Read Online Bitter Sweets by G. A. McKevett - Free Book Online

pounds...oh, God... .”

    “Is it him?” Dirk placed strong, warm hands on her shoulders. But, rather than imparting comfort, as he obviously intended, the intimate gesture nearly made her burst into tears of fear and anger.

    “That son of a bitch. He dyed his hair and cut it short.”

    “And his eyes?”

    “Colored contacts, I’ll bet.”

    “But you said he was fat.”

    “He was. But apparently he lost the weight. Fast. That’s probably why he looked so haggard and run-down. This picture was taken less than a year ago, and he’s about 160 pounds now.”

    “Wow, you’ll have to find out what kind of a diet he was on,” Dirk replied.

    “Shut up,” she snapped. “Your timing stinks and you aren’t funny.”

    Instead of verbal retaliation, he continued to rub her shoulders. “You didn’t know, Van,” he said softly.

    “That doesn’t matter,” she said, jumping up from the chair and throwing the switch on the computer. “I should have known.”

    She headed for the door.

    “Where are you going?” Dirk hurried after her.

    “To see Lisa Mallock. To warn her. To tell her she was wrong about trusting me. In this world you can’t trust anybody. Not even yourself.” Tears flooded her eyes as she strode down the hallway and out the back door of the station. “Dammit,” she muttered as she got into the Camaro and peeled out of the parking lot, leaving Dirk standing alone and looking concerned on the station steps. “I should have known. I’m sorry, Lisa .. . Christy. Dammit, I’m so sorry.”

    CHAPTER FIVE

    When Savannah had left the police station, she had fully intended to drive straight to Lisa Mallock’s home, ring the bell, and warn her about a possible contact from her exhusband. But after arriving at the address, Savannah checked her watch and realized it was only five-thirty in the morning.

    Lisa would be distressed enough about the information, without being summoned out of bed to receive the news.

    Sitting in the Camaro, Savannah studied the surrounding parking lot, play area, and laundry room. No one was stirring. All was silent and still. With the first pink and lavender rays of dawn tinting the sky, it seemed hard to believe that anything sinister was likely to happen soon. Seven-thirty , she decided. With a child in the house, she’ll prob’ ably be up and about by then.

    After drinking a cup of coffee or two, Lisa would be fortified, at least a bit, to hear the bad tidings.

    Checking everything once more, Savannah headed home. She intended to spend the next two hours combing the information that she and Tammy had uncovered...or the misinformation, as it had turned out to be. She needed to see what had gone wrong and how she might redeem the situation.

    But another shock greeted her as she hurried up the walkway to her house. At first she thought it was Earl Mallock, standing there on her front porch, partially hidden by the bougainvillea. The red hair, the slender build, were all too familiar.

    But when the man turned toward her and she could see his face, she had an instant idea who her early morning visitor was.

    “I’m sorry for the early hour,” he began, “but-”

    “It’s all right. Let me guess,” she said dryly, holding out her hand to him. “You’re Brian O’Donnell. The real one, that is.”

    He looked genuinely confused as he accepted her hand’ shake. “I beg your pardon?”

    “Your sister’s name is Lisa Mallock, and I’ll just bet you’re looking for her. Right?”

    “How did you know?”

    “Just a lucky guess.” With a tired, defeated sigh she opened her front door. “Come inside, Mr. O’Donnell. It’s about time you and I put our heads together.”

    Savannah offered the man one of the wing chairs in her office, and she sat in the other opposite him. There was no time to mess with coffee, cookies, or Southern hospitality. “Talk about a creepy sense of deja vu ,” she muttered as she stared at the redhaired man across from