Read Online 9 Hell on Wheels by Sue Ann Jaffarian - Free Book Online Page B

ribs and his eye, I was guessing only Steele’s left side was exposed to his attackers, like he was on the ground on his right side when hit or leaning one side against something to protect it.
    “Tell me what’s going on with your friend Rocky.”
    “Rocky?” The question surprised me.
    “They mentioned something on the local news today about new developments but didn’t say much beyond a suspect being released.”
    “Rocky is who Greg and I are meeting tonight. He was released last night after they discovered Peter Tanaka wasn’t killed by the beating.”
    “What killed him?”
    “They told Rocky it was poison—something in his water bottle.”
    “Really?” Steele sat up straighter in his chair. “Do they know what kind?”
    “Maybe cyanide. They’re not completely sure yet.” I moved the heavy file from my lap onto the sofa beside me and turned to Steele. “Why the interest?”
    He shrugged. “Because I’m already bored out of my mind, and I find it interesting.” He gave me a lopsided smile, which considering his swollen mouth made him look like a happy gargoyle. “Has his wife shown up yet?”
    I shook my head. “No, but now she’s the main suspect. Her prints were found on the water bottle. I think Rocky wants me and Greg to poke around and try to figure out what’s going on. He’s sure his wife didn’t kill Peter.”
    Steele was quiet for a moment, then said, “So what can I do to help?”
    “You?” The surprise in my voice was almost a yelp. “Don’t you think you have your hands full right now just trying to get well and handle your law practice from home? And what about your car? Shouldn’t you be knee deep in insurance crap about that?”
    “Relax, Grey. I called the insurance company today, and since it will be a few days before I can drive, there’s no sense in my looking for another vehicle. And we’re not terribly busy at the office right now. You know that.” He swallowed, and I could see talking was hurting his mouth. But did it stop him? No.
    Steele took a drink from a water bottle he picked up from the end table. It was one of those squeeze types runners use. He squirted the water directly into his mouth, without touching his injured lips, and swallowed slowly. “There must be something I can do to help you and Greg. I can make calls, do some research. I need something to keep my mind occupied.”
    “How about—oh, let’s just suggest something silly here—the practice of law?”
    “Listen, Grey, before yesterday I worked out in the gym an hour and a half, sometimes two hours a day. It’s going to be a while before I can do much of anything like that again, but I can’t fill all my time with my job.”
    “Take up needlepoint,” I suggested.
    He stared at me. It was his cut-the-bullshit-and-quit-wasting-my-time stare. I saw it often at the office.
    “Listen, Steele, I don’t know what Rocky is going to want us to do—not really. We might have to help find his wife or look into her relationship with Peter. Or see what Peter was up to behind the scenes.”
    Instead of responding, Steele pulled out some papers that were under his iPad on the table. He handed them to me. After giving them a quick scan, I looked over at Steele with surprise. “What’s this?”
    “That, Grey, is a criminal background report on Peter Tanaka. Your brother and the felonious Willie Proctor aren’t the only ones with connections.”
    Willie Proctor is a friend who mostly stays in the shadows. He’s on the run from the police because he scammed a lot of people out of their hard-earned cash years ago. He paid the money back eventually, but the charges are still hanging over his head. He also has a lot of underworld connections that Greg and I have found useful, even life-saving, on several occasions. My brother, Clark, a retired cop, works for him in his legal entities, or at least that’s the story we’re told. We don’t want to know more, for obvious reasons.
    “Connections, my