High School Reunion

Mallory Kane

Someone wanted FBI special agent Laurel Gillespie dead.And with good reason. Her not-so-discreet investigating into the decade-old suicide of a high school classmate indicated it may have been murder. Now the killer was determined to stop Laurel from discovering the truth. Police Chief Cade Dupree resented Laurel's invasion on his turf.Not only did she stir up trouble in his town, she also stirred up feelings inside him. But when a madman targeted Laurel, Cade vowed to protect her at all costs. Could they learn to trust each other in time to outwit a cold-blooded murderer?

“I’m taking you back to my house and locking you in.”

“Lock me in? Not a chance. In fact, I think I’ll run back over to the crime scene.”

“The hell you will. Okay fine. We’ll review the files together.”

“Good. I’m glad you finally see it my way.”

Cade shook his head. “Trust me, Gillespie. I do not see it your way. That’s not why I’m doing this.”

“It’s not? Then why are you?”

“Maybe it doesn’t mean much to you that someone’s obviously trying to harm you, but it does to me.”

That stopped her. Laurel’s eyes widened. “It does?”

“Yeah.” Feeling flayed open by his unintentional revelation, he scrambled to think of a flip answer. “Yeah. Because if anyone around here is going to shoot or strangle you, it’s going to be me.”

MALLORY KANE

HIGH SCHOOL REUNION

For my brave, heroic mother.

Mama, I miss you every day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mallory Kane credits her love of books to her mother, a librarian, who taught her that books are a precious resource and should be treated with loving respect. Her grandfather and her father were steeped in the Southern tradition of oral history, and they could hold an audience spellbound with their storytelling skills. Mallory aspires to be as good a storyteller as her father. She loves romantic suspense with dangerous heroes and dauntless heroines, and often uses her medical background to add an extra dose of intrigue to her books. Mallory lives in Mississippi with her computer-genius husband, their two fascinating cats, and, at current count, seven computers.

She loves to hear from readers. You can write her at mallory@mallorykane.com or care of Harlequin Books.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Cade Dupree—When his older brother died and his dad had a stroke, Dusty Springs Police Chief Cade Dupree gave up his FBI career to return home for his father’s sake.

Laurel Gillespie—A forensic criminologist with the FBI’s Division of Unsolved Mysteries in Washington, D.C.

Kathy Adler—A closet alcoholic and the leader of the Cool Girls clique in high school, Kathy has the other girls under her thumb. Did she use them to pull off the ultimate humiliation of a geeky classmate—a faked suicide that was really murder?

Mary Sue Nelson—One of the Cool Girls. Is her silly, blond-bimbo persona real, or a clever act that hides a sinister intelligence?

Debra Honeycutt—Quiet and sweet, Cool Girl Debra may have been caught up in a high-school prank gone bad. But someone thinks she knows too much.

Sheryl Posey—The fourth Cool Girl is a cagey survivor who figured out a long time ago that survival meant becoming a hired gun. Whoever can do her the most good gets her loyalty. Did she kill to protect what she knows?

Ralph Langston—A self-remade high school nerd wanted the prestigious Science Medal for himself. Was he jealous enough to commit murder and cover it up as a suicide? Or is he just an opportunist cashing in on another’s secret?

Ann Noble—The super-efficient secretary to the mayor of Dusty Springs hides a lot under her practical suits and glasses. But does she know anything about the death or is she bluffing?

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter One

FBI Special Agent Laurel Gillespie rang her friend’s doorbell for the third time.

“Come on, Misty,” she muttered. “Answer the door.”

She rested her hand on her Glock .23 and eyed the carved,