(2012) Colder Than Death by DB Gilles Read Free Book Online Page A

her. To this day, I haven't felt that connection with anyone. To her I was just a summer fling.”
    “I know the feeling. I was summer-flinged last year. What was her name?”
    “Alyssa.”
    “What happened to her?”
    “She left town. Broke up with me and took off.”
    The conversation was starting to upset me. I didn't want to talk about Alyssa. I never talked about her anymore. I tried not to even let myself think about her. Despite the fact that I hadn't seen her in nearly fifteen years, I still missed her, thought about her.
    “You still feel the same way about her?”
    “Could we talk about something else?”
    “I'm pushing your buttons, aren't I?”
    “How'd you guess?”
    “I do that to people a lot. You must've really had it bad for her.”
    “First love. It was a long time ago.” I paused for a moment. “I believe we were talking about how your love for your Aunt made you realize something.”
    “Oh, yeah. I knew she wouldn't have left without saying good-bye to me. Maybe not to anyone else. But she would have said something to my face. And she wouldn't have left her notebooks. They were important to her to take them with her or destroy them.” She raised her right index finger to her left eye, then her right eye, wiping tears from both. “And if she didn't say good-bye to me she would've had a good reason, probably because I'd cry and whine, but she would definitely have sent me a letter once she got where she was going. I used to think that even if she'd been kidnapped she would have found a way to let me know that she was alright, but... ”
    Her voice trailed off. “When she was alive I used to wish that Aunt Brandy was my mother. When she was gone, I wished that she was my friend. I miss her. I mean one day she was here and the next day... ” She snapped her fingers. “Gone. Nothing. Six years old and I knew somebody killed her. For the last nine years I've been waiting for her body to be discovered--here or ten thousand miles away. I hoped they'd find her in another town so somebody competent would be in charge of solving the case instead of an A-hole like Perry Cobb.”
    I liked the fact that she disliked Perry, but I wondered why. I also felt a strange compulsion to defend him, if for no other reason than to give Quilla some hope.
    “Why so negative about Perry Cobb?” I asked.
    “Because he hates me.”
    “How can he hate you ? How does he even know you?”
    “I had some problems last year,” she said sheepishly. “With drinking. And drugs. A couple of friends and I stole a car. We got caught DWI. It was stupid. Cobb kept us in jail overnight. Since then, he gives us grief at every turn.”
    I hated defending Perry, but in this instance I had to. “Do you blame him? You could've hurt somebody. Maybe killed somebody. Maybe yourself.”
    “I know. But he was mean to us. Made it seem like we were less than human. The only cop I ever met who was worth anything is Greg.”
    “You know Greg Hoxey?”
    “He's my friend. He's different from the other cops.”
    “What's different about Greg?” I was curious as to how she happened to be on a first name basis with Greg.
    “He used to be like us in high school. Into heavy metal, hair down to his ass and liked to get wasted. Greg is cool.”
    Greg Hoxey cool? I said to myself. I was beginning to question her powers of observation.
    “He's like this really excellent older brother who gives you money and won't tell your parents that you're sneaking out. I wish he was in charge of the investigation. Greg would try. Cobb's not gonna do squat.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    “Because he hates people like me and my Aunt was like me and I'm like her and in Cobb's eyes we're nothing but sluts who hang with crazed druggies.”
    “How do you know he thinks that?”
    “Are you really that naive?” she sneered. “Maybe you've been around so many dead bodies you're out of touch.”
    “With what?”
    “The real world.”
    She might be right , I