Read Online Winter's Fire (Welcome to Covendale #7) by Morgan Blaze - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Morgan Blaze
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whispered as startled tears welled in her eyes. “Oh, no. How is he?”
“Dead.”
No. She shook her head, as if it would keep that horrible, flat word from penetrating. The sweet old man she’d met just last night, Teddy’s friend…he couldn’t be dead. She was meeting him at the diner tonight. He wanted to talk about the investigation. This wasn’t right.
She shivered and stared at the blood on Adam’s sleeves. Ben’s blood. “Dead?” she echoed in hollow tones. “I didn’t know…”
“Well, now you do. And you’re not going to reduce my friend’s death to a pile of numbers for the insurance company.” He glared at her, folding his arms across his stomach as if he were trying to hide the blood. To deny its existence. “You take that frozen heart of yours, and go do your job somewhere else.”
She blinked once and turned away fast, heading almost blindly for the truck. If it wasn’t bright orange, she wouldn’t be able to see it. She didn’t look back. Didn’t care whether Adam was standing there watching her, or walking away unaffected by his own cruel words.
She refused to let him see her frozen heart breaking.
Chapter 8
Pete’s Diner turned out to be Winter’s kind of place—clean, low lighting, and mostly deserted. Exactly what she needed right now.
She’d gotten directions from Sandy at the bed and breakfast, and come here a little before ten, the time she was supposed to meet Ben Schaeffer. Somehow it felt right being here, even if Ben couldn’t make the appointment. She was still hurt and stunned over the horrible accident.
Adam too, but she’d decided not to waste her time thinking about him.
It was the end of another long and fruitless day, and she was still no closer to closing the investigation. She’d gone back to the station after getting her emotions under control. Spent some time going through the file cabinets again, found no sign of the missing documents. Eventually she’d started the individual interviews.
That hadn’t gone so well. She’d only gotten through four of them, each one worse than the last. Luke Aldridge was a sweet young man, but fairly clueless. Vermont Ward, a close friend of Ethan Goddard’s, had leered at her the entire time and said nothing of use. Dominic Shepherd was downright hostile, and Chief Mike Smallwood brief and distracted—Ben had been a close friend of the chief’s, as well.
Adam had taken the rest of the day off, apparently at the chief’s insistence. As bad as she felt for his loss, that had worked out well for her. She didn’t think she could be impartial with him.
Right now she intended to relax, if she could. She’d brought her files and interview notes to the diner, ordered a salad and a barbecue burger with onion rings, and was currently working on a thick, heavenly chocolate milkshake while she read through what she’d written about Vermont Ward.
“Don’t you ever stop working?”
The deep, familiar voice startled her, and she nearly spilled her shake. She refused to even look at him. Part of her questioned why he was here, whether he’d come looking for her, but she chalked it up to this being the only diner in a small town. The coincidence wasn’t that far-fetched. “I’m busy, Mr. Rhodes,” she said. “Good day.”
“You mean good evening.”
The half-teasing note in his voice infuriated her. She glared at him and said, “I mean good bye. ”
“Yeah, I bet you do.” He gave a sharp sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Would it help if I said that I’m a complete idiot, and I’m sorry?”
She wanted to tell him no, it wouldn’t help. She wanted to say go to hell . But what came out was, “Sorry for what?”
“For being such a bastard to you,” he said. “Honestly, you caught me at the worst possible time. I was devastated, furious…not at you. But that’s still no excuse.” He sighed again and fixed on a point beyond her. “You didn’t know what happened, and I didn’t
“Dead.”
No. She shook her head, as if it would keep that horrible, flat word from penetrating. The sweet old man she’d met just last night, Teddy’s friend…he couldn’t be dead. She was meeting him at the diner tonight. He wanted to talk about the investigation. This wasn’t right.
She shivered and stared at the blood on Adam’s sleeves. Ben’s blood. “Dead?” she echoed in hollow tones. “I didn’t know…”
“Well, now you do. And you’re not going to reduce my friend’s death to a pile of numbers for the insurance company.” He glared at her, folding his arms across his stomach as if he were trying to hide the blood. To deny its existence. “You take that frozen heart of yours, and go do your job somewhere else.”
She blinked once and turned away fast, heading almost blindly for the truck. If it wasn’t bright orange, she wouldn’t be able to see it. She didn’t look back. Didn’t care whether Adam was standing there watching her, or walking away unaffected by his own cruel words.
She refused to let him see her frozen heart breaking.
Chapter 8
Pete’s Diner turned out to be Winter’s kind of place—clean, low lighting, and mostly deserted. Exactly what she needed right now.
She’d gotten directions from Sandy at the bed and breakfast, and come here a little before ten, the time she was supposed to meet Ben Schaeffer. Somehow it felt right being here, even if Ben couldn’t make the appointment. She was still hurt and stunned over the horrible accident.
Adam too, but she’d decided not to waste her time thinking about him.
It was the end of another long and fruitless day, and she was still no closer to closing the investigation. She’d gone back to the station after getting her emotions under control. Spent some time going through the file cabinets again, found no sign of the missing documents. Eventually she’d started the individual interviews.
That hadn’t gone so well. She’d only gotten through four of them, each one worse than the last. Luke Aldridge was a sweet young man, but fairly clueless. Vermont Ward, a close friend of Ethan Goddard’s, had leered at her the entire time and said nothing of use. Dominic Shepherd was downright hostile, and Chief Mike Smallwood brief and distracted—Ben had been a close friend of the chief’s, as well.
Adam had taken the rest of the day off, apparently at the chief’s insistence. As bad as she felt for his loss, that had worked out well for her. She didn’t think she could be impartial with him.
Right now she intended to relax, if she could. She’d brought her files and interview notes to the diner, ordered a salad and a barbecue burger with onion rings, and was currently working on a thick, heavenly chocolate milkshake while she read through what she’d written about Vermont Ward.
“Don’t you ever stop working?”
The deep, familiar voice startled her, and she nearly spilled her shake. She refused to even look at him. Part of her questioned why he was here, whether he’d come looking for her, but she chalked it up to this being the only diner in a small town. The coincidence wasn’t that far-fetched. “I’m busy, Mr. Rhodes,” she said. “Good day.”
“You mean good evening.”
The half-teasing note in his voice infuriated her. She glared at him and said, “I mean good bye. ”
“Yeah, I bet you do.” He gave a sharp sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Would it help if I said that I’m a complete idiot, and I’m sorry?”
She wanted to tell him no, it wouldn’t help. She wanted to say go to hell . But what came out was, “Sorry for what?”
“For being such a bastard to you,” he said. “Honestly, you caught me at the worst possible time. I was devastated, furious…not at you. But that’s still no excuse.” He sighed again and fixed on a point beyond her. “You didn’t know what happened, and I didn’t
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