Read Online Killer Listing by Vicki Doudera - Free Book Online Page A

what’s that?”
    “The buyer for the property—the one Kyle hinted at—may be there as well.”
    “So?”
    Helen looked around the restaurant quickly and lowered her voice. “I was thinking you could represent him if he wants to make an offer.”
    “One small problem: I’m not licensed in Florida.”
    Helen shrugged. “We can work on that.”
    Darby took another bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. “Why do I feel there’s something else you’re not telling me?”
    The older woman squirmed in her seat. “Okay, okay.” She let out a sigh. “It’s the buyer. He’s from—well, he’s Asian.”
    Darby sat back in her plastic chair. “Tell me you’re kidding.” She folded her napkin and gave Helen a level look. The older woman shook her head.
    “Afraid not.”
    “You’re playing the Japanese card, Helen Near. That’s totally unfair, not to mention discriminatory.”
    “Come on, it’s no different than wearing a designer suit or driving a Lexus to impress your clients. It’s tailoring your presentation to fit the customer, that’s all.”
    “You call choosing an agent to accompany you based on her race the same as picking out a skirt and jacket? It’s profiling, that’s what it is.”
    “Obviously I want you along for more reasons than your ethnicity,” huffed Helen. “It’s just that—”
    “I get it.” Darby toyed with her grouper sandwich as if deep in thought, keeping her companion waiting for several seconds. She wasn’t really annoyed, but it had been entertaining to watch Helen think about the implications of her words. Finally, she blew air out of her mouth as if arriving at a tough decision.
    “I’ll tell you what. I’ll check with my office assistant back in California. If he can handle things without me for a few more days, I’ll change my flight and keep working on my Florida tan.”
    Helen clapped her hands. “We’re going to make a pile of money, Darby Farr. You just wait and see.” She took a swig of beer and smiled. “Fifty acres. Three pools! Oh, I absolutely cannot wait.”
    _____
    Jack Cameron sat on the floor of the storeroom, his back against the door and his head in his hands. Restaurant supplies—canned and paper goods, jars of tartar sauce, rolls of aluminum foil, boxes of bagged potato chips—were stacked on shelves around him, and his knees were up against a large plastic container of mayonnaise. There was scarcely room for anything else in the cramped space, which truthfully was little more than a glorified closet. Overhead the fluorescent light buzzed, a steady drone that seemed to Jack like a drill honing in on his skull.
    Kyle would not leave his thoughts, would not stop laughing at him. He pushed his thumbs into his temples trying to make her disappear, but she was there, her head thrown back, laughing at him so hard tears were running down her face. “I know about Belle Haven,” she was saying, her voice high, singsong-y, like a girl doing jump rope. Jack wanted to scream at her to stop, to leave him alone, but he knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
    She was dead, he knew that, he’d seen her lifeless body, but she was the type of evil spirit that would not disappear. Mabuya . A spectre that never left, that would haunt his soul until he joined her in the underworld.
    Kyle had once been pure and good. They had enjoyed an innocent love, a desire to live a simple life, raise a family, run a business. But she had changed—rotted like a peach left too long in the sun, and it was her career that was to blame.
    Jack heard a movement outside of the storeroom. It was only a matter of time before one of the wait staff tried the door, and then he’d have some explaining to do. He rose slowly and blinked a few times. Acting normal was the key. No more crazy Jack if his plan was to succeed.
    He opened the door to the storeroom. Stepping cautiously into the hallway, he hoped the voice in his head had finally stopped, until he heard a high-pitched