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

“Agreed. Still, we have no proof that it wasn’t anything more than coincidence. What we have to do is draw the killer out.”


“Meaning I better get it in gear and finish your portrait.”


“For starters. Do that and get it hung at the gallery.”


“Then wait three days for the killer to come after you, if he sticks to his usual MO.”


“I wonder if he—whoever he is—knows you’re a cop.”


“After the break-in he might, if he was watching the building. Which was my stupidity for not telling you to call 911 the way the average person would have. That way a couple of patrol officers would have shown up. As it was, the only responders were the CSI team. If he’s smart, and we know he is, he’d have figured out at that point I’m not just the new man in your life.”


“If he did, then he might think twice about trying to kill you.”


Quint nodded. “Or he might break from tradition and come after me, even before the painting goes up at the gallery.”


Chapter 29