Fatal Choice — Dorothy Howell

Fatal Choice, a novella, is the final installment in the Dana Mackenzie mystery trilogy. Dana Mackenzie thinks she's doing a good deed by answering best friend Jillian Brown's 3 a.m. call for help -- until she walks into a crime scene. Forced to turn to homicide detective Nick Travis for inside information to clear Jillian's name, Dana realizes that his reluctance to commit to their relationship has reached the breaking point. She makes plans to leave Santa Flores for good. But first she must solve a murder. Will she catch the killer before it's too late? Will she walk away and never see Nick again -- and if she does, will it be another bad choice?