioned for Rosie to follow, and left the kitchen.
    The doorbell rang. Colin waited for Cassidy to give the order for Rosie to guard. When it didn’t come, he peered out the peephole in the door. Most killers didn’t ring the doorbell.
    Agent Ingram stood on the porch, the other two agents waiting by the car. This did not look good.
    Colin opened the door. “Sir?”
    “Mail for Monroe.” He handed Colin a large Manilla envelope. “We’ve scanned it for anything hazardous. Seems clean, but we thought she should open it right away.”
    “She’s upstairs getting dressed. Come on in.” Colin turned and almost stumbled over Rosie. Good girl. Silent as a wraith and as vigilant as the best cop. Her eyes never left Ingram.
    “There’s coffee in the kitchen,” Colin said. “Will Smith and Wesson be coming in?” He couldn’t say their names without grinning.
    “No. They’re on guard duty, but I’d love a cup.”
    Soon, they sat at the breakfast bar, sipping coffee, waiting for Cassidy to come downstairs. Colin told Ingram their plans on looking through old newspaper articles, but left out the full reason why. He also explained about wanting to question friends and family deeper.
    “This case is a tough one,” Ingram said. “Bodies are piling up, no evidence is left behind, we’re dealing with more than one perp, and we’re getting nowhere.”
    “We can’t give up.” Cassidy stepped into the room. Her makeup had been artfully applied, her hair straightened down her back in an curtain of fire. A navy blue suit fit her as if tailored for her. A sea green blouse complimented her eyes.
    Colin’s gaze flicked to her feet. The same black work boots. Still, the woman was stunning.
    Ingram smiled. “You clean up nice, Monroe.”
    “This had better work.” She poured coffee into a travel thermos. “It takes three times as long to get ready when I have to go this kind of trouble.”
    “At least the view is better.” Ingram clapped her on the shoulder. “Let’s go to work.”
    ~
    Draco stood in the shadows between two buildings across the street from the bank and watched as two of his followers tossed a pipe bomb through the open door of a vacant building. No one would be injured…this time, but it would bring his darling Cassidy running to the scene.
    The two doing his bidding jumped into a waiting car and sped away as people flocked onto the sidewalk to see what the commotion was about. Fifteen minutes later, the FBI crows in the black suits and black SUV pulled up, followed by Cassidy and her partner in the jeep.
    Draco smiled as his darling exited the vehicle, looking like one of the FBI agents. Only, her beauty shown as radiate as the fire spewing from the bombed building’s shattered windows. Yes, he had a personal grievance against beautiful people, but despite her professional demeanor, Cassidy Monroe was more beautiful on the inside than out. He’d seen her care for the citizens of Clear Springs.