Cavanaugh in Plain Sight

By Marie Ferrarella

A reporter hires a detective to protect her when her latest story endangers her in this romantic suspense thriller by a USA Today–bestselling author.

Journalist Krys Kowalski doesn’t shy away from uncovering scandal . . . even if it means putting her life in danger. When her latest investigation endangers her life, Krys enlists Detective Morgan Cavanaugh as a 24/7 bodyguard. But she won’t give up, even as the attraction between her and Morgan simmers . . . even if the job costs her life!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Sep 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781488064210

Marie Ferrarella

This USA TODAY bestselling and RITA ® Award-winning author has written more than two hundred books for Harlequin Books and Silhouette Books, some under the name Marie Nicole. Her romances are beloved by fans worldwide. Visit her website at www.marieferrarella.com.

Book preview

Prologue

She felt tired as she walked out of the office building and into the large, deserted parking lot. It felt as if she hadn’t gotten any sleep since the funeral.

Maybe that was the reason Krystyna Kowalski was having trouble shaking the feeling that someone was watching her. She hadn’t actually seen anyone following her when she’d turned around, but it was a feeling gnawing away at the pit of her stomach.

Krys sighed, aware just how paranoid that would have sounded if she had said it aloud. She supposed that, examined in the light of day, it probably was.

The darkness made it more real, given the nature of the work she did. As a freelance investigative reporter, she delved into dark, hidden secrets while traveling down streets where most other people wouldn’t even dream of venturing.

But her work required her to burrow into and expose secrets that were thought to be completely buried. It was her job to cast light on paths that the key figures of her investigations thought were safely out of sight.

During the course of her investigations, Krys had heard herself being cursed, threatened with bodily harm and told more than once that she would be made to pay for what she had so brazenly and callously done. That kind of thing had become part of her job. She accepted it as her due and even thought of it as her badge of courage. But her safety wasn’t anything she haphazardly took for granted. Krys always made sure that she took the necessary precautions. As for the rest of it, she just shrugged it off and went on her way.

But this eerie feeling had haunted her nights for the last six weeks. That was definitely something new in her life.

Even as she had sat beside her mentor’s hospital bedside, holding Ian Marshall’s hand as he lay dying, that uneasy feeling that she was being watched kept eating away at her. So much so that each time someone entered Ian’s room—usually a hospital staff member as well as an old friend coming by to pay their last respects—something inside of Krys would tighten and instantly go on the alert. She had to mentally talk herself down each time because a great many old acquaintances came by in those few weeks to see Ian—while he was still there to be seen.

But now Ian was no longer alive to distract her. He had passed away clutching her hand. She had no regrets about being there even though she had wound up missing her only sister’s wedding. She refused to leave Ian’s bedside, refused to take a chance that the man with no family would wind up dying alone while she was busy celebrating Nikola’s big day.

Nik had understood why she couldn’t come to her wedding. They were twins, and twins intuited things about one another that no one else could begin to comprehend.

But now Ian was gone and Nik was on her honeymoon with Finn Cavanaugh. Not wanting to think about how much Ian’s passing affected her, not to mention how she felt about missing Nik’s wedding, Krys threw herself back into her work with a vengeance.

In the last nine months, after doggedly following a trail that led from the middle of the country to the West Coast, she had written an intensely conclusive exposé about Alan Parker, a charming, dark-haired, rakishly handsome man who, for the purposes of her article—and the nature of his crimes—she had dubbed Bluebeard. The man with soulfully seductive blue eyes and a smile that Cary Grant would have envied made it his business to romance wealthy, lonely women and marry them.

According to the research she had done, there had been at least six of these women over the course of the last few years, although she had a hunch that there were more who hadn’t come to light yet. Parker separated them from their money and eventually, he separated them from the world of the living as well.

Krys had doggedly put together all the evidence until there was enough for the police to issue a warrant and arrest the man. Everything fell into place and the man the police thought of as Bluebeard faced certain conviction as well as prison.

But somehow, thanks to his connections, Parker managed to escape before he could be put on trial for the murders he committed.

