Clay Richardson is a well-known artist who owns his own gallery. Quint Hawk, a police detective, makes contact with Clay when he sees a portrait Clay has painted in the window of the gallery -- a portrait of a homeless young man who was murdered just days before. Unfortunately, Clay has no idea who the subject was. Several months later, Quint contacts Clay to again ask about one of Clay's paintings. The subject has been murdered, as has a third man in another of his paintings. The reclusive artist and the handsome detective are drawn to each other as they try to determine what is happening and why. They come up with a plan to catch the killer -- a plan that could end up in their deaths before they can decide if there is more to their feelings than a couple of very good nights in Clay's bed.

The Element Case

“Sometimes…if I think they might be worth finding again, not that it’s likely to happen but…”


Quint frowned and asked, “Who has access to your studio to know what you’re painting?”


“Me,” Clay replied. “My studio is at one end of my loft. I live in the other two-thirds and I rarely have guests.”


“Once in a blue moon. I’m not the social type.” Clay chuckled dryly. “Amanda can testify to that.”


“Oh yeah,” she said. “Getting him here for the opening of a new show is like pulling teeth.”


“Are any of these guests—as you put it—regulars, even if only occasionally?”


“No. They’re guests, nothing more. My list of friends can be counted on one hand and still have three fingers left. Well, excluding Amanda and her husband, that is.”


“Do you have any enemies? Because from what I’m seeing, this is aimed at you in some way.”


Chapter 5