Sometimes, they fall in love with Catholic priests.

“The point is, we haven’t seen evidence of a crime yet,” said Queenan, pulling on his winter jacket. “No blood, nothing to suggest that anyone forced her to do anything.”

“There was that man. The one the hotel clerk saw with Maura.”

“What about him?”

“If Maura went off with this guy, I’d like to know who he is. Shouldn’t we at least check the videos from Thursday night?”

Queenan stood scowling as he debated whether to pull off his jacket again. At last he sighed. “Okay. Let’s look at Thursday night. The clerk said they were headed out to dinner, so we can start the recording around five PM.”

This time, it was easier to spot their target. According to Michelle, the couple had come up to the reception desk to ask for directions to the restaurant. They fast-forwarded through the video, pausing only when someone approached the desk. Passersby jittered back and forth across the screen. The time stamp advanced toward six PM and the crowd grew larger as guests headed toward dinner, the women now adorned in earrings and necklaces, the men in coats and ties.

At six fifteen, a blond man appeared, facing across the desk.

“There,” said Jane.

For a moment, there was silence as everyone focused on the dark-haired woman standing beside the man. There was no doubt about her identity.

It was Maura, and she was smiling.

“That’s your gal, I take it?” asked Queenan.

“Yes,” said Jane softly.

“She doesn’t seem particularly distressed. That looks like a woman who’s headed out to a nice restaurant, wouldn’t you say?”

Jane stared at the image of Maura and the nameless man. Queenan’s right, she thought. Maura looked happy. She could not remember the last time she’d seen such a smile on her friend’s face. Over the past months, Maura had grown wan and increasingly private, as though, by avoiding Jane’s questions, she could also avoid confronting the truth: that love had made her unhappier than ever.

And the reason for that unhappiness now stood beside Jane, staring at the video of that smiling pair. They were a startlingly attractive couple. The man was tall and lean, with boyishly tousled blond hair. Even though it was not a high-resolution image, Jane imagined she could see a twinkle in his eye, and she knew why the clerk would remember this encounter. Whoever the man was, he knew how to attract a woman’s attention.

Abruptly Daniel walked out of the room.

That sudden departure made Queenan stare after him thoughtfully. “Was it something I said?” he asked.

“He’s taking it hard,” said Jane. “We were all hoping for answers.”

“I think this video may be your answer.” Once again, Queenan stood and reached for his jacket. “We’ll continue to field any calls that come in. And hope that your friend decides to surface on her own.”

“I want to know who that man is,” said Jane, pointing to the monitor.

“Good-looking fella. No wonder your friend’s got a big smile on her face.”

“If he’s a hotel guest,” said Gabriel, “we could winnow down the names.”

“We had a full house last week,” the manager said. “We’re talking about two hundred and forty rooms.”

“We eliminate the females. Focus on men who booked singles.”

“It was a medical conference. There were a lot of men who booked singles.”

“Then we’d better get started now, don’t you think?” Gabriel said. “We’ll need names, addresses, phone numbers.”

The manager looked at Queenan. “Don’t these people need a warrant? We’ve got privacy issues here, Detective.”

Jane pointed to Maura’s face on the monitor. “You’ve also got a missing woman who was last seen in this hotel. In the company of one of your guests.”

The manager gave a disbelieving laugh. “It was a bunch of doctors! You really think one of them-”

“If she was abducted,” said Jane, “we have only a short time to work with.” She moved toward the manager, close enough to make him retreat against the doorway. Close enough to see his pupils dilate. “Don’t make us waste a single minute.”

The ringing of Queenan’s cell phone cut the silence. “Detective Queenan,” he answered. “What? Where?”

The tone of his voice made them all turn to watch the conversation. His face was grim as he disconnected.

“What’s going on?” Jane asked. Afraid to hear the answer.

“You folks need to drive down to Sublette County. The Circle B Guest Ranch. It’s not my jurisdiction, so you’ll have to talk to Sheriff Fahey when you get there.”

“Why?”

“They’ve just found two bodies,” said Queenan. “A man and a woman.”

16

IN ALL HER YEARS AS A HOMICIDE DETECTIVE, JANE RIZZOLI HAD never felt so reluctant to walk into a death scene. She and Gabriel sat in their rental car across from the Circle B Guest Ranch, watching as yet another Sublette County Sheriff’s Department vehicle pulled up, joining the cluster of official cars and trucks parked in front of the guest reception cottage. In the driveway, a woman with a microphone stood talking to a news camera, her blond hair hopelessly tangled in the wind. It looked like the usual scrum of cops and reporters that Jane was accustomed to wading through at every crime scene, but this time she viewed that gantlet with dread. Thank God we convinced Daniel to stay at the hotel. This is not an ordeal he should have to face.

“I can’t imagine Maura ever checking into a place like this,” said Gabriel.

Jane stared across the road at the sign advertising SUPER SAVER WEEKLY AND MONTHLY RATES AVAILABLE! INQUIRE INSIDE! There was desperation in that sign, a last-ditch appeal to stay in business. No, she could not imagine Maura checking into one of those tired-looking cabins.

Gabriel took her arm as they crossed the icy road. He seemed eerily calm, and that was exactly what she needed from him at this moment. This was the Gabriel she’d met two summers ago, when they’d worked their first homicide together, a man whose cool efficiency had made him seem remote and heartless. It was merely the persona he adopted when situations turned grim. She glanced up at her husband, and his resoluteness steadied her own nerves.

They approached a sheriff’s deputy, who stood arguing with a young woman.

“I need to talk with Fahey,” the woman insisted. “We need more information or we can’t do our jobs.”

“Sheriff’s kind of busy right now, Cathy.”

“We’re responsible for her welfare. At least tell me their names. Who’s the next of kin?”

“You’ll know when we know.”

“The couple’s from Plain of Angels, aren’t they?”

The deputy frowned at her. “How’d you hear that?”

“I keep track of those people. I make it my business to know when they show up in town.”

“Maybe you should mind your own business for a change and leave those folks alone.”

She snorted. “Maybe you should try doing your job, Bobby. At least pretend to follow up on my complaints.”

“Leave. Now.”

“You tell Sheriff Fahey I’ll be calling him.” The woman huffed out a breath so fierce that steam clouded her face as she spun around. She halted in surprise to find Jane and Gabriel standing right behind her. “Hope you have better luck with these people,” she muttered, and stalked off down the driveway.

“Was that a reporter?” Gabriel asked, with the sympathy of a fellow lawman.

“Naw, county social worker. Those bleeding hearts are a real pain in the ass.” The deputy looked Gabriel up and down. “Can I help you, sir?”

“Sheriff Fahey is expecting us. Detective Queenan called to let him know we were coming.”

“You the folks from Boston?”

“Yes, sir. Agent Dean and Detective Rizzoli.” Gabriel struck just the right note of respect to emphasize that he knew whose jurisdiction they were in. And who was in charge.

The deputy, who looked no older than his midtwenties, was young enough to be flattered by Gabriel’s approach. “Come with me, sir. Ma’am.”