In Too Deep by Ronica Black

Erin heard a delivery truck start up and drive away. “How did he know someone was here?” she asked, amazed by the dog’s reactions.
    “Probably the vibrations of the truck.” Patricia closed the door and made a hand signal at Jack, who wagged his tail and followed her into the kitchen, where she gave him a treat.
    “What was that signal?” Erin asked.
    “I trained him with hand signs.” Patricia placed the box on the kitchen counter and cut open the taped seams with a steak knife. After pulling back the cardboard flaps, she leafed through the contents and pulled out a paperback book, which she set on the counter.
    “No kidding? That really works?”
    “Sure does. He knows about thirty different signs.” She slid the book across the counter. It was Deep by Katherine Chandler.
    Erin casually flipped the book over to read the back cover, wondering if it was any good.
    “Katherine Chandler is a well-known lesbian fiction writer.” Patricia said.
    “Oh I get it, more research for me, right?”
    Patricia laughed. “In a manner of speaking. Erin McKenzie, you are now Katherine Chandler.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Did you think we were sending you into La Femme without a believable cover?”
    “What about the real Katherine Chandler?”
    “You’re looking at her.”
    Erin grabbed the book and flipped through it, looking for a picture of the author.
    “You won’t find a photo.” Patricia headed for the living room.
    Her mind reeling, Erin followed her to a large oak bookcase. Patricia pulled a good-sized box from the cabinet and carried it to the coffee table.
    “I’ve been writing for quite a while now.” She sat down on the leather sofa. “Katherine Chandler is my pen name. The book you’re holding is an advance copy of my fifth title. It’s not due for release until next month. Sergeant Ruiz and I thought Chandler might be the perfect identity for you.”
    “Ruiz knows?”
    “Yes. He’s the only one who knows, though, other than my publisher. I’ve kept it private.” She flushed.
    Erin wondered why the topic seemed to make her uncomfortable. It was obvious that Patricia was talented and multifaceted, to say the least. Was she embarrassed by her success, or was it that the books were lesbian—written proof that Patricia must be, too? A fact she no doubt didn’t want to get around the department. Erin peered down into the box on the coffee table. It was full of neatly stacked books.
    “Why do you keep coming to work?” she asked. “Why not write full time?”
    “I love my job. Writing has always been just an outlet for me. Doing it full time isn’t an option.”
    “Are you sure you want to expose yourself like this? If I go with the ID, everyone on the investigation will know.” Erin could see that Patricia had worked to build a wall of privacy and could only guess at her reasons. Why would she choose to tear it down now?
    With a sigh, Patricia said, “Elizabeth Adams has to be stopped, and it won’t be easy. She’s beyond clever, Mac, she’s downright sharp. You need a real identity. Otherwise, she’ll catch you, and fairly quickly. You see, when she meets a woman who holds her interest, she goes to any length to find out everything about her. Nowadays it’s known as stalking. She always gets her way, and she has a lot of friends in high places who can’t seem to tell her no.” Patricia hesitated. Her eyes were deep and brooding and deadly serious. “When you go in on Saturday night and she sees you, you may not even see her, but you’ll answer your door the next morning to a bouquet of red roses beckoning your return to the club.”
    “Whoa,” Erin said.
    “Whoa is an understatement. From the moment you first catch her eye she’ll know everything—from where you live, to how much money you make in a year, to how many pets you have.”
    “Doesn’t all that scare women away?” It sure gave Erin the creeps.
    “No, because she doesn’t let on to all that she knows. She