Right now, he was out there, free to continue his spree unimpeded.

She remembered the way Parker had looked at her when he was being arrested and taken away. For one split second, the silver-tongued smooth-talker shot her a look of sheer hatred. In that moment, her blood had run absolutely cold.

By then, she was hot on the trail of her newest investigation. Weatherly Pharmaceuticals had sunk a great deal of their money into the research, development and test trials for a new wonder drug whose properties were believed to keep cancer from metastasizing and spreading to other organs. The researchers hoped to contain the disease if not drive it totally into remission.

Fifteen years in development, the drug was highly anticipated and promised to make Weatherly’s investors richer beyond their wildest dreams. The drug was, in essence, too good to be true.

For Krys, that sent up bright red flags.

Unlike her twin sister, to Krys, if something was too good to be true, she believed that it usually wasn’t—and it was her job to prove that. She was currently interviewing everyone associated with this new wonder drug, both the developers and the people who had been the drug’s test subjects. She was determined to get to the truth of the matter. If her hunch turned out to be true, there would be an awful lot of unhappy people at Weatherly Pharmaceuticals. People who she felt would go a long way to make sure they weren’t unhappy.

For her part, Krys would have never become involved in investigating something of such major proportions if she didn’t feel she was able to prove that the emperor had no clothes.

Possibly that was why she was letting her imagination run away with her, why she felt there were threats to her safety lurking around almost every corner.

Maybe she just needed to take a break, wind down, be a person again instead of strictly a driven investigative reporter with tunnel vision who was focused on only one thing.

Making her way to her car in the almost completely deserted parking lot, Krys shifted the pages and copious notes that she had accumulated and brought with her to this latest meeting. As she opened the driver’s side door, several of the pages slipped out of the pile and unceremoniously fluttered down to her feet.

Damn, Krys muttered, ducking her head and bending down to retrieve the errant pages.

A jolting noise just above her head, sounding like a car backfiring, screamed through the night air and effectively pierced the silence. Krys had spent enough time at gun ranges to know what that sound actually was.

And even if she hadn’t recognized it, the shattered glass raining down from just above her head onto the pavement would have cleared up the mystery for her.

Her mouth went dry.

Someone had just taken a shot at her.

Chapter 1

Detective Jay Fredericks was the embodiment of a man on the cusp of middle age. Balding since the age of twenty-three and paunchy, Fredericks had the unfortunate habit of shuffling his feet when he walked, and he had long given up his battle with maintaining some sort of relatively decent posture. Consequently, walking or sitting, he gave the impression of being the personification of a perpetual parenthesis. Because of this, Detective Morgan Cavanaugh had given up trying to read his partner’s body language as a way of gauging whether or not the news that the man was about to deliver was good, bad or of no consequence whatsoever.

Hey, Cavanaugh, Fredericks called out as he walked into the Major Crimes squad room and crossed over to Morgan’s desk.

Looking up from his computer monitor, Morgan waited for his partner to say something further.

There was a pregnant pause on Fredericks’s part, either for effect or because he couldn’t find the right words to explain what was on his mind. Since Morgan was currently catching up on his paperwork, something he viewed as just a shade better than having a root canal, he had no patience for whatever Fredericks was attempting to communicate.

Are you just trying out my name because you’ve forgotten how it sounds, or do you actually want to say something? Morgan asked.

By now Fredericks had reached the two desks that butted up against one another in the squad room. Fredericks eyed his desk, obviously tempted to take a load off, but there was apparently something stopping him.

Umm, didn’t you tell me that one of your cousins just got married? he asked, stumbling his way into the reason he had come looking for Morgan in the first place.

The latest Cavanaugh wedding had just recently taken place. The entire police department had been invited and most of them had attended. Fredericks was one of the few who had not because his wife had insisted on picking that exact week for their annual vacation.

You know I did, Morgan told his partner, doing his best to hold on to his patience. Finn and Nikki. I showed you their wedding pictures, he reminded Fredericks. Why? Where are you going with this?

Fredericks bit his almost nonexistent lower lip. I’m not sure, he confessed.

