Read Online A Taste of Sin by Jennifer L. Jennings, Vicki Lorist - Free Book Online

there, Emily. We’ll see you in a few hours, okay?”
    “Okay.”
     
    I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen counter to go through a stack of bills. In the divorce, Daniel and I had split everything but the credit cards were still in both of our names. We sold our house and what few investments we’d had.  Since Brian was leaving for college around that time, there were no nasty custody disputes. I couldn’t wait to get the joint credit cards paid off.
    But with my shopping addiction, that didn’t seem likely.
    Carter’s ring tone—the theme song from Mission Impossible— startled me. I set my mug down and grabbed the phone.
    “Hey, Carter. What’s up?”
    “Did you have breakfast yet?”
    “Just coffee. Why?”
    “Can you meet me in twenty minutes?”
    “You have another job for us?”
    “Not exactly,” he said.
    “Could you be a little more ambiguous?”
    “Probably.”
    “Fine, see you soon.”
    I glanced out the kitchen window. A murky sky threatened rain, so I grabbed an umbrella and headed out.
     

Chapter 11
     
     
    When I arrived, Carter was sitting at our usual booth. He looked up from his newspaper and quickly removed his reading glasses. Old school, he still liked the feel of paper in his hands instead of reading on a tablet or phone. I teased him about it whenever I got the chance.
    “You know, if you started reading the newspaper on the Kindle, you could increase the font size and you wouldn’t have to wear those grandpa bifocals.”
    He took a sip from his coffee mug. “I think we might have a small problem.”
    “What kind of problem?”
    Carter leaned in. “I think I’m being followed by a guy in a black Cadillac. Don’t look now, but he’s parked across the street.”
    “Any idea who he is?”
    “I noticed the car for the first time yesterday. He tailed me all over town but I lost him before I got back to my house. When I saw him again this morning, I called a friend and had him run the plates. Car is registered to a Muriel Durgess who’s eighty-six years old.”
    “Did you get a look at the driver?”
    “He wears a baseball cap. Keeps it low on his face. It’s hard to say, but I’m guessing mid-thirties.”
    “So it’s definitely not Muriel.”
    He shook his head. “I figure the Cadillac is either stolen, or he’s borrowing it from his grandmother.”
    I sipped some coffee and took a moment to consider everything. “You must have a plan if you wanted to see me.”
    Carter leaned back and sighed. “I don’t want to pry you away from your other obligations.”
    “You mean Emily Hodges? There’s not much to do until Max installs the surveillance equipment this afternoon.”
    “Good. I have a hunch this guy might try to follow me home. If he does, I’ll lose him again, but I’d like you to tail him to find out where he goes.”
    “Can he see us sitting here together?”
    “I don’t think so. He’s turned in the opposite direction. When we leave, I’ll go out to my car first.”
    “Are you sure this guy is following you. There’s more than one black Cadillac in this town.”
    “Trust me, this guy is up to something.”
    A few minutes later, Carter signaled the waitress for a check. He left a ten-dollar bill on the table, put on his leather jacket, and slid out of the booth. “Call me as soon as you have information,” he said as he walked away.
    “Guess we’re not ordering breakfast,” I mumbled.
    I waited for a full minute, then slid out of the booth. Carter was already in his Buick, stalling as he pretended to read something on his cell phone.
    I got back into my car and waited. Carter drove off; the Cadillac did not. I waited another two minutes before I made the call.
    “He’s just sitting in his car in the same spot,” I told Carter. “He doesn’t look like he’s in a hurry to go anywhere.”
    “Can you see him?”
    “Just his silhouette from behind. Should I approach him?”
    “Don’t bother,” he said.
    “How long do