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you’ll need to take more of them.” She chose her words deliberately.
    Joe grunted. He didn’t believe himself capable of feeling anything as alive as love. “How’s Josh?”
    â€œLonesome.” Just thinking about her son hurt her heart. “But I think he’s having fun, too.” This was their first time apart for more than a few days.
    â€œHow are you?”
    â€œFine. Busy. Mom and David have had me over for dinner twice this week. And I’ve been going to work in the evenings. I’m helping some of the residents cheer up their rooms. We’re doing collages, mobiles and photo mosaics. I’d like to paint the multipurpose room, too.”
    â€œHow many dates have you been on?”
    Josh was her usual excuse for not dating.
    â€œNone.”
    â€œYou’re not fine.”
    She sighed. “Mostly I am, Joe. I’m busy at work. I love the center. How could I not? I get to spend my days helping senior citizens enjoy life. And Josh and I have a new house that I love. We even have a pool. And…” She fiddled with the hem on her shirt. “I’m really okay. I’m running every afternoon. I’m going to do a 10K with Randi Foster in November.”
    â€œIn Shelter Valley?”
    â€œOf course. Montford is sponsoring it.”
    â€œIs Randi training with you?”
    â€œNo. She runs at school.” Randi was the athletic director at Montford—and baby sister to the university president, Will Parsons, Mayor Becca’s husband.
    â€œWho are you training with?”
    â€œNo one.”
    â€œYou’re running alone.”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t be running alone.”
    â€œI’m careful. I carry pepper spray. And I’m not going to be held hostage to fear.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t be running alone.”
    He wasn’t going to be convinced. She understoodthat. And even understood why. But she was still going to run.
    Because it was something she had to do for her. Whether Joe understood that or not.
    She could so easily end up like him.
    â€œYou should be dating.”
    â€œYou’ve done fine on your own.”
    â€œIt’s different.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œI— My… She was the one.”
    â€œMaybe Aaron was, too.”
    â€œYou really think so?”
    She had. At one time. Then…time…had changed things. Less than sixty minutes of it had changed everything.
    Forever.
    And that was something that Joe Frasier understood all too well.

CHAPTER TWO
    B EFORE DAWN F RIDAY MORNING , Jay left his motorcyle in the short-term parking lot at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. He caught the shuttle for the off-site car rental place he’d phoned the night before.
    Half an hour later he was on I-10, his six-foot frame chafing beneath the seat belt in the Chevy Impala. He’d never driven in Phoenix before, but at that early hour there was little traffic and he’d studied maps. He also had a sense of direction that could get him from one dark hole to the next without a spot of light.
    Mostly what he wanted to do was remain inconspicuous. As inconspicuous as a long-haired, broad-shouldered man could be. He’d shed his leather vest and figured his white T-shirt blended in as well as anything might.
    He’d signaled his exit and followed his preset route to his destination. The neighborhood, once he got to it, was a nice one. Elegant. Expensive. The best.
    He’d expected nothing less.
    The gated entry slowed him not at all. Saying he was surprising his sister with a visit, he’d coaxed a garbage guy down the street to give him the service code.
    Jay had been investigating those who didn’t want to be found too long to let things like gates stop him.
    Not that this particular jaunt had anything to do withhim finding someone who didn’t want to be found. No, this time it was him who didn’t want to be seen. Not yet. All in