Nowhere to Hide by Terry Odell Page A

That’s what we’re going to have to figure out. I’ll get the lab crew out here. You see what the tenant can tell us. And turn off the damn TV. Law and Order reruns drive me nuts.”
    Graham went to the living room and clicked off the set, then hurried out to find Colleen. He opened the front door and saw her sitting on the ground hugging her knees, with Tracy standing over her. He sped to her side. “What happened? Is she all right?”
    “ I don’t know. She was standing here, kind of staring off into space like she was on another planet. Then she clapped her hands over her ears, dropped to the ground, and I can’t seem to get through to her.” Alarm filled her eyes. “You think it’s an epileptic seizure? The kind where you zone out? She doesn’t have a Medic Alert bracelet or anything. I checked.”
    He dropped to one knee and took Colleen’s hands in his. “Doesn’t look like it—those sorts of seizures are usually pretty quick. Colleen. It’s Graham Harrigan. Everything is fine. Come on, Colleen. You’re okay.”
    Her green eyes snapped open and she stared up at him. She took one shaky breath before she spoke. “Shit.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “Wow. Must be all the ice cream I ate at Tracy’s. Messed up my blood sugar or something.” She climbed to her feet, refusing Graham’s offer of support.
    “ Colleen…”
    “ I said I was fine.”
    “ Having someone in your home can cause the same sort of emotional response as being raped. It’s a personal violation.”
    “ Drop it, Harrigan. It was ice cream, not rape. Now I’m going to go check out the place for myself.”
    “ Wait and one of us will go with you. We need to keep the scene secure until we decide if we need to call the lab crew. You can tell us if everything is the way you left it. We’ve called an ambulance for Doris and—”
    “ Ambulance?” Tracy asked. “Did something happen?”
    “ Looks like a little too much Valium. Someone might have entered through the patio.” Graham addressed Tracy. “I’m going to go with Colleen. We’ll be back in a few minutes. Do you mind waiting?”
    “ Not at all.” She grinned at Colleen. “Gotta hand it to you, sister. You sure do know how to take a girl’s mind off her misery.”
    Graham walked half a pace behind Colleen and pulled on his gloves. Her stride was steady, and she elbowed through the front door. Hands in her pockets, she wandered through the living room.
    “ What about the couch?” he asked.
    Colleen seemed to contemplate it for a moment. When she spoke, she wouldn’t make eye contact. “I slept on it. Can’t remember if I straightened the cushions or not. Things on the shelves aren’t quite the way I left them.” He noticed her start to reach for the Scotch bottle, then clasp her hands behind her before she continued.
    “ You seem to be good at this,” he said.
    “ Misspent youth. Used to set booby traps for my brothers so they wouldn’t get into my stuff. Besides, anyone who watches television knows you don’t touch anything in a crime scene.”
    “ Here. Should make things easier.” He handed her a spare pair of gloves and she snapped them on like a pro. Graham let it go, but added it to his growing internal file. In the kitchen, Colleen gave cursory glances into the drawers and cabinets.
    “ I haven’t taken much inventory here. Most of this came with the place. Looks fine.”
    “ What about the bedroom?”
    She preceded him into the room, stopping short so he almost bumped into her. “Holy shit,” she said and pivoted toward the bathroom.
    “ Are you all right?” He stood in the doorway, watching as she opened the medicine cabinet, pulled open a vanity drawer and fingered through the contents. He trailed behind her when she rushed to the kitchen and stared at the sink. A coffee mug sat in the draining rack, along with a plate and a knife.
    She turned and gave him a sardonic laugh. “Outside.” She pushed past him and went to the front