“But you gotta admit that Candy’s good for laughs, she’s currently without a beau, and she says if she can’t scare up a date for my party she might skip it, too. Now, how can I celebrate my miraculous survival if my two best friends are no-shows?”

Raley had run out of excuses. The real reason he didn’t want to go was that for the last several days he’d been reviewing the autopsy reports of those who’d died in the fire. To Raley, the remains weren’t just so much charred tissue and bone fragments. Those unrecognizable human bodies had been people, and they’d suffered horrific deaths. His mind wouldn’t let him forget how terrifying their final minutes of life would have been. Thoughts of it kept him awake at night, and when he was able to sleep, he heard their screams in his nightmares. He wasn’t in a partying mood.

But to discuss that with Jay would be to remind him that, for all his heroism, he was unable to save those seven. He figured those souls haunted Jay, the same as they did him, but Jay’s way of coping was to throw a party.

Perhaps his friend’s way of dealing with despondency was the better one. Jay would say that no amount of regret or sorrow could bring back those seven. Bury the dead, life was for the living. And when you got right down to it, he was right.

“I could easily have died that day, you know,” he was saying now. “I suffer flashbacks to it, Raley. To the fire, to being inside that building. Can’t see a thing, choking on smoke, afraid the floor is about to fall out from under me. There were times when I thought, This is it. My time’s up. I’m going to die. If not for fate, I’d be history. This party could just as easily have been my wake instead of-”

“Oh, for godsake, bring on the fucking violins,” Raley groaned. “You’ll use any means of manipulation to get me there, won’t you?”

“I have no shame.”

“I believe it.”

Jay reminded him to call Candy and offer her a ride, then said, “Wait and see. You’ll have a good time in spite of your sorry-ass self.”

“One more thing,” Raley said, stopping him just before he hung up. “ Cleveland Jones. I still haven’t received all the paperwork on him.”

“Oh, shit. I forgot again, didn’t I?”

“I don’t see how you could. This is the third time I’ve asked for his arrest report.”

“I know, I know, and I’m sorry. I’ll get it to you on Monday, first thing.”

“I’m holding you to that.” He hung up, disappointed that he wouldn’t have the arrest report over the weekend. He hated to keep harping on Jay about it, but that report was vital to his investigation.

Jay was distracted by his personal involvement and by the media, who continued to hound him for interviews. Not that he minded being in the spotlight, but being a celebrity was time-consuming.

With the exception of this last conversation, each time Raley phoned Jay, he seemed preoccupied and always in a rush to cut short the call. Any other time, Raley would feel like he was getting the brush-off, but Jay’s splintered attention was understandable. He, like every person in the CPD, was working overtime to recover from the disastrous fire. The entire department was in shambles, operating in a state of barely controlled chaos. Personnel were working out of temporary headquarters, trying to reorganize even as they went about their routine duties.

With the entire PD in this state of upheaval, Raley couldn’t really fault Jay for not responding immediately to his request to see the paperwork on Cleveland Jones, but he was becoming impatient to finish his investigation. Brunner had assigned him this aspect of it, and he wanted to come through, not just to satisfy but to impress the older man.

Mainly, he wanted the nightmares to stop.

Hallie had noticed his preoccupation more than anyone, and he knew it worried her. He could hear the relief in her voice when he called to tell her that Jay had persuaded him to attend his party. “Good,” she said.

“Not really, but he wouldn’t let me back out.”

“Why don’t you want to go?”

“Because you’re not here to go with me.”

“I’m flattered, but is that the only reason?”

He couldn’t hide much from her. “I hate to give up a night. I’m really into this investigation and don’t want to lose momentum.”

In a quieter voice, she asked, “How are you?”

“Missing you.”

“Besides that.”

“I’m fine.”

“You sound tired.”

“I am. But I’m okay.”

She didn’t dispute him, but he could imagine her doubtful frown. She had an endearing way of pursing her lips when she was mulling something over. She’d been wearing that frown the first time he saw her, two years ago on New Year’s Eve, at a party hosted by mutual friends. She was at the buffet table, considering the raw oysters lying on a mound of ice. He moved up beside her and said, “I don’t think they bite.” And she laughed, saying, “I don’t think I will, either.”

That thoughtful pout made her lips infinitely kissable. He especially liked kissing that pout away when she was wearing her glasses. She didn’t believe him when he told her he preferred her glasses to contacts. But it was the truth.

Switching subjects now, he asked, “How are your meetings going?”

She was a loan officer at the local branch of a banking chain. An advancement had brought her to Charleston only weeks before that New Year’s Eve when they met. Since then, she’d had VP added after her name. She’d been in Boston all week at the bank’s national headquarters.

“Long, but informative.”

“So the trip was worthwhile.”

“Um-huh.” Then, “Oh! I talked to my mother today. The church is available on Saturday the twelfth.”

“Great.” That was the April date they’d discussed for their wedding. Spring flowers in bloom. Not too hot or humid yet. “I’ll call my mom and tell her.”

“My mom already spoke to her.”

“Even better.”

They laughed, because he had ceded all wedding planning to the three women, telling Hallie to be sure he knew what time to show up with the ring. He felt that was all he needed to know.

“It’s good to hear you laugh,” she said. “And I think going to Jay’s party is an excellent idea. You need a break from the investigation.”

“I’ve been lousy company lately, haven’t I?”

“You’ve taken the job to heart.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for your commitment, Raley. The fire was a tragedy. I couldn’t love you if you hadn’t taken this investigation to heart.”

Her soft voice and the understanding behind it made him yearn to touch her. Boston might just as well have been in another galaxy. “Why aren’t you here so I can make love to you?”

“Tomorrow,” she said. “Don’t make plans for tomorrow night. I’m bringing back a new nightie from Victoria ’s Secret. I intend to distract you from work, from everything.”

His imagination went into overdrive. “How about some hot phone sex right now?”

“I would,” she said, “but I’ve got a meeting in five minutes.”

“It won’t take me anywhere near five minutes.”

“It would the way I’d do it,” she purred, then laughed at his groan. “Besides, I don’t want to make you late for Jay’s party.”

“He promises it will be one of his orgiastic bacchanals.”

“I wouldn’t expect it to be anything else. Should I be worried? Or are you just trying to talk me into the hot phone sex?”

“No, you shouldn’t be worried. And yes, I’m trying to talk you into the phone sex. If you help me get my rocks off now, I’ll be too sated to stray.”

“How can I possibly resist such a romantic lead-in?”

He laughed. “No sale?”

“Sorry.”

“Okay,” he sighed. “But how am I going to explain this boner to Candy?”

“Candy? Did I miss something?”

“Jay rooked me into being her date tonight.”

“Who’s the designated driver?”

“I am. I’ll have one beer. Candy can find her own way home, or stay over at Jay’s, or whatever. I’m coming home early and spending the rest of tonight and tomorrow planning all the dirty things I’m going to do to you when you get home.”