Kay Hooper - Hiding in the Shadows

Praise for Kay Hooper

HAUNTING RACHEL

A stirring and evocative thriller.
Palo Alto Daily News

The pace flies, the suspense never lets up. Its great reading.
The Advocate, Baton Rouge

An intriguing book with plenty of strange twists that will please the reader.
Rocky Mountain News

It passed the stay up late to finish it in one night test.
The Denver Post

FINDING LAURA

You always know you are in for an outstanding read when you pick up a Kay Hooper novel, but in Finding

Laura, she has created something really special! Simply superb!
Romantic Times (gold medal review)

Hooper keeps the intrigue pleasurably complicated, with gothic touches of suspense and a satisfying resolution.
Publishers Weekly

A first-class reading experience.
Affaire de Coeur

Ms. Hooper throws in one surprise after another. Spellbinding.
Rendezvous

AFTER CAROLINE

Harrowing good fun. Readers will shiver and shudder.
Publishers Weekly

Kay Hooper comes through with chills, thrills, and plenty of romance, this time with an energetic murder mystery with a clever twist. The suspense is sustained admirably right up to the very end.
Kirkus Reviews

Peopled with interesting characters and intricately plotted, the novel is both a compelling mystery and a satisfying romance.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Kay Hooper has crafted another solid story to keep readers enthralled until the last page is turned.
Booklist

Joanna Flynn is appealing, plucky, and true to her mission as she probes the mystery that was Caroline.
Variety

AMANDA

Amanda seethes and sizzles. A fast-paced, atmospheric tale that vibrates with tension, passion, and mystery. Readers will devour it.
Jayne Ann Krentz

Kay Hoopers dialogue rings true; her characters are more three-dimensional than those usually found in this genre. You may think youve guessed the outcome, unraveled all the lies. Then again, you could be as mistaken as I was.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Will delight fans of Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt.
Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine

Kay Hooper knows how to serve up a latter-day gothic that will hold readers in its brooding grip.
Publishers Weekly

I lapped it right up. There arent enough good books in this genre, so this stands out!
Booknews from The Poisoned Pen

Kay Hooper has given you a darn good ride, and there are far too few of those these days.
Dayton Daily News

Bantam Books by Kay Hooper

ALWAYS A THIEF
ONCE A THIEF
SENSE OF EVIL
WHISPER OF EVIL
TOUCHING EVIL
OUT OF THE SHADOWS
HIDING IN THE SHADOWS
STEALING SHADOWS
HAUNTING RACHEL
FINDING LAURA
AFTER CAROLINE
AMANDA
ON WINGS OF MAGIC
THE WIZARD OF SEATTLE
MY GUARDIAN ANGEL

HIDING IN THE SHADOWS

A Bantam Book / October 2000

All rights reserved.
Copyright 2000 by Kay Hooper

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information address: Bantam Books.

eISBN: 978-0-307-56767-3

Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words Bantam Books and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, New York, New York.

v3.1_r1

FOR MY FAMILY

Kane MacGregor looked up from the morning newspaper as she came into the kitchen, and reflected not for the first time that Dinah Leighton was the only woman hed ever known who managed to create the illusion of incredible bustle while never moving faster than a lazy stroll. It was a peculiarly endearing trait.

I am so late, she said by way of greeting, dropping her briefcase into a chair across from him at the table and going around the work island to pour herself a cup of coffee. He always made the coffee in the morning, favoring a gourmet blend rich with taste, a selection Dinah accepted cheerfully even though she considered the beverage merely a simple and efficient means of getting caffeine into her system as quickly as possible. You turned off the alarm again. She didnt sound annoyed, just matter-of-fact.

After all your long hours recently, I thought you could use a little extra sleep. Besides, it isnt all that late. Just after nine. Do you have a meeting this morning? You didnt mention anything last night.

No, not a meeting. She spooned enough sugar into the coffee to make him wince, and poured enough cream to make him wonder why she even bothered with coffee. I just They allow visitors only twice a day, and Im always too late in the evening.

It was Thursday. Hed forgotten.

Im sorry, Dinah. If youd reminded me

The smile she sent him was quick and fleeting. Dont worry about it. I still have time, I think. She put two slices of bread in the toaster and leaned against the counter.

Kane looked at her, wondering as he had wondered often in recent weeks if it was his imagination that Dinah was a bit preoccupied. Hed thought it was because of the accident, but now he wasnt so sure. She tended to get wrapped up in her work, sometimes to the exclusion of other things. Was that it? Just another story that had drawn her interest and engaged that lively mind?

He wanted to go to her, but didnt; he was experienced enough to recognize the warning in both her actions and her body language. She had not touched him, had not even come near him, in fact. She was across the room with the island and the table between them and showing him most of her back.

She might just as well have worn a no-trespassing sign. In neon. It irritated him.

Will you stop on the way to work? he asked, keeping the conversation going while he decided whether or not it was time to do something about this.

Dinah checked the wide, leather-banded watch she wore and nodded absently. For a few minutes.

You dont have to go twice every week.

Yes, she said. I do.

Dinah, it wasnt your fault.

I know that. But her voice lacked certainty. She seemed to realize it, because she cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject while she buttered her toast. Anyway, well be going in opposite directions this morning. Just as well, I expect. Steve has me chasing after that building inspector for an interview and the wretched man is never in his office, so Ill need my Jeep.

Steve Hardy was Dinahs editor at the small but well-known magazine where she worked, and he tended to push her almost as hard as she pushed herself.

Another expos? Kane said lightly. Bribery and kickbacks in the city?

She laughed. I wish. No, this is just for a series on our local officials. You knowa day in the life of, and how, exactly, your tax dollars are being spent.

Easy stuff for you.

Dinah shrugged. Easy enough.

Kane watched her load the toast with grape jelly and take a healthy bite. She was, he decided, very watchable no matter what she was doing. She wasnt beautiful, but damned close. Regular, not-quite-delicate features that fit together well, the best of which being a pair of steady blue eyes that sometimes saw more than one would guess. Her pale gold hair was cut casually short in tousled layerswash and wear, she called itand her tall, voluptuous body was clothed in a simple tunic sweater and jeans. Dinah didnt care much about clothes, and it showed. On the other hand, what she wore hardly mattered because the enticing figure underneath was what caught the eye. The male eye, at any rate.