Hold on to Me by Linda Winfree

women were concerned?
    “Cookie, do me a favor, would you?” Tick jerked a thumb toward the door. “Go get my spare lighter out of my desk drawer.”
    His partner’s eyebrows lifted, a knowing leer twisting his mouth. “I thought you quit.”
    “You thought wrong.” He had quit, for the third time since January. This had been his longest stint so far, a whole three weeks without a smoke, but damn it, he needed another nicotine fix. Even worse, he needed Cookie away from Caitlin. “Are you going after it or not?”
    “And contribute to your bad health choices? You’re on your own, man.”
    “I’ll get it.” Jeff pushed up from his chair and disappeared through the door. Smiling, Cookie leaned back and opened the diary.
    A pulsating silence so thick it was palpable descended, broken only by the soft tap of Caitlin’s loafer on the tile. She folded her arms over her midriff, gaze trained on the book in Cookie’s hands.
    “Here you go.” Jeff tossed him the lighter and Tick tugged the pack of menthols out of his pocket.
    Caitlin eyed them. “What are you trying to do, commit suicide slowly?”
    She didn’t need to go there with him right now.
    Cookie didn’t look up from the diary. “You can’t smoke in here anyway. State law.”
    Jeff gestured at the book. “So how many are there?”
    “Several.” Caitlin lifted a shoulder in that easy elegant shrug of hers. “It spans a six-month period or so. She didn’t write every day. And I like I said, a lot of it is a chronicle of her sexual activities. I think her father was aware of what was going on and it drove him crazy.”
    “Knowing Tommy, I imagine so.” Tick creased the front of his jeans along his shin. “He’d be afraid it’d hurt his chances for reelection if it got out his daughter was the local nympho.”
    “Cynic.” Cookie continued reading. “Not like the whole damn town didn’t know anyway. Nobody can keep a secret around here.”
    Caitlin ignored him. “She doesn’t really name names, although she does describe some men she’s interested in.”
    Tick shifted. Ten bucks said Amy had recounted the whole bikini incident. Holy hell, he couldn’t wait for that to be entered into evidence.
    “A few weeks ago, the tone of the entries changes. She was involved with someone exclusively and that becomes her focus.”
    Jeff tapped his fingers on the scarred tabletop. “I don’t suppose we’re lucky enough to get a name.”
    Caitlin shook her head.
    Tick pursed his lips. “Any clues as to who this mystery guy is?”
    “She doesn’t describe him, other than his prowess, but what she relates about his personality…” She shrugged again. “She should have run like hell.”
    “Why?” Genuine interest flared in Jeff’s eyes. Tick hid a grin behind his hand. The kid was always reading psychology books, tomes on criminal profiling. He had to be eating this up.
    “He reads like a narcissistic personality disorder. Throw in what sounds like some shadowy sociopathic tendencies, and I’d bet you my next paycheck the man she’s describing is your killer.”
    Jeff frowned. “So why would she get involved with this guy in the first place?”
    Ice flickered in Caitlin’s eyes. “A narcissist is all about appearances and illusions. There is no real emotion or concern for others within them. All they see is their own desires and how to manipulate others to achieve those desires. They can make themselves into whatever you want them to be, but only as long as it suits their purposes. Amy probably didn’t realize what she was dealing with until it was too late.”
    Cookie looked up, his gaze fixed on her face. “That sounds like the voice of experience.”
    Jeff groaned. “She’s a criminal profiler, Cookie, for Pete’s sake. Of course it’s the voice of experience.”
    “My father,” Caitlin said, her voice quiet. Tick watched the flash of understanding that flared between Caitlin and his partner, and jealousy tingled over him. He