Read Online 2 The Dante Connection by Estelle Ryan - Free Book Online

spill potato chips in the bath tub?”
    Colin, the accomplished thief who secretly worked for Interpol, looked flustered. It was amusing to observe.
    “And don’t get me started on the singing. You sing beautifully in the shower. Francine? She sounds like a drunken turkey on heat. It’s terrifying.” He leaned in. Pleading was evident in all his nonverbal cues. “Please, Jenny. Please let me stay with you.”
    The discomfort of Colin mentioning my shower singing and the confusion about an inebriated fowl temporarily derailed my amusement. His distress was genuine. “I don’t like this, but will concede. Just promise that you won’t kick your heels against the wooden floor when you are working at the desk in the guest room. That scuff mark was hard to remove.”
    He smiled. “I promise.”
    “Okay, so when can I speak to Francine?” I needed to find out more about this hacker. My mind was trying to connect something, but there were pieces missing. I hoped that Francine could provide some pieces.
    “Now.”
    “I can’t leave the office now. It is still working hours.”
    Colin was about to contradict me, but was interrupted by the quiet swoosh of the viewing room door. Phillip walked in and studied us for a few moments. His eyes conveyed concern. I wondered if he was worried about me, about Colin’s presence in his prestigious firm or whether he had made the right decision by calling Colin. I didn’t know, but his frown disappeared and his breathing deepened. He pulled the third chair closer and sat down.
    “Genevieve, I hope you don’t mind that I phoned Colin.”
    “I do mind. I didn’t, I don’t need him.”
    “That is not why I phoned him.” He paused. “Okay, it is why I phoned him, but not in the way that you assume. I thought that Colin might be helpful with this case. Manny agrees with me. Manny had to go back to his office, but he said that we should meet tomorrow morning to discuss this case.”
    The increased tension in Colin’s body language was becoming distracting. Something in this conversation was causing him a lot of distress. I looked at him. Few people were comfortable with me studying them as openly as Colin. Even Phillip would flinch at times when I gazed unblinkingly at him. Colin never even shifted in discomfort. He just sat there allowing me to put together what I saw.
    It was that trust that held my tongue. I nodded and turned back to Phillip. “What time tomorrow morning?”
    “Ten o’clock. Will you give a report on what you’ve found on the burglaries then as well?”
    “Sure, I will have a report ready then.” I should be able to add a few interesting things once I had spoken to Francine.
    “Good.” Phillip turned to Colin. “Thank you for coming. I don’t know what is going on between you and Manny, but he does seem to trust you. Genevieve trusts you and that is enough for me. But be careful. I don’t ever want a repeat of what happened last time you were helping on a case.”
    “Neither do I,” Colin said. “My main concern is Jenny’s safety. Has always been. The case, any case, will always come second to that.”
    “That is exactly what I wanted to hear.” Phillip got up and looked down at us. “I’ll leave you kids to have fun. Do what you need to, go where you need to. Let’s close this thing quickly and quietly. Before another rich old lady decides to sue us.”
    Before I could take issue to what he had said, Phillip left the room. Colin’s soft laughter made me glare at him. “What?”
    “You did not like being called a kid.”
    “Of course not. I’m thirty-four years old. Most definitely not a kid. And you are… I don’t know how old you are.” This realisation truly bothered me.
    “I’m thirty-eight. And I would greatly appreciate it if you did not share this information with anyone.”
    “Why not? Surely your age isn’t top secret?” I pulled away from him. “Or are you one of those people who define themselves by the relationship