Read Online Suspicious Minds (Squeaky Clean Series, Book 2) by Christy Barritt - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Christy Barritt
Ads: Link
Needless to say, I wouldn't be inviting Sierra up.
The delivery man came with my food. I'd just taken everything out of the bags and pulled down two plates when someone knocked at the door. A freshly showered Riley stood on the other side. His still-wet hair clung to his forehead. I could smell Ivory soap. He smelled so good I could just reach up and-
"Am I too early?" he asked.
I brought my thoughts under control and stepped back. "No, come in. I've been slaving away, trying to get some food ready for you"
"So you called Chang's?"
"How'd you know?"
"I can smell Chinese food. It smells like Chang's."
"You know I'm not much of a cook."
No sooner had we filled our plates and sat down at my dinette, when someone else knocked at the door. Now who?
I opened the door and saw Parker standing there, a dozen roses in his hands.
"Parker"
He kissed my cheek and pushed inside. "Hey, darlin'. I know I said I was going to call, but-" He stopped and stared at Riley. "What's he doing here?"
"Riley helped me out on a job today, so I offered him some dinner"
Riley stood, looking back and forth from Parker to me. Can you say "awkward"? "Why don't I just take my food back to my apartment?"
"No, stay here and eat. I insist" I placed a hand on Riley's shoulder and pushed him back down.
Parker scowled.
"Why don't you join us? Make yourself a plate while I put these roses in some water. They're beautiful" I hurried into the kitchen before Parker could object.
Call me Miss Intuition, but I had the distinct impression that those two men didn't care for each other. But that wasn't my problem. Riley didn't want me, and Parker did. End of story. What was so complicated about that?
The phone rang. I grabbed it and ducked into the kitchen.
"Is this that crime-scene cleaner?" The woman's nasal voice made me cringe. Could I even bear to listen to it for the continuation of this conversation? She was probably calling about a job, which I needed, so I'd have to grin and bear it.
I drew in a breath. "Speaking."
"It's Jamie, Darnell's wife"
Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. Why was her name familiar?
"You know, Elvis ... the man you found dead under that house?"
I straightened. "Oh, Jamie. How are you?"
"Did you talk to any of those suspects I gave you yet?"
She was expecting me to? "Uh . .
"Listen, honey, I need your help. I need you to find my Darnell's killer."
Though excitement washed through me, I kept it under control. "Aren't the police working on it, Jamie?"
"Police-smeesh. I don't trust them one bit. I need you to figure this out for me. Darnell deserves some respect. I want whoever did this to be behind bars. They can fry em for all I care. I just want justice"
"You really want my help?"
"Yeah, I've even got some cash saved up. I'll hire you. You can be like a PI or something, you know?
"I'd be happy to look into it" I felt myself smile, satisfied. Finally, an excuse to get involved. I quickly erased my grin when I saw both Riley and Parker staring at me from the other room. I scooted around the corner, out of sight.
As soon as we hung up, the phone rang again. I was never going to get to eat my moo goo gai pan.
"Hey," a male said on the other line.
"Um ... hello"
The male laughed. "You don't know who this is, do you?"
What's up with people thinking I'm going to recognize their voices? "Nothing gets past you ... whoever you are"
"It's Chad. Chad Davis"
I leaned against the kitchen counter. "Oh, you. How'd you get my number?"
"The Yellow Pages. What do you know-you are the only crime-scene cleaner listed. Until I get my ad in there, at least"
I scowled at the coffee ring on my countertop, pretending it was Chad Davis's face. "Did you call just to antagonize me?"
"Of course not. I just heard on the news that that guy we found was shot"
"Yeah, I heard."
He lowered his voice. "That could have been one of us"
"I know." I shuddered and briefly wondered about the silence I heard in the other room. I could only imagine the
The delivery man came with my food. I'd just taken everything out of the bags and pulled down two plates when someone knocked at the door. A freshly showered Riley stood on the other side. His still-wet hair clung to his forehead. I could smell Ivory soap. He smelled so good I could just reach up and-
"Am I too early?" he asked.
I brought my thoughts under control and stepped back. "No, come in. I've been slaving away, trying to get some food ready for you"
"So you called Chang's?"
"How'd you know?"
"I can smell Chinese food. It smells like Chang's."
"You know I'm not much of a cook."
No sooner had we filled our plates and sat down at my dinette, when someone else knocked at the door. Now who?
I opened the door and saw Parker standing there, a dozen roses in his hands.
"Parker"
He kissed my cheek and pushed inside. "Hey, darlin'. I know I said I was going to call, but-" He stopped and stared at Riley. "What's he doing here?"
"Riley helped me out on a job today, so I offered him some dinner"
Riley stood, looking back and forth from Parker to me. Can you say "awkward"? "Why don't I just take my food back to my apartment?"
"No, stay here and eat. I insist" I placed a hand on Riley's shoulder and pushed him back down.
Parker scowled.
"Why don't you join us? Make yourself a plate while I put these roses in some water. They're beautiful" I hurried into the kitchen before Parker could object.
Call me Miss Intuition, but I had the distinct impression that those two men didn't care for each other. But that wasn't my problem. Riley didn't want me, and Parker did. End of story. What was so complicated about that?
The phone rang. I grabbed it and ducked into the kitchen.
"Is this that crime-scene cleaner?" The woman's nasal voice made me cringe. Could I even bear to listen to it for the continuation of this conversation? She was probably calling about a job, which I needed, so I'd have to grin and bear it.
I drew in a breath. "Speaking."
"It's Jamie, Darnell's wife"
Jamie, Jamie, Jamie. Why was her name familiar?
"You know, Elvis ... the man you found dead under that house?"
I straightened. "Oh, Jamie. How are you?"
"Did you talk to any of those suspects I gave you yet?"
She was expecting me to? "Uh . .
"Listen, honey, I need your help. I need you to find my Darnell's killer."
Though excitement washed through me, I kept it under control. "Aren't the police working on it, Jamie?"
"Police-smeesh. I don't trust them one bit. I need you to figure this out for me. Darnell deserves some respect. I want whoever did this to be behind bars. They can fry em for all I care. I just want justice"
"You really want my help?"
"Yeah, I've even got some cash saved up. I'll hire you. You can be like a PI or something, you know?
"I'd be happy to look into it" I felt myself smile, satisfied. Finally, an excuse to get involved. I quickly erased my grin when I saw both Riley and Parker staring at me from the other room. I scooted around the corner, out of sight.
As soon as we hung up, the phone rang again. I was never going to get to eat my moo goo gai pan.
"Hey," a male said on the other line.
"Um ... hello"
The male laughed. "You don't know who this is, do you?"
What's up with people thinking I'm going to recognize their voices? "Nothing gets past you ... whoever you are"
"It's Chad. Chad Davis"
I leaned against the kitchen counter. "Oh, you. How'd you get my number?"
"The Yellow Pages. What do you know-you are the only crime-scene cleaner listed. Until I get my ad in there, at least"
I scowled at the coffee ring on my countertop, pretending it was Chad Davis's face. "Did you call just to antagonize me?"
"Of course not. I just heard on the news that that guy we found was shot"
"Yeah, I heard."
He lowered his voice. "That could have been one of us"
"I know." I shuddered and briefly wondered about the silence I heard in the other room. I could only imagine the
Similar Books
