Cast the First Stone (The True Lies of Rembrandt Stone 1)

She raised an eyebrow. Oh. She wasn’t sure what he’d heard, but, “Yeah. I’m here to work the scene. Eve Mulligan, CSI.”

He took her outstretched hand, and swallowed, as if a little undone, and if she thought Rembrandt Stone could land on a calendar from fifty feet away, meeting him up close, with those blue eyes on her as if he might be drinking her in—

It sent a hot ripple right through her. No wonder they called him a lady killer. An eye-rolling nickname, but she felt her own breathing start to seize up, so there was that.

“Sorry. Uh, I’m Rem.” He held out his hand. “I…wow. I forgot this part.”

She frowned at him. “What part—?”

“Last—no, I mean. I had coffee before.”

“Before what?” Then— oh no. “Were you in the coffee shop?”

“No—I mean. Yes. But not that one.” He blew out a breath, his gaze landing behind her, on the carnage. “No. I was at a place called the Cuppa. It’s—”

“I love that place. In Uptown? It’s just a few blocks from my new house.” Oh, and now she was babbling. Sheesh.

“I know.” His eyes widened. “I mean, I know it’s in Uptown.”

Huh.

His hand cupped his neck. “This was supposed to play out differently.”

She was starting to get a strange vibe. “Like…how?”

His eyes widened again and he shook his head. “Nothing.”

“We have witnesses.” The voice came from Inspector Andrew Burke, as he walked up to them. He shot her a smile. “Eve Mulligan. I heard you’d moved over to our precinct.” He held out his hand.

She shook his hand, found it warm and solid. It seemed to calm her racing heart.

“Glad you’re here,” Burke said, and his gaze lifted past her, to the horror, his mouth a tight line. “C’mon. I found a woman who missed the bomb by two minutes. She’s a little shaky, but she might have something that gives us a start.”

Stone didn’t move. Just stared at Eve, and the look on his face sent an eerie tingle through her. “I forgot how beautiful you were—are.”

Eve just blinked at him. What?

And now he had Silas’s attention because he’d turned.

“Oh brother,” Burke said, and pulled him away.

But before he walked away, Stone stopped, looked up at the coffee shop, then back at Eve. “This time we’ll catch him.”

His words raised gooseflesh on her arms.

“What was that all about?” Silas said.

She watched him as he disappeared through the crowd with Inspector Burke. “I don’t know. But that was weird.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve heard stories about that guy. Trust me on this—the last thing you need is to get tangled up with him. You never know when you might end up in a book.”

Stone had emerged near the sidewalk, and kneeled down next to the distraught woman. He put his hand on her shoulder, his expression softening.

Maybe. But she had the distinct impression that there was more to Rembrandt Stone. And she wouldn’t mind figuring it out.

Chapter 6

I’m trying to focus, really, I am. On the scene, taking in the crowd, on the activity of the firefighters. And especially on the witness statement of the middle-aged woman seated on the curb, her eyes rounded as she keeps glancing at the shell of the building, still sizzling, the smoke graying the sky. I’m listening to Burke ask her the pertinents—when, where, what did she see—but frankly, I’m reeling.