Morgan temporarily abandoned his paperwork and pinned the man hovering over his desk with an impatient look, waiting. Sometimes Fredericks could become exceedingly tongue-tied. That was a direct result of his wife of eighteen years never allowing him to get in a word edgewise.

C’mon, Fredericks. Spit it out. What is it you’re trying to say? Morgan pressed.

Would you happen to know if the newlyweds were due back early from their honeymoon? Fredericks asked awkwardly.

They weren’t, Morgan answered without any hesitation. Why? And for heavens’ sakes, sit down and stop hovering like a seagull that’s circling a garbage heap, looking for lunch, he said, exasperated.

Shifting and obviously undecided, Fredericks remained on his feet. You think I could see that picture again? he asked. When Morgan looked at him quizzically, his partner elaborated. You know, the one from their wedding?

Morgan had brought the photograph in to show one of the people he worked with who wasn’t able to attend the ceremony. After he did, he shoved the photograph into a drawer and then promptly forgot about it. That was the only reason the photograph was still in the squad room rather than back at his place.

Morgan thought Fredericks’s request was rather odd, but he shrugged. All right. Opening the wrong drawer at first, he located the photograph and took it out. He passed the photograph to his partner. Okay, again I ask, what is this all about? Or do you just have a thing for wedding pictures?

Fredericks frowned as he studied the photograph Morgan had handed to him. Yup, it’s her all right, he murmured under his breath.

‘Her?’ Morgan questioned uncertainly. Just what was Fredericks getting at? His partner was known to be quirky on occasion, but this was downright weird.

Your cousin’s wife, Frederick answered, handing the photograph back to Morgan. You’d better brace yourself, he warned. I think something’s wrong.

Definitely weird, Morgan decided. You know, for a detective with the Aurora Police Force, sometimes you can be as clear as mud. What the hell are you talking about, Fredericks? he demanded.

Fredericks pressed his lips together, making them almost disappear altogether. She just came in asking for you.

"Who came in asking for me?" He was barely able to keep from shouting the question.

And then, before Fredericks could make another attempt to explain himself, Morgan suddenly had his answer. Finn’s wife had just come walking into the squad room and now appeared to be heading straight for him.

He had only met Nik a handful of times, one of which was at the actual wedding. He had no idea why she would be back from her honeymoon so soon but by the expression on her face, something was definitely wrong. Not only that, but out of all the Cavanaughs who were available in this building, why would she be coming to see him? If there was some sort of a problem going on, he would have thought that Uncle Andrew, the former police chief of Aurora and the real family patriarch, would be the one the newlywed would be more inclined to turn to, especially since she had been instrumental in helping to bring Andrew’s father, Seamus, around after a mugging had thrown the older man into a depressed tailspin.

Morgan rose from his chair just as his new cousin-in-law reached his desk. A dozen questions went through his head, none of which he felt were his place to ask. But still, maybe he could. After all, she had sought him out, he reasoned. He wasn’t the one who had come to her.

I take it you’re Morgan Cavanaugh, the woman said to him just as she reached his desk.

Morgan gave her a bemused look. Granted, she had met a great many Cavanaughs on her wedding day, even more than she had initially met at Uncle Andrew’s party on that first occasion. He knew that kind of thing could be very confusing for some people, what with trying to keep all those names straight, not to mention remembering who was married to whom. There was a time when he had gotten confused himself and he was family, although, at the time, that had been a huge revelation, finding himself related to such a huge family.

He smiled at the shapely blonde. We met at Uncle Andrew’s party, he reminded her.

She surprised him by firmly shaking her head and denying his assumption. No, we didn’t, she told him.

Morgan opened his mouth, about to tell her that she was the one who was making the mistake, but then he closed it again. He wasn’t about to argue with her and get off on the wrong foot with this newest family member, so he just let her statement go.

Instead, he decided to try another approach. Where’s Finn?

Still with my sister would be my guess, Krys answered.

Your sister, Morgan repeated, feeling as if he had suddenly, without any warning, somehow slipped into an alternate universe.

