Read Online Cloaked in Malice by Annette Blair - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Annette Blair
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I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“That’s because you’ve never been to Florida or California,” I said. “The only missing elements are the palm trees.”
“I love it,” she said.
“Me, too,” I admitted. “I especially love his palette of colors, the shades of teals and blues and bright greens, just like the water in the Florida Keys.” Nick knew that because we’d vacationed there more than once.
Nick barked a laugh. “Maddie loves the colors because she picked them.”
“But Nick picked the Native American theme to go with them,” I said. “And I think the place is gorgeous.”
“Good job, both of you.” Paisley stopped at the entry to Nick’s computer room. “I feel like I’ve stepped into the future.”
“No, you’ve come from the past,” I countered.
“Never tell anyone that you saw this room,” Nick whispered.
She put a hand to her heart. “Why? Is it, like, an FBI secret?”
I elbowed him. “Don’t mind him, Paisley. He thinks he’s funny. Just answer his questions, so he can map our strategy.”
“Why should I answer his questions?”
“Because we need to look into your past.” To find out who killed your father, and maybe your mother. “To find your future,” I admitted. “And I have a sense, because of theway Dolly told me to take care of you, that helping you will help us find her. She reacted strongly to meeting you, and she’s usually pretty mellow.”
Nick clicked the keys on his laptop at a mighty pace, while we watched what he did on the huge flat screen on his wall.
Nick looked up from the computer keys to focus on Paisley. “You told Madeira that you hailed a fisherman to get you off your island.”
“That’s right.”
“Do you remember the name of the boat?”
“The Concertina . I asked him why he named it that, and he said that his father and grandfather used to play one. That’s when I knew I could trust him.”
Nick clicked a few more keys. “Did you ask him his name?”
“We only used first names. He knew me as Paisley and he said to call him Stew.”
“A last name would have helped.” Nick clicked a few more keys, more, then more, and after half a dozen tries, a picture came up on the flat screen.
“I think that’s him.” Paisley said. “Stewart McCreadie, fisherman, it says. That fits.”
A few more clicks of the computer keys and Nick printed a sheet of paper, which he folded and put in his inside jacket pocket.
“Lucky for us, you took time off between cases, Nick. Oh, Paisley, you don’t know this, but Nick is my brother Alex’s FBIpartner, and my brother and his wife, Tricia, are expecting a baby. They wanted some quality time with their toddler, Kelsey, before her sibling arrived. So Nick took the same vacation as Alex. Otherwise, he might be off in Alaska or worse, and unable to help us.”
“You go undercover, Nick?” Paisley asked. “I feel so ‘in the know’ just standing beside you. I feel safe, too.”
“Glad to hear it. Let me get another search going,” he said as he worked those keys like a pro, “so my computer can work while we’re gone, then I’ll buy you two beauties some dinner. We need an early night, since we have to go fishing for a fisherman tomorrow.”
Paisley stilled. “Why?”
“Because I need directions to your island, that’s why, from the man who picked you up there.”
She paled. “I don’t want to go back there.”
I hooked my arm through hers. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll have an ace marksman with us, a lawman. Nothing can go wrong.”
“I’m not afraid, it’s just that I…escaped, and…returning is like stepping back into a trap that I know will break my leg and keep me there forever.”
I jiggled her arm. “We’ll be with you.”
“I’ll protect you,” Nick said, and he showed her the outline of the shoulder holster beneath his jacket.
Weird, he didn’t usually trust strangers with that knowledge, unless he mistrusted her, as I was tempted to, and
“That’s because you’ve never been to Florida or California,” I said. “The only missing elements are the palm trees.”
“I love it,” she said.
“Me, too,” I admitted. “I especially love his palette of colors, the shades of teals and blues and bright greens, just like the water in the Florida Keys.” Nick knew that because we’d vacationed there more than once.
Nick barked a laugh. “Maddie loves the colors because she picked them.”
“But Nick picked the Native American theme to go with them,” I said. “And I think the place is gorgeous.”
“Good job, both of you.” Paisley stopped at the entry to Nick’s computer room. “I feel like I’ve stepped into the future.”
“No, you’ve come from the past,” I countered.
“Never tell anyone that you saw this room,” Nick whispered.
She put a hand to her heart. “Why? Is it, like, an FBI secret?”
I elbowed him. “Don’t mind him, Paisley. He thinks he’s funny. Just answer his questions, so he can map our strategy.”
“Why should I answer his questions?”
“Because we need to look into your past.” To find out who killed your father, and maybe your mother. “To find your future,” I admitted. “And I have a sense, because of theway Dolly told me to take care of you, that helping you will help us find her. She reacted strongly to meeting you, and she’s usually pretty mellow.”
Nick clicked the keys on his laptop at a mighty pace, while we watched what he did on the huge flat screen on his wall.
Nick looked up from the computer keys to focus on Paisley. “You told Madeira that you hailed a fisherman to get you off your island.”
“That’s right.”
“Do you remember the name of the boat?”
“The Concertina . I asked him why he named it that, and he said that his father and grandfather used to play one. That’s when I knew I could trust him.”
Nick clicked a few more keys. “Did you ask him his name?”
“We only used first names. He knew me as Paisley and he said to call him Stew.”
“A last name would have helped.” Nick clicked a few more keys, more, then more, and after half a dozen tries, a picture came up on the flat screen.
“I think that’s him.” Paisley said. “Stewart McCreadie, fisherman, it says. That fits.”
A few more clicks of the computer keys and Nick printed a sheet of paper, which he folded and put in his inside jacket pocket.
“Lucky for us, you took time off between cases, Nick. Oh, Paisley, you don’t know this, but Nick is my brother Alex’s FBIpartner, and my brother and his wife, Tricia, are expecting a baby. They wanted some quality time with their toddler, Kelsey, before her sibling arrived. So Nick took the same vacation as Alex. Otherwise, he might be off in Alaska or worse, and unable to help us.”
“You go undercover, Nick?” Paisley asked. “I feel so ‘in the know’ just standing beside you. I feel safe, too.”
“Glad to hear it. Let me get another search going,” he said as he worked those keys like a pro, “so my computer can work while we’re gone, then I’ll buy you two beauties some dinner. We need an early night, since we have to go fishing for a fisherman tomorrow.”
Paisley stilled. “Why?”
“Because I need directions to your island, that’s why, from the man who picked you up there.”
She paled. “I don’t want to go back there.”
I hooked my arm through hers. “Don’t be afraid. We’ll have an ace marksman with us, a lawman. Nothing can go wrong.”
“I’m not afraid, it’s just that I…escaped, and…returning is like stepping back into a trap that I know will break my leg and keep me there forever.”
I jiggled her arm. “We’ll be with you.”
“I’ll protect you,” Nick said, and he showed her the outline of the shoulder holster beneath his jacket.
Weird, he didn’t usually trust strangers with that knowledge, unless he mistrusted her, as I was tempted to, and
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