Read Online Homicide! (Parker & Knight Book 2) by Donald Wells - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Donald Wells
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parked in front of Heather’s house and spotted her car.
When she answered the door, she let him in, but then gave him a subdued smile and asked him why he was there.
“I’ve come to see you of course,”
Heather folded her arms over her chest.
“I have a friend who is a waitress at the diner. She told me that she saw you having breakfast with your ex-wife. Is there something you want to tell me, Rick?”
“It wasn’t a date, Heather. It actually involved the case. The man she’s seeing has given Nico Umbria an alibi, and I was warning her not to get involved.”
“Is that why she kissed you?”
Parker grinned. “You’re actually jealous?”
Heather unfolded her arms and gazed up at him with a pleading look.
“This isn’t funny, and I have to know that I can trust you.”
Parker opened his arms.
“Come here,”
Heather hugged him and he spoke to her.
“You can trust me. I know what it’s like to be betrayed and I would never hurt you. Rachel did kiss me before she sat down, but she left in a huff because I tried to warn her that she was heading for trouble.”
“But now that she’s part of the case you’ll be seeing more of her, no?”
“No, because now that she’s a part of the case I can’t continue to work on it. I’ve been reassigned.”
“So your off the case, how does that affect us?”
Parker smiled, lowered his head, and kissed her,
“Does that answer your question?”
Heather let out a squeal.
“I want to go on a date, our first date. What time do you get off today?”
“I’m free all day.”
She turned and stared at a coffee table full of textbooks.
“I’m supposed to be studying for a test, but I guess I could study late tonight instead.”
Parker shook his head.
“No. You keep studying and I’ll come back at six and pick you up. How does dinner and a movie sound?”
Heather grinned. “It sounds great.”
After they talked a little longer, Heather walked him out to his car.
As he started the engine, she leaned in and gave him a kiss.
“I can’t wait until tonight.”
“Me too, and why don’t we go to Philly? I know a lot of good restaurants there.”
“That sounds good.”
Parker drove home, feeling happier than he had in a long time, and although he was off the case, he couldn’t stop thinking about it, and his mind turned to the meeting scheduled that night at Nathanial Taggart’s home.
Was the old man willing to back down to Hearn’s pressure, or were things going to escalate? He let those thoughts go and returned his mind to Heather Jones.
“Our first date,” he whispered to himself, and then smiled.
Life was good.
10
“L ife is shit, boy; don’t you know that by now?”
Patrick Taggart looked down at the scowling face of his aged grandfather.
“It doesn’t have to be shit. There’s a whole world out there besides this little town, and I can’t believe that Tim Hearn is giving us so much grief over a bar.”
“Hearn thinks I’m so old that I’m done, and he knows you have no backbone, so why not move in and take things over?”
Patrick sank into a chair and checked his watch; it was eight o’clock.
“Tim should be here any minute and then we’ll hash out a sale price.”
His grandfather rolled the wheelchair closer and stared at him in disgust.
“Do you really think I’m selling that weasel my bar?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Hell no!”
“Well then, why have the meeting?”
The old man’s gaped-tooth grin was cagey.
“You’ll find out, and when he gets here, you answer it. I sent Margaret off to her sister’s for a few days.”
“Why did you do that?”
The bell at the gates rang and the old man nodded.
“Let our guest in, and let’s get this show on the road.”
***
W hen Patrick returned with Nico, the old man pointed at him.
“Who the hell are you?”
“My name is Nico Umbria.”
“Umbria is Italian. You ain’t no Italian,”
“My father was Italian, and my mother was Cuban, but
When she answered the door, she let him in, but then gave him a subdued smile and asked him why he was there.
“I’ve come to see you of course,”
Heather folded her arms over her chest.
“I have a friend who is a waitress at the diner. She told me that she saw you having breakfast with your ex-wife. Is there something you want to tell me, Rick?”
“It wasn’t a date, Heather. It actually involved the case. The man she’s seeing has given Nico Umbria an alibi, and I was warning her not to get involved.”
“Is that why she kissed you?”
Parker grinned. “You’re actually jealous?”
Heather unfolded her arms and gazed up at him with a pleading look.
“This isn’t funny, and I have to know that I can trust you.”
Parker opened his arms.
“Come here,”
Heather hugged him and he spoke to her.
“You can trust me. I know what it’s like to be betrayed and I would never hurt you. Rachel did kiss me before she sat down, but she left in a huff because I tried to warn her that she was heading for trouble.”
“But now that she’s part of the case you’ll be seeing more of her, no?”
“No, because now that she’s a part of the case I can’t continue to work on it. I’ve been reassigned.”
“So your off the case, how does that affect us?”
Parker smiled, lowered his head, and kissed her,
“Does that answer your question?”
Heather let out a squeal.
“I want to go on a date, our first date. What time do you get off today?”
“I’m free all day.”
She turned and stared at a coffee table full of textbooks.
“I’m supposed to be studying for a test, but I guess I could study late tonight instead.”
Parker shook his head.
“No. You keep studying and I’ll come back at six and pick you up. How does dinner and a movie sound?”
Heather grinned. “It sounds great.”
After they talked a little longer, Heather walked him out to his car.
As he started the engine, she leaned in and gave him a kiss.
“I can’t wait until tonight.”
“Me too, and why don’t we go to Philly? I know a lot of good restaurants there.”
“That sounds good.”
Parker drove home, feeling happier than he had in a long time, and although he was off the case, he couldn’t stop thinking about it, and his mind turned to the meeting scheduled that night at Nathanial Taggart’s home.
Was the old man willing to back down to Hearn’s pressure, or were things going to escalate? He let those thoughts go and returned his mind to Heather Jones.
“Our first date,” he whispered to himself, and then smiled.
Life was good.
10
“L ife is shit, boy; don’t you know that by now?”
Patrick Taggart looked down at the scowling face of his aged grandfather.
“It doesn’t have to be shit. There’s a whole world out there besides this little town, and I can’t believe that Tim Hearn is giving us so much grief over a bar.”
“Hearn thinks I’m so old that I’m done, and he knows you have no backbone, so why not move in and take things over?”
Patrick sank into a chair and checked his watch; it was eight o’clock.
“Tim should be here any minute and then we’ll hash out a sale price.”
His grandfather rolled the wheelchair closer and stared at him in disgust.
“Do you really think I’m selling that weasel my bar?”
“Aren’t you?”
“Hell no!”
“Well then, why have the meeting?”
The old man’s gaped-tooth grin was cagey.
“You’ll find out, and when he gets here, you answer it. I sent Margaret off to her sister’s for a few days.”
“Why did you do that?”
The bell at the gates rang and the old man nodded.
“Let our guest in, and let’s get this show on the road.”
***
W hen Patrick returned with Nico, the old man pointed at him.
“Who the hell are you?”
“My name is Nico Umbria.”
“Umbria is Italian. You ain’t no Italian,”
“My father was Italian, and my mother was Cuban, but
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