Read Online Flight from Mayhem by Yasmine Galenorn - Free Book Online

housed on the main floor, though old files were kept upstairs in the archives. To be honest, I hadn’t gone exploring the rest of the building because I felt it really was none of my business.
    Now, as we approached the half door with the frosted window that led into the waiting room, I turned to Bette. “What else is in the building? I know archives and old case files, but this is a huge building and we seem to only take up the main floor.”
    She laughed. “Oh, Alex has a number of secrets,
chérie
 . . .Some of the rooms are empty. Others, well, let’s just say that he keeps what he wants to in them. Don’t go prowling around, though. You might not always like what you find. Even though I will guarantee you there’s nothing illegal on the premises, you just don’t go prying into another person’s secrets without good reason.”
    I frowned, not sure if I liked her answer. But I didn’t have time to think it over because, as we entered the room, we found Alex and Ralph sitting in the waiting room, talking to a lovely young woman. She couldn’t have been more than nineteen, with red hair that was caught back in a braid. She was frowning, biting her lip as Alex and Ralph seemed to be lighting into her for something.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Bette sauntered over.
    The girl glanced up at her, looking grateful to see us. She started to stand, but Alex motioned for her to sit down. He nodded me over to his side and slid his arm around my waist, giving me a quick kiss. I still felt odd about him kissing me in the office, but it wasn’t like we were hiding anything.
    â€œYou’re just in time. Bette, will you start a new file for this young woman? Her name is Lydia Wagner. She’s our newest client.” He gave the girl a look that told me he wasn’t exactly thrilled about the case. “Lydia, this is Shimmer. She’s one of our detectives, and my girlfriend as you might have noticed. And that’s Bette, our receptionist.”
    Lydia murmured a “Nice to meet you” that sounded anything but genuine, and she stared back at the floor. Puzzled, I caught Ralph’s eye, but he just shook his head.
    Bette hustled behind the counter and started a new case file. “Lydia, dear, just come over to the desk and let me get some information from you.”
    Alex cleared his throat. “When you’re done, please send her into the office. Ralph, Shimmer, get your things and join us.” He turned and stomped away. I hadn’t seen him seem so grumpy since . . . well . . . since Glenda had shown up at the party the night before.
    Ralph pushed me into my office and shut the door behind me. “If you haven’t noticed, Alex is in one hell of a mood, and it doesn’t help that we’ve got ourselves a live one. Lydia’s nice, but stupid as all get out. Not unintelligent, just a world-class idiot.”
    I scrambled to get out my iPad, my notebook, and a pen that worked. My office was small, but at least it had a window looking out to the alley that was guarded by reinforced iron bars. Alex had encouraged me to decorate it as I wanted, so I had plastered the walls with pictures of the ocean and seashore, and—most recently—one of Chai and me clowning around down at the docks. I had introduced him to Pike Place Market, and he loved going down there to hang out with the street vendors and performers.
    â€œWhat’s with her? And why’s Alex so grumpy?”
    â€œGlenda sent a message.” He glanced over his shoulder, making certain that the door was still shut. “I was here early, working on some new software for the system, and I heard something in the outer office. I knew the doors were locked, so it had to be someone with a key. Which Glenda apparently still has, because when I got out there, she was just leaving. She snickered and told me to tell Alex she had left him a gift. I