Read Online The Ex Who Wouldn't Die by Sally Berneathy - Free Book Online
Authors: Sally Berneathy
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exploded. "What kind of scam are you running now? Do you realize I ' m being accused of killing you? And righ t now, that sounds like a pretty good idea! Did you break in here? Did you take my gun? You did, didn't you? I wouldn't bring it to you, so you stole it. This time you ' ve gone too far! " She reached for his collar, intending to choke him … just until he turned blue.
Her fingers closed on air.
She looked at her hand, then at Charley and frowned. " How di d you do that? What kind of con are you up to now? "
" Okay, it ' s true. I ' m dead. Sort of. " He shrugged, his grin widening. "Depends on your definition of dead ."
Amanda backed away. " Stop that! This is no t the time for your tricks, and I ' m the wrong person to try them on . I know you way too well! "
"No tricks . Check this out. " Charley disappeared into the wall, then appeared again, smiling and spreading his arms. " Ta da! "
Furious at his continued clowning, Amanda swung at his shoulder. Her fist slammed hard against the wall.
" Ouch! Damn you, damn you, damn you! " She rubbed her bruised knuckles and glared at him. S light-of-hand magic was one of Charley ' s specialties, but never anything fancy. Pick a card. Look at this quarter I found behind your ear. Watch me get out of these handcuffs. Nothing of the David Copperfield variety…until now. What was he up to? And how was he doing it?
A tiny wisp of a suspicion niggled at the edges of her mind, a suspicion too absurd to be considered.
" Sweetheart, you need to sit down so we can talk, " he said in his I can explain the perfectly innocent reason I was kissing that woman voice.
" Don ' t call me sweetheart , and I don ' t want to talk to you. " She turned her back on him, trying to shut him out. She ' d barely adjusted to his being dead, and now he w as alive again. Typical Charley chaos.
She sighed as she realized she'd have to go through with the divorce after all, figure out some way to get Charley to sign those papers.
" I know you don ' t want to talk to me , " he said, sounding either a little abashed or a lot the con-artist. Amanda would put her money on the latter. "But you have to. I ' m almost as confused about this thing as you are. Not having a body takes some getting used to. I could use your help."
Amanda spun back around to face him, ignoring everything he said except the last sentence, the only one that made sense, that sou nded normal, sounded like Charley. " You want my help? Why should I help you? "
" Because you ' re a good person. "
Amanda snorted, irritated, but a part of her was relieved. This was the Charley she knew, always working the angles. Simple con job. No fancy tricks. She didn't like this Charley, but she was comfortable with him, understood him.
Walking around the boxes on the floor, she plopped into the wooden rocking chair in the corner of the room, leaned back and tented her fingers under her chin . " Start talking, creep, and if you say the right thing fast enough, maybe I won ' t call the cops and have you hauled in for stealing my gun and…and impersonating a dead person! " She wasn't certain the latter was illegal, but it sounded like it might be, certainly ought to be.
Charley grinned. " I 'd like to see them put me in handcuffs. "
" Get to the point. What do you want to talk about and how did you convince the police you ' re dead? Whose body was in your apartment? "
" Mine. It was my body. I ' m dead. "
Amanda threw up her ha nds. "Fine. You're dead. What is it you want my help with? Getting rid of the body? " She sat bolt upright. " You didn ' t kill somebody, did you? "
" No! Of course not! But I know who did. The man who killed me is the same man who tried to kill you then broke into your apartment and stole your gun. "
Amanda rocked back in the chair and narrowed her gaze. "Let me se e if I understand . You called me and told me if I'd bring
Her fingers closed on air.
She looked at her hand, then at Charley and frowned. " How di d you do that? What kind of con are you up to now? "
" Okay, it ' s true. I ' m dead. Sort of. " He shrugged, his grin widening. "Depends on your definition of dead ."
Amanda backed away. " Stop that! This is no t the time for your tricks, and I ' m the wrong person to try them on . I know you way too well! "
"No tricks . Check this out. " Charley disappeared into the wall, then appeared again, smiling and spreading his arms. " Ta da! "
Furious at his continued clowning, Amanda swung at his shoulder. Her fist slammed hard against the wall.
" Ouch! Damn you, damn you, damn you! " She rubbed her bruised knuckles and glared at him. S light-of-hand magic was one of Charley ' s specialties, but never anything fancy. Pick a card. Look at this quarter I found behind your ear. Watch me get out of these handcuffs. Nothing of the David Copperfield variety…until now. What was he up to? And how was he doing it?
A tiny wisp of a suspicion niggled at the edges of her mind, a suspicion too absurd to be considered.
" Sweetheart, you need to sit down so we can talk, " he said in his I can explain the perfectly innocent reason I was kissing that woman voice.
" Don ' t call me sweetheart , and I don ' t want to talk to you. " She turned her back on him, trying to shut him out. She ' d barely adjusted to his being dead, and now he w as alive again. Typical Charley chaos.
She sighed as she realized she'd have to go through with the divorce after all, figure out some way to get Charley to sign those papers.
" I know you don ' t want to talk to me , " he said, sounding either a little abashed or a lot the con-artist. Amanda would put her money on the latter. "But you have to. I ' m almost as confused about this thing as you are. Not having a body takes some getting used to. I could use your help."
Amanda spun back around to face him, ignoring everything he said except the last sentence, the only one that made sense, that sou nded normal, sounded like Charley. " You want my help? Why should I help you? "
" Because you ' re a good person. "
Amanda snorted, irritated, but a part of her was relieved. This was the Charley she knew, always working the angles. Simple con job. No fancy tricks. She didn't like this Charley, but she was comfortable with him, understood him.
Walking around the boxes on the floor, she plopped into the wooden rocking chair in the corner of the room, leaned back and tented her fingers under her chin . " Start talking, creep, and if you say the right thing fast enough, maybe I won ' t call the cops and have you hauled in for stealing my gun and…and impersonating a dead person! " She wasn't certain the latter was illegal, but it sounded like it might be, certainly ought to be.
Charley grinned. " I 'd like to see them put me in handcuffs. "
" Get to the point. What do you want to talk about and how did you convince the police you ' re dead? Whose body was in your apartment? "
" Mine. It was my body. I ' m dead. "
Amanda threw up her ha nds. "Fine. You're dead. What is it you want my help with? Getting rid of the body? " She sat bolt upright. " You didn ' t kill somebody, did you? "
" No! Of course not! But I know who did. The man who killed me is the same man who tried to kill you then broke into your apartment and stole your gun. "
Amanda rocked back in the chair and narrowed her gaze. "Let me se e if I understand . You called me and told me if I'd bring
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