Read Online Sand Witches in the Hamptons (9781101597385) by Celia Jerome - Free Book Online Page A

That’s why he called me. And I want to look at the emails and notes myself.”
    â€œVan’s men are looking into them.”
    â€œMy guys can go places the cops can’t. Or the Feebies, for that matter.”
    Lou and DUE could break any law they wanted, or make up their own. That’s why Lou scared me to death, no matter how many people told me he’d been my bodyguard, watching over me for months. Like now, when he pushed right past me without an invitation to come in. At least he left the rat outside the door.
    So I made copies of the emails and gave him the note that came with the flowers and explained how Deni’d used my own drawings to send her nasty messages.
    â€œI don’t suppose you’d let me take the whole computer to my cyber department, would you?”
    â€œWith all my notes and sketches and drawing programs? No way.”
    â€œAll right, don’t get bent out of shape. We’ll take it to Russ at the Harbor. He’s as good as my guys anyway.”
    â€œBetter.”
    â€œYeah, he’s got cyberpsi talent like we’ve never seen. They tried to get him to London, too.”
    I knew by the “too” he meant me. I refused to go get indoctrinated or whatever they did at the secret Royce. I might have been more prepared for all the woo-woo stuff, but I’d have been their puppet, not myself. Then it occurred to me: “What do you mean,
we’ll
take it to Russ?”
    â€œEverything centers there lately, and it’s too dangerous for you in the city until we get rid of these threats. So you’ll leave after Van brings the pizza. I’ll get there tomorrow, once I make sure no one follows you. Are you packed?”
    He had to have noticed the suitcase out, and Little Red’s traveling case by the front door. “Van said he’d drop me at the bus stop in the morning and see that I got on okay.”
    â€œThat’s not soon enough.”
    â€œWell, that’s when it will be. I need to speak to my father in the morning.”
    That got his attention. “What did he say?”
    â€œA friend needs a favor. Oh, you mean what did he foresee? He smelled a rat, but he heard an Irish tenor, and a horse.”
    Lou rubbed his chin, all stubbly today in keeping with his rough appearance, not that he needed a scruffy beard to look menacing. “An Irish singer and a horse, huh? Not much to go on, is it?”
    â€œIt never is.”
    â€œBut he felt a threat?”
    â€œI guess.”
    â€œAnd he nailed the rat.”
    â€œThere’s that, even if the thing already arrived. And I couldn’t have done anything about it, no matter when or what I knew.”
    â€œYou could have left Manhattan.”
    â€œI’m leaving as soon as I speak to him. He’s not home now and doesn’t put his cell phone on when he’s on a date, but he said he really needs to talk to me.”
    Lou looked out the window, searching for spies. Then he pulled the curtains closed. What, did he think Deni’d be shooting at me from a roof across the street? “Listen, my father’s warnings are always vague. This time he’s right. That rat will be smelling soon if you don’t take it away.”
    â€œYeah, I’ll get it to the lab, try to figure out what the thing actually died of. See if the techs can guess at a weapon or find fingerprints on the note. Maybe send a sketch artist to Mrs. Abbottini for a better description of the delivery kid. Meantime, I’ll have someone watching the building until you leave with Van in the morning.”
    For a minute I’d been afraid he’d insist on staying, too. “Thanks. That’ll be great.”
    â€œAnd do not go out until then, hear me?” He looked down at the dog, who had one of my shoes in his mouth and was shaking it, pretending the shoe was a dangerous rat. I grabbed my sneaker. If he couldn’t kill it, Little Red would pee on