As far as he knew, from what Finn had told him, his new Mrs. had no family. Certainly none had come to the wedding. Having a family was part of the appeal of marrying into the Cavanaughs. They had family members to spare coming out of the woodwork in all directions, he thought with a smile.

Yes, Krys said slowly, wondering if she had ultimately made a mistake by coming here. My sister, she repeated.

But someone had taken a shot at her and that was a police matter, although, after that one attempt, there hadn’t been any further ones made on her life.

Maybe she was overreacting, Krys thought. She usually had nerves of steel, but this had really rattled her rather badly. But rattled or not, she was used to doing things on her own. Maybe she could trace this back to the source instead of asking for help. Still, if she were being honest, she had to admit that this attempt on her life had made her feel rather vulnerable.

What had prompted her to come here, seeking Morgan’s help, was that Nik had mentioned Morgan to her by name during one of their lengthy phone conversations just before the wedding. The fact that he was a detective assigned to the Major Crimes Division was a plus, and it was what had made her think that Morgan might be the right one to get a handle on this.

---

Are you saying that my cousin is cheating on you? Morgan asked her, stunned. In his opinion, Finn was as straight an arrow as had ever walked the earth. His cousin was totally incapable of cheating. Morgan would have bet his life on that.

On me? Krys questioned, confused. Why would he be cheating on me? And then it suddenly hit her. She realized what Morgan had to be thinking. She had gotten so caught up in this thing that was happening to her, she had completely forgotten that other than an inch difference in height—she being the shorter one—she and Nik were totally identical.

Oh, wait, Krys cried. I need to explain something to you first.

Morgan could see Fredericks out of the corner of his eye. His partner was totally hanging on every single word that was being said, clearly fascinated with his cousin’s wife.

Go ahead, Morgan urged, crossing his arms before his hard, rather well-sculpted chest and waiting to hear what this extremely attractive, squirrelly woman had come here to tell him—especially since she was insisting that she and he hadn’t met yet—which they definitely had.

I’m Nik’s twin sister, she told Morgan, hoping that would settle the matter.

It didn’t.

He stared at her. You’re her twin sister.

This was the first he had heard of a sister, much less a twin sister, and he was willing to bet that he wasn’t the only one in the family who had never heard about Nik’s so-called twin.

Morgan found himself feeling sorry for his cousin. Finn had obviously married a beautiful but slightly delusional woman—or worse. He recalled that Finn had said something about his wife being an insurance investigator. Maybe she fancied herself a CIA agent or something along those lines.

Well, whatever the case, Morgan was willing to step up and help his cousin get help for his new wife any way he could.

Yes, Krys confirmed patiently. She could see that he wasn’t convinced. She reached into her back pocket and took out her wallet. Flipping it open to her driver’s license, she held it up in front of the detective for his perusal. Her twin sister. Krystyna Kowalski, she introduced herself. We were born five minutes apart. I’m older, she added, anticipating his next question.

Why weren’t you at your sister’s wedding? he asked. Or can’t the two of you be in the same place at the same time?

Very funny, she thought sarcastically.

Instead of answering Morgan’s question, she opened her wallet again and looked through the different compartments. Finding what she was searching for, Krys took it out and held the photograph up to him now.

It was a picture of the two of them, Nik and herself, taken almost twenty years ago.

"See, we can be in the same place at the same time, she told him with a deliberately cheerful expression. The problem is that we haven’t had the occasion to be in the same place at the same time these last few years. Nik works for an insurance company while I do freelance work as an investigative journalist. My work takes me out of the state on a regular basis. Her point made, she did smile at him this time. Different but the same, she told him. Krys’s eyes met his. So, do you need any further proof?"

No, this’ll do it for me, he told her. Morgan paused for a second, thinking, then went on to say, I do have one more question for you.

Krys braced herself. This was for Nik, she told herself. That was also the reason she had sought Morgan out, looking for help. Because of Nik. Because what had happened to her made her afraid that whoever had done this might go after Nik by mistake.

Go ahead, she told him patiently. What is it you want to ask?

