[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Just hear me out, okay? Bradley pleaded. She wants to follow me through the
process of closing a cold case from start to finish. We took a look at some of
the files together and picked one that is tailor-made for you.
She choked on her tea. For me?
Us, he amended swiftly. It s a case that is ideally suited to your kind of,
uh, observations and insights.
Observations and insights was his politically correct term for the clues she
uncovered with her psychic abilities. After working together for more than a
year he still couldn t bring himself to acknowledge that what she possessed
was a true paranormal talent.
Forget it, she said flatly. I don t want to be in your book.
Why not? he demanded.
For starters, I d lose my anonymity. Oriana isn t New York or LA. I wouldn t
be invisible there. The very last thing I want is for people in town to point
me out on the street and whisper that I hear voices in my head.
It would be great publicity for your business.
Are you kidding? People will say that I m crazy like my aunt. I don t need
that kind of publicity, trust me. I want to be able to shop or attend the
monthly meetings of the Oriana Business Association without worrying about
what folks are whispering behind my back.
Okay, okay, he said, raising a hand, palm out.
Do you know what people here in Shelbyville called my aunt? They said she was
a witch. And some of them really believed it.
Look, I ll talk to Cassidy. Maybe she ll agree to give you another name for
the book.
I m sorry, she said. I ve got a lot going on at the moment. I do not want
to get involved in the book.
It s him, isn t it? The guy in your room this morning.
No, she said coolly.
Bullshit. How long have you known him?
She was getting seriously annoyed, she decided. She flashed her special smile.
Let s see, about sixteen hours.
Sixteen hours?
Give or take an hour. I wasn t watching the clock too closely, to tell you
the truth.
Bradley was dumbfounded. You mean you just met him yesterday and already
you re sleeping with him? Are you crazy?
She paused, the teacup halfway to her mouth, and just looked at him, not
speaking.
I don t believe this, he continued, oblivious to her sudden stillness. You
must be out of your mind.
But then, you ve always wondered about that, haven t you? she asked, keeping
her voice perfectly even.
He frowned. Wondered about what?
Whether or not I was crazy. That s why the thought of going to bed with me
creeped you out, remember?
He grimaced. Damn it, Raine, don t put words in my mouth.
The word creep came out of your mouth, not mine.
Look, you don t hear voices. His mouth thinned. You just think you do. What
you have is a natural gift for observing things at a crime scene that other
people miss, that s all.
I hear voices, Bradley, she said flatly. In some circles that s a working
definition of crazy.
That guy I found you with upstairs
His name is Zack. Zack Jones.
Page 45
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
Jones. You really told him that you hear voices?
Yes.
Bradley looked at her with patent disbelief. And he doesn t have a problem
with that?
Says it turns him on.
Something s wrong with this picture.
Good-bye, Bradley. Good luck with the book.
She hitched her purse over her shoulder and started to rise.
Please. The word sounded as if it had been ground out of him. I need your
help. This book is very important to me. If it works, I ll be able to use it
to leverage myself straight into the chief s office. Hell, maybe I ll go
private.
Good luck, she said, meaning it.
You owe me, he said.
Excuse me?
He leaned a little farther toward her.
I did you a favor a year and a half ago when you came to me with that wild
story about a woman who was kidnapped and murdered by her husband, remember?
he said, his tone low and forceful. Nobody else in the department was willing
to give you the time of day. But I went into the old files and found one that
matched the details you provided. I got the chief to authorize the DNA work. I
tracked down the husband and got the confession.
And you got all the credit for closing the first in the long string of cold
cases that will soon make you famous. I d say we re even, Bradley.
Shit. We should have kept the relationship professional. Why did you try to
make it personal?
She flinched a little and then managed to rally. My mistake. I thought we
were more than colleagues. I thought you understood She broke off. Never
mind. I take full responsibility for the failure to communicate. Now, I ve got
to go. Chief Langdon said the detectives from Portland and Seattle may want to
interview me this morning. As soon as that s over, I m going back to Oriana.
I ve got a business to run.
He reached up and grabbed her wrist. Damn it, Raine, we re a team.
Zack materialized in the doorway. He started toward the table. She could feel
the dangerous vibes from halfway across the room.
She looked pointedly at her captured wrist. I think you d better let me go,
she said quietly. Now.
Bradley finally noticed Zack coming toward him. Hastily he released her. His
expression hardened.
Wise up, Raine, he said. I don t care if Jones knocked your socks off in
bed. He didn t just appear out of thin air. Whoever he is, he wants something
from you, too, doesn t he? And it isn t just hot, sweaty sex.
That s none of your business.
Bradley was in full interrogation mode now.
I can t believe you met him yesterday, he said. What s his connection to
you?
I guess you could say he s an old friend of the family.
Fifteen
An hour later Zack leaned a shoulder against the inn room wall, folded his
arms and watched Raine place a toiletries kit into her small overnight
suitcase. She had looked different after that conversation in the dining room,
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]