Read Online Tell Me by Lisa Jackson - Free Book Online

it.”
    “Trust me, it won’t make it past Morrisette’s desk.”
    He motioned for the check. Once it was paid, they walked together to her car. “Going back to the office?” he asked as she drove him to the station.
    “Working from home, I think. I’ve got to write the O’Henry article for tomorrow and, in the morning, drive to the prison.”
    “She won’t see you,” he said as she slowed for a yellow light two blocks from the police station. “Her attorney won’t allow it.”
    “We’ll see.” As the light changed, she turned onto Habersham and eased around Columbia Square, where water cascaded over the ledges of a central fountain and stately live oaks stood guard over the pathways.
    Slowing, she edged her Honda to the side of the road to let him out.
    He said, “Be careful.”
    “Of what? I’m not going to compromise your case, I swear.” She held up three fingers and mouthed, “Scout’s Honor.”
    “I just don’t like the idea of you at the prison.”
    “I won’t be in any danger.” She saw the doubt in his eyes and loved him even more. He wouldn’t tell her what to do, but he’d worry a bit. “This isn’t a case like the Grave Robber, nor is Atropos at large any longer,” she said, citing the most recent incidents in which a deranged serial killer had stalked the streets of Savannah. “This is a cold case where a woman was charged and convicted of killing her kids. Family members. No one else was hurt.” She paused. “That is, unless you don’t think Blondell O’Henry is guilty?”
    “I haven’t studied the case, but since she was tried and convicted, yeah, I think she did it.” He leaned over and brushed a kiss against her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    Before he could reach for the door handle, she took his face in both her hands and pressed her lips to his. A warmth fired her blood as his tongue touched hers and her bones immediately began to melt.
    “You’re causing trouble,” he whispered into her open mouth.
    “I know.”
    He lifted his head again and winked at her. “Hold that thought, would you? Tomorrow.”
    “Sure, Detective.”
    This time he escaped, opening the door and sliding outside. As he jogged into the old brick building housing the police department, she nosed her way into the flow of cars and headed home. Traffic was thin, and she easily drove past the wrought-iron fence of Colonial Park Cemetery. In the darkness, she caught only a glimpse of the headstones, but even so her skin crawled, reminding her of her ordeal a few years earlier. Glancing into her rearview mirror, where the reflected headlights nearly blinded her, she made her way toward Forsyth Park and, across the street from its perimeter, the antebellum building she called home. The tiered fountain was illuminated, the tall trees with their canopy of branches ghostlike as Spanish moss swayed in the breeze.
    “It’s charming,” she said aloud, “not scary.” But she couldn’t ignore the little drizzle of fear that slid down her spine as she parked, locked her car, and hurried up the interior staircase. On the third floor she was greeted by Mikado’s sharp barks as she let herself into her apartment. The little dog spun circles and did a happy dance that always ended up near his food bowl, just in case she felt generous. “You’re a little pig,” she teased, picking him up and petting him, only to be rewarded with a tongue to her face and the not-so-pleasant odor of doggie breath. “First, outside with you, then I’ll think about it.”
    Jennings had shown up as well and was pacing across the back of her couch. “Yeah, you too,” she said to the yellow tabby before she found Mikado’s leash and, as promised, walked him downstairs and into the backyard, where the porch light offered soft illumination and the patio furniture and shrubbery cast weird shadows. She stood on the old brick veranda, shifting from one foot to the other, a cool breeze cutting through her light jacket,