Read Online Diagnosis: Danger by Marie Ferrarella - Free Book Online

Clancy’s killer had temporarily turned her mind into a blank.
    “Sorry.” She took a step back into the kitchen and replaced the chef’s knife where it belonged, then dusted off her hands as she joined Mike.
    “What are you doing here?” he wanted to know.
    He was studying her again. Why? Was he back tothinking she had something to do with Clancy’s death? “Looking for answers.” He didn’t look pleased. “I thought, since this wasn’t a crime scene, it would be all right.”
    She didn’t look as if she’d gotten too much sleep. Tired or not, she still looked a hell of a lot better than two-thirds of the female population. He reminded himself that he was a detective first, a red-blooded male second, but the position was hard to maintain.
    “How do you know it’s not the crime scene?”
    She hated being put on the defensive. It wasn’t a place where she was very comfortable. “Well, Clancy was found in the parking lot behind the gallery, so I just thought—” She stopped abruptly. “You’re right, this could have been where whoever killed him injected Clancy with—what did you say it was?”
    He hadn’t said. But he did now. “Ketamin.” She could admit when she was wrong, he noted. Apparently she had a lot more going for her than killer legs.
    Mike glanced down at the toy he’d stepped on. It was a god-awful turquoise color. He vaguely recalled reading that animals were color-blind. The choice, then, was to please the animal’s owner. He stifled a shiver as he looked around the tiny apartment. “Your friend have a dog or cat?”
    Natalya stooped down and picked up the toy. It was a cartoonish orangutan with extremely long arms. “Cat. Or at least he did. Thaddeus.” Her mouthcurved sadly. “I gave it to him. Thaddeus died three months ago. Someone poisoned him. Clancy had trouble getting over it.”
    Poisoned. A prank? he wondered. Or a warning?
    For now, Mike kept the thought to himself. “Okay, then I don’t have to keep looking over my shoulder, waiting to be bitten or scratched.” He turned to look at her. “You have to go.”
    “I don’t bite or scratch,” she volunteered, then added. “Unless provoked.”
    The sadness had left her smile. It took him a moment to draw his eyes away. Longer to unclench his gut. “I’ll keep that in mind. But this might be a crime scene and you’ve probably disturbed enough as it is.”
    “I watch all the crime shows, I was careful,” she assured him. But he was right, this could be a crime scene. So, with a shrug, Natalya placed the incredibly blue orangutan on the sofa where Clancy had kept it after Thaddeus had been laid to rest. She raised her eyes to Mike’s. The detective was watching her every move. The thought created a very warm shiver down her spine.
    “You’ll call me if you find something?”
    “I’ll call you,” he promised.
    Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Okay.” With that, she made her way to the door. But before she could open it and cross the threshold into the dank hallway, she heard the detective call out her name.
    “Well, that was a little sooner than I expected.” She looked at him over her shoulder, but he’d left the room. His voice sounded as if it was coming from the bedroom.
    Retracing her steps, she found the detective standing before Clancy’s closet. The expression on his handsome face was barely contained frustration. He had put on plastic gloves and one hand was wrapped around the doorknob. From the looks of it, he had tried to open the closet. And failed.
    “The doors are locked,” he told her.
    She’d forgotten about that. “Clancy was a little paranoid,” she told him. Then, in case he thought Clancy eccentric or crazy, she explained, “Happens after you deal with bullies a lot.”
    He nodded, only half hearing her. “Do you know where he kept the key?”
    “No, but I know where I keep mine.” Taking her purse off her shoulder, she pulled out a key.
    Mild surprise crossed his features.