Read Online The Devil To Pay by Unknown - Free Book Online

only anticipation of the approaching adventure. “Have you burgled many houses,
    Julian?“ she asked chattily as they started down the path to the beach.
    “We’re not going to burglarize die place. We’re only going to search it,“ he muttered.
    “There’s a difference?“
    “About ten years in prison!“
    “Have you ever been to prison, Julian?“
    “No, I have not! Good grief, woman. You have a rather low opinion of me, don’t you?“ he complained half under
    his breath.
    “I was just curious.“
    “Well, mat’s something, I suppose. Better to have you curious than indifferent.“ Before she could dunk of a
    response to that line, he was drawing her around to the side of me house that faced the ocean. “Now, I don’t think
    anyone up on the bluff can see us, even if there happens to be someone looking this way,“ he explained, surveying
    the window with a critical eye.
    “Can you open me window without breaking it?“
    “It doesn’t look very well latched. Pretty old. It will probably give wim me right amount of pressure.“
    “Like everydiing else in your world?“ she asked quietly.
    He turned slowly, his dark glance cool and intimidating. With elaborate casualness he folded his arms and leaned
    back against the side of the weathered house. Quite suddenly Emelina wondered if she might have transgressed too
    far with that last thoughtless crack. As she always did when she was nervous, she chewed on her lower lip, her hazel
    eyes going almost green.
    “Unless you’d like some real pressure applied to your nicely rounded backside, Emelina Stratton, you’d better
    control your new-found urge to provoke me.“
    Emelina blinked. Was that what she was trying to do? Provoke him? Perhaps. It was a small method of retaliating
    for this damn bargain he’d foisted on her. Or had she suddenly discovered an inexplicable desire to taunt him for other
    reasons?
    “I’ll behave, Julian,“ she drawled with syrupy politeness. “I didn’t realize you were so easily offended.“
    He straightened away from the side of the house and turned back to the project of prying open the old window
    frame. “I’m not easily offended. It’s just that I have die distinct feeling I’d better draw some lines or you’ll be running
    roughshod over me!“
    “Coward,“ she couldn’t resist mumbling.
    The window opened eventually under protest. Emelina felt her sense of excitement build rapidly as Julian went in
    first and then helped her over the ledge. As she stood gazing around at the shadowy interior of Eric Leighton’s beach
    cottage, Emelina’s first reaction was one of dismay.
    “It looks like your cottage or mine!“ she complained. Indeed, it contained the same sort of tattered and worn
    furniture, the same faded rugs and had the same weathered look as all the other beach houses.
    “Well, what did you expect? A pile of cocaine sitting on the hearth waiting to be shipped out?“ Julian asked
    calmly, stepping from rag to rag as he made his way toward the kitchen.
    “Something like that, at least!“ she retorted, glaring at his back.
    His mouth crooked wryly. “Stay on the rags and let’s have a look around. I’ll take the kitchen. You can start on the
    bedrooms.“
    There was only one bedroom and it contained nothing but a slanting bed and a chipped dresser. Emelina searched
    carefully and diligently, and when she was finished Julian went through the room, himself. They did each of the small
    rooms in the same fashion, but it soon became obvious that nothing in the nature of startling evidence was going to
    come to light.
    “What about loose floorboards or secret safes in the walls?“ Emelina demanded forty-five minutes later as she
    carefully tugged open a hall cupboard.
    “What about them?“ Julian growled, turning to see what she might find in the cupboard. “Do you want me to pry
    up every floorboard?“
    “I suppose not,“ she sighed, frowning at the collection of neatly folded brown paper bags