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

As if sensing Clay’s reservations, Quint said, “I’ll stay out of your hair. I won’t even turn on the TV. I promise.”


“That kind of thing doesn’t bother me. It’s…” Clay sighed then tried to push his dismay to one side. “As long as you stay out of the studio end of the loft, I’ll be okay with it.”


“No time like the present. Well, tonight anyway. I do have to get back to the station to see if there’s been any word on Travis and run a search for Mr. Rivera to see if he’s still alive and kicking.”


“Damn, I hope he is. I already feel guilty enough about those other men.”


“Don’t. None of this is your fault. You’ve caught the attention of a very sick man, presuming the killer isn’t Travis. I suppose you could say he is too, if it’s him.”


“He may have been egotistical and somewhat possessive, but I honestly can’t see him doing this.”


“Clay, don’t write someone off just because you knew them. Everyone has a darker side they try to keep hidden.”


Chapter 11