Read Online Deadly Affair: SCVC Taskforce World Novella (SCVC Taskforce Romantic Suspense Series Book 5) by Misty Evans, Amy Manemann - Free Book Online

when she said she would have done something differently. The sorrow in her voice sounded too real to be faked, but he’d spent time with some pretty convincing criminals. “Do the Verdonis still live in the area?”
    Elizabeth fidgeted with her glasses, wiping away the tears. “Roberto resides in the Verdoni family home at the top of Cherry Hill.”
    “What about Meredith?” Celina asked.
    “After Ana disappeared…” Voice clogged with emotion, Elizabeth paused to clear it. “Meredith fell apart. The doctors said her mind fractured under the stress of losing her only child. Roberto had her committed to Peaceful Meadows, a hospital for mentally ill patients. She’s happy there from what I hear. I probably would be, too, if it meant getting away from that man.”
    The librarian reached for the door handle. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve left my post for too long already. I wish you luck with whatever it is you’re searching for.”

    Back in the truck, Celina pulled up the navigation system, searching for Cherry Hill. “Well…that was depressing.”
    Cooper’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his mind turning over the conversation. Something about it bothered him. Okay, a lot of somethings were bothering him. Like the entire thing. “Do you think she was telling the truth?”
    Celina glanced up from the nav screen. “I don’t think she was faking her emotions, if that’s what you’re asking. As to the whole story…I’m not sure. Ana trusted her tutor but not her own friends with the fact she was in love? Elizabeth let her ward go off into the woods without supervision?”
    “The girl was eighteen at the time. A very sheltered eighteen from what we’ve gathered, but still…”
    “Would you have enabled an eighteen year old girl to meet a man in secret, regardless that he was a monk? It doesn’t seem right.”
    It sure as shit didn’t. “If he was seducing the girl and keeping it all a secret from his brothers at the Abbey and her family, he was capable of doing other shit too.”
    “Like murdering her when he found out she was pregnant with his child?” Celina looked revolted. “It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around it, and I’ve been an agent for long enough to know worse things have happened in the world.”
    It was gruesome. Not what you wanted to believe a man of God would be capable of. “Let’s pay a visit to Roberto, and while we do, I’ll have Ronni take a closer look at Elizabeth Waters to see if anything pops up. We’re also going to talk to Father Bailey again. He knows more than he’s telling us, and I’ll bet dollars to donuts, he knows who was involved.”
    “Who are you laying bets on at this point? Roberto or the monk?”
    Digging out his phone, Cooper sent a text off to Ronni. “Roberto, of course. If Elizabeth is to be believed, the man has a temper and a large streak of violence in him.”
    Celina opened her mouth to speak, but the loud grumble from her stomach stopped her. Squinting at the clock on the dashboard, Cooper noted the time. Two o’clock already? Had they really been in the library for four hours?
    “Guess we missed lunch,” he grinned, enjoying the flood of color that rose to her lovely cheeks. “Before we hit up Verdoni, what do you say about grabbing something to eat at one of the cafés downtown?”
    Celina’s stomach grumbled again, and she laughed. “I’d say that’s the best idea you’ve had all day, Harris.”
    They ended up grabbing sandwiches at the Blue Rose Bistro, a small café serving soups, sandwiches, and homemade pastries. Since most of the seats at the well-worn, wooden countertop serving as a bar were full, they’d chosen a small table near the back of the room. Despite the crowded room, their table was fairly isolated, giving them the chance to talk discreetly.
    “Pretty busy in here for as late as it is.” Cooper commented, eyes sliding over the crowded room.
    Celina rubbed her stomach. “There’s a festival down