Why weren’t you at your sister’s wedding? After a beat, Morgan added, I’m just curious since according to you, the two of you are so close.

It’s not according to me, Krys corrected, taking offense at his implication. It’s a fact. And although it isn’t really any of your business, I wasn’t at the wedding because I was sitting at a sick friend’s bedside.

Morgan raised an eyebrow. Your significant other?

No, she told him almost grudgingly. My mentor. Before Morgan could ask, she volunteered the information. He had no family of his own and I didn’t want him to have to die alone.

Morgan found himself slightly embarrassed and applauding her sentiment. Oh.

Krys eyed him, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Any more questions?

No, not right now, he replied in a voice that was totally free of any emotion. The truth of it was, he felt like an idiot for having barged into where he had no place being.

Taking in a deep breath, Morgan decided to start over. So tell me, what brings you here—specifically to Major Crimes as well as to me?

I came to you, she told him, because I thought you might be able to help me.

He felt as if he was inching his way across a thin layer of quicksand, about to sink in and go under at any second. Help you do what?

Help me find whoever it is who’s trying to kill me and why, she told him without any fanfare.

Morgan stared at her. It took a second for her words to sink in.

There was nothing run-of-the-mill about this woman, he couldn’t help thinking. Maybe you better start from the beginning, he suggested.

Maybe I should, Krys agreed. Aware that the man who had brought her in here was still hovering around, straining to overhear what she was saying to Morgan, she tactfully asked the detective, Is there someplace where we can go to talk?

Chapter 2

His curiosity officially aroused, Morgan rose to his feet. Why don’t we go to the conference room? It’s bound to be quieter there than it is in here.

That sounds good to me, Krys replied with a nod. Lead the way.

Fredericks snapped to attention the moment he saw his partner and the woman beginning

Reviews for Cavanaugh in Plain Sight

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good book. In the previous book, Cavanaugh Stakeout, we met Nik Kowalski, an insurance investigator whose search for a missing person landed her in the middle of a serial killer case. She met and married Finn Cavanaugh and is now away on her honeymoon. Her twin sister, Krys, was unable to make the wedding, leaving most of the Cavanaugh clan unaware that Nik has an identical twin.Krys is an investigative journalist with a reputation for tenacity. As the story opens, someone has just taken a shot at her. She immediately heads for the police department and asks for Morgan. The meeting doesn't start well. Morgan doesn't believe Krys is who she says she is until she provides proof. Then he is skeptical of her claim of being shot at, again requiring evidence. I didn't blame Krys at all for being irritated with him. He becomes fully convinced when Krys is almost the victim of a hit-and-run attack.I loved seeing the relationship between Morgan and Krys build. There are sparks between them from the start, though the bickering between them somewhat hides them. Krys is stubbornly independent and doesn't react well to Morgan's restrictions on her activities. Morgan can be charming when he wants to be, but he is also very protective. It was fun to watch the push and pull between them as they work out how to keep Krys safe while still letting her do her job.Meanwhile, the attraction between Morgan and Krys grows until they can no longer resist it. I loved seeing them both embrace it rather than fight it once it happened. They still have some run-ins over Morgan's protectiveness, which creates a big problem near the end of the book. Now all they had to do was let go of their fears of rejection and admit how they felt. I did get a little bit of a chuckle out of her hint to him.The suspense of the story was intense at the beginning, with the two attacks on Krys. After that, it seemed to be more mental as she and Morgan tackled her interviews and tried to figure out which of the people she's angered wants to kill her. Some unexpected twists create more questions than answers. However, I began to suspect the truth shortly before the final confrontation. I did want to shake Krys for her boneheaded move and thought she was fortunate that she wasn't as alone as she thought she was.One of the things that was very fun about this book was the confusion Krys created with her presence. I laughed out loud at the way everyone mistook her for Nik. I loved how she was immediately considered part of the family, something that she found somewhat overwhelming. Both she and Morgan took a little while to appreciate each other's family experiences. I enjoyed how Morgan enlisted Uncle Andrew in making her feel welcome. The epilogue was terrific as Krys finally feels she has come home.