Read Online Beautiful Maids All in a Row by Jennifer Harlow - Free Book Online

no. I’m being hired as a consultant. I’m just going to nose around the scenes, look at the evidence. Give them my two cents’ worth. I’m not rejoining.”
    “Well, good. It’s the last thing in the world you should do.”
    My eyes narrowed. “Why would you say that?”
    “It’s just…you said so yourself. That job nearly got you killed. And if you go back to chasing psychos, who’s to say it won’t happen again?”
    “What happened to me was a fluke. It isn’t something that normally happens to agents. I was just lucky.” I could feel my face getting hot. I didn’t want to yell at Carol, so I took a deep breath to get control. It worked. “I’m grateful you’re worried about me, but there’s no reason to be. I’ll be in the background. Hell, I’ll be lucky to see the outside of the office. I’ll probably just be looking at the personal objects of the victims, talking to people close to them, and muddling through scientific evidence. This guy won’t even know I’m there. I won’t be in any danger.”
    “Does this have anything to do with the guy Roger saw leaving your office? Was it who I think it was?” she asked, more pissed than worried.
    I looked away from Carol, unable to stand her gaze. “He asked for my help, yes. But me going is my idea, not his.”
    “Why? Is it because Roger won’t let you teach this summer? Do you need the money? Because if that’s it, I can always lend ya—”
    “It’s not the money,” I said. Not completely.
    “Then why the hell would you do this to yourself?”
    I paused to find the right words and set Patrick down. “I don’t know. I was just looking at those women, what was left of them, and I knew I had to do something. I knew I
could
do something. I felt like the old me, before…everything. I can’t not go. Can you understand?”
    Carol nodded slowly. “I guess. If you feel you have to do this, then you have my full support.”
    I pulled her petite body into a hug. Her body felt cool against mine. She was stiff, as if unsure what to do. I don’t think I’d ever hugged her before. “Thank you.”
    She lifted up her arms and hugged me back. “No problem,” she chuckled uneasily.
    I heard the car drive up before I saw it. Both Carol and I turned toward the driveway. Luke’s green sedan parked behind Carol’s car and shut off. I quickly grabbed my jacket and put it on. I hadn’t been wearing the damn thing for two hours just to have the effect ruined then. I quickly smoothed my hair—the humidity had wreaked havoc on it in the short time I was outside. Luke stepped out of the car in a dark gray suit minus the jacket, with a white dress shirt on. He looked over at me, puzzled. “Why are you dressed for a funeral?”
    I shot him a quick glare before picking up my suitcases. A small smile crept across Carol’s face. He did look damn fine in a suit. I would forgive her, but Luke was getting the cold shoulder the entire trip. “What the hell took you so long?” I asked as I walked toward him with my suitcases. “I’ve been calling you for over an hour!”
    He unlocked the trunk and opened it. “I’ve spent the past two hours convincing Reggie you’d be less trouble than you’re worth. It was a hard sell.”
    I noticed Luke looking behind me. “Sorry,” I said. “Special Agent Luke Hudson, this is Carol March. Carol, Luke.”
    “We’ve met,” Luke said.
    I looked at Carol for confirmation. “Hayden’s funeral.”
    “Oh. I didn’t know.”
    Of course I didn’t, because I missed my own husband’s funeral. I was still attached to every machine in the hospital after having surgery to repair my colon and remove my ovary. His family just couldn’t wait until I got out over two weeks later. I missed saying goodbye to my husband because his family was impatient. That was just one of the many reasons I never spoke to any of them save for Carol. She’d had no hand in the decision.
    “I wish I could say it was nice to see you again, but