Read Online We'll Never Tell (Secrets of Ravenswood) by Jannine Gallant - Free Book Online Page A

and
planted his elbows on the scarred surface of the desk. “You could do worse.
Ethan’s business has really taken off in the last few years.” His direct gaze
met hers and held. “More importantly, he’s a good guy.”
    “I don’t doubt it, but I
think I’ll hold off picking out china patterns until after our second date.”
    “Smart ass.” His smile
stretched, and the moustache quivered. “Did you drop by for a reason or just
because you missed me?”
    “No reason.” She
straightened and broke eye contact. “Did anything exciting happen while I was
out of town?”
    “Nope, they transferred
the body you found down the mountain to a bigger lab. They’re working on
identifying her now.”
    “Her?”
    “Our ME determined the
victim was a female in her late teens or early twenties. They’ll run more tests
to narrow it down, but it looks like she died around twenty years ago.”
    Sam let out a breath.
“Imagine, all those years…”
    “Yeah, I’ve hiked by
that spot dozens of times. I can’t help wondering what happened to her out in
those woods.”
    “Do you think the
authorities will figure it out?”
    “Once they identify her,
the investigation will gear up. We’ll have to wait and see. There certainly
won’t be much evidence after all this time.”
    She nodded and changed
the subject. “Is Lenore busy with plans for the fall festival?”
    The chair creaked as he
leaned back and scowled. “The woman spends all her time on the phone. Last
night she told me she was busy, and I could make my own dinner if I was
hungry.”
    Sam grinned. “Poor baby.
Did you starve?”
    “Not likely,” he
growled. “I can grill a steak with the best of them.”
    “Maybe I’ll call Lenore
and offer to help with preparations for the festival. I’m not going anywhere
for a while.”
    “Good.” Concern shone in
his eyes. “You look a little ragged around the edges. Constantly on the go the
way you are, it’ll wear you down if you aren’t careful.”
    Her frazzled appearance
had a lot more to do with a killer’s threats than job burnout. “Then you’ll be
pleased to know I’m taking a break, at least for a month or two.”
    “Good,” he repeated.
“Call Lenore. Better yet, come to dinner.” He drummed his fingers on the desk
and frowned. “Shoot, we have plans tonight, but tomorrow is open. Bring Ethan
with you.”
    She smiled. “I’d love
to. Thanks, Ken.”
    “Sam?”
    Pausing on her way out
the door, she glanced over her shoulder. “Yes?”
    His eyes twinkled.
“Lenore loves to shop. She’d be happy to help you pick out a china pattern.”
    “Now who’s the smart
ass? See you tomorrow.”
    ****
    The phone rang, and rang
again, its shrill peal jangling along her nerve endings. Sam reached out just
before the machine picked up. “Hello.”
    “I got your message.”
    She dropped onto a chair
and lifted the cup of tea steeping on the table. Grimacing at the heat, she set
it back down. “Hey, Darby.”
    “Hey, yourself. I talked
to Juliette. Sounds like you had an eventful morning.”
    Taking a cautious sip of
the steaming liquid, she closed her eyes. “This guy is serious, Darb. If we
don’t play nice, I’m afraid he’ll do more than threaten.”
    “Then we’ll follow his
rules. Simple.”
    Sam ran a finger along
the rim of the cup and frowned. “Ken thinks they’ll have an ID for the woman
soon.”
    Darby’s sigh came
through the receiver. “After all these years, it’ll be good to put a name to
the face. She deserves that.”
    “Even better if we find
the son of a bitch who killed her.”
    “What?”
    “We can’t tell the
sheriff what we saw, but that doesn’t mean I won’t hunt for him myself.
Discretely of course.”
    Darby’s voice rose. “My
God, Sam, you’re asking for trouble.”
    “I’m not. Honest. And I
won’t be alone playing detective. Ethan is pretty adamant I stay clear and let
him do the majority of the legwork.” She stared at the steam rising from