The Watched (CSI Reilly Steel #4) by CASEY HILL Page A

caught. ‘I’m sorry . . . this is so hard. If you’ll excuse me for a moment.’ She hurried away without waiting for a response.
    ‘ There’s a picture of Holly with a young guy in the bedroom,’ Reilly said, pitching her voice low once Mrs Young was out of ear-shot. ‘Probably him. There’s some jewelry that he might have bought for her. We could test for prints; run them to see if he’s in the system.’ She shook her head, feeling a little silly for temporarily forgetting where she was. ‘I mean they could test for prints. The room looks pretty clean for forensics, but there could be a journal. Maybe get a few leads that way.’
    Daniel nodded. ‘I’ll see if I can get Alice to let us look for a journal.’
    ‘Daniel. . .?’ Reilly began, then hesitated. She didn’t want to pry, but she knew she needed to know how involved he was in this. Was Alice Young an ex-girlfriend of his, perhaps? She was so timid and nervous she didn’t seem the type, but who knew with these things?
    He must’ve read the question in her eyes because he answered it without her having to ask. ‘Alice’s husband Bruce and I grew up in the same neighborhood back in Virginia. We started hanging out in junior high and stayed in touch even after we graduated. Bruce became an accountant and met Alice, who’s from here. I was the best man at their wedding, was at the hospital when Holly was born. Our friendship is partly the reason I bought the vacation home down here. Our families spent every summer together for as long as I can remember until . . .’ He trailed off and shook his head, his eyes full of anguish.
    ‘ Are you sure this is such a good idea then?’ Reilly put her hand on her old mentor’s arm. ‘I understand that you want to help your friend but—’
    Daniel continued as if he hadn’t heard her question. ‘When Holly was still at school, Bruce was in Tampa on his way home from work when a drunk driver ran a red light. I was in the city at the time, and got to the hospital before Alice. Bruce made me promise to look after his family if he didn’t make it through surgery. He died on the table.’
    ‘ This wasn’t your fault.’ Reilly felt a sympathetic stab of guilt. There was always guilt. Should have done more. Should have been me. I could have done something if only. Sometimes, the ‘if only’s were the worst; Reilly knew that better than most.
    ‘ I promised Bruce that I’d take care of his little girl.’ A hard light flashed in Daniel’s eyes, and Reilly knew there would be no dissuading him. ‘And since I didn’t do that, I’m sure as hell going to make sure I help nail the son of a bitch who killed her.’
     

    CHAPTER 6
     
    They rode away from the Young house in silence, Reilly’s mind buzzing as feverishly as she knew Daniel’s was, though perhaps not about the same things.
    ‘Mind if we head down to Tampa for a bit ?’ he said, breaking the silence. ‘I want to talk to Todd, let him know about this boyfriend, and where Holly was today.’
    ‘ Sure,’ Reilly said. She pulled her thoughts back to the present. She quite liked the idea of visiting the Tampa police department. Her few years abroad made her curious about the advances made in her native land. Things were bound to be different.
    The humid night air was oppressive as, some twenty minutes later, they arrived in the heart of the city and climbed out of the air-conditioned Chrysler. Before she’d taken two steps, Reilly could feel the sheen of sweat on her skin. Even so, the moment she entered the building, she wished again she’d had on one of her work suits. Designed for use in the much cooler Dublin, they’d be nearly unbearable here, but at least she’d have felt more professional.
    In her sundress and sandals and in this setting, she felt more like the wide-eyed girlfriend being taken to see where the big bad investigator worked. She’d seen far too many of her male colleagues – and a couple of female ones – use the