Read Online Seven Days Grace (A Grace Rose Novel Book 1) by Kellie Merriman - Free Book Online

tricks on her because she also sensed he was behind something sinister. She didn ’ t know what to think. It was only facts she had to rely on to help her understand more about this Minister. So she delved into her exploration of the cold , hard truths.
    ‘ Grace? ’ Nick whispered closely into her ear and she whacked her knee hard on the underside of her desk.
    ‘ Ouch. Far out , Nick , you ’ ve shortened my life by five years. What are you doing sneaking around? ’
    ‘ Didn ’ t realise you were so absorbed into checking out the life of Minister Sleen that you couldn ’ t even hear me coming. What did you find out? ’
    ‘ I don ’ t know. I have a small lead , that ’ s all. I haven ’ t found anything yet. ’
    ‘ And you won ’ t. He ’ s cleaner than your reputation and that ’ s saying something. I wouldn ’ t bother if I was you , you won ’ t find anything. ’
    ‘ Who knows what people get up to? ’
    ‘ Oh , I know. He ’ s one of my closest friends. The guy has lived his entire life above and beyond what ’ s good , you ’ d think he was angelic. I ’ m telling you , stay away from Sleen , he ’ s a good guy , the best. ’
    ‘ No-one ’ s that good and I know the types you hang out with. ’
    ‘ Yeah? I ’ m a good guy , too , ya know. ’
    ‘ As good as they come , Nick. Can I get on with work now , please? ’ I need to get back to investigating Sleen.
    ‘ What happened at de Silva ’ s this morning? ’
    ‘ These were his words , ‘ Listen to me carefully. I ’ m guilty. ’ Nothing else. Nick , there ’ s no credibility in it. He was drinking. I saw him swallow a whole glass of liquor in one gulp. And it wasn ’ t his first one for the morning either. I doubt the confession is real and I doubt he ’ ll even remember seeing me. He was erratic. The case is under adjournment so if we print it , he could deny everything. What do we do? ’
    Grace noted that Nick actually took a moment to consider her words.
    ‘ Let me think on it for a while. We ’ ll have to be careful with this one. Sit tight and I ’ ll get back to you. I don ’ t want us looking like a tabloid. Are you the only one he spoke to today? ’
    ‘ Apparently. It ’ s strange. Why me? ’
    ‘ Perhaps he likes a pretty face ,’ Nick said.
    Grace dropped her head and sighed with disappointment. Nick was almost acting normal then he ruined it. Grace ignored his backhanded compliment. ‘ He said something weird when I left. He said , ‘ I ’ ll see you on the other side ’ . I have no idea what he meant. ’
    ‘ We ’ re journalists , Grace. People tell us weird stuff. After many years , I ’ ve come to realise it usually means nothing. Don ’ t read too much into it. In the meantime , see if you can corroborate his story with his lawyer. And lastly , back off from Sleen. ’
    ‘ If he ’ s such a good guy , how come he ’ s one of your closest friends? ’ She muttered under her breath. She ’ d had enough of Nick today.
    ‘ I heard that ,’ he said over her shoulder , reappearing again.
    ‘ What is it with you? Get your superhero hearing outta here , I have work to do. ’
    ‘ Touchy. ’
    Grace was grateful he walked off. She opened a new window and Googled Minister Crow. Links to stories came up and she clicked the first one. It was a news story from another newspaper which stated the death of Mr Crow had been the result of a car accident. It described some details about how his brakes failed and his car plunged over a cliff on the south coast. He had been on his way home after a week of government meetings in the nation ’ s capital. As he drove a restored vintage car , no-one was surprised a vehicle of its age would have mechanical problems , therefore , initial thoughts the brakes were tampered with were dismissed. Case closed.
    Minister Sleen ’ s portfolio plans were more controversial than Crow ’ s plans. Reports showed he planned to funnel more money into desalination water