Alana Candler, Marked for Murder by Joanie Bruce Read Free Book Online

shops opening for the day. Already, smells of hot pavement and sweet bread cooking at the bakery on the corner wafted up on heat waves and slid through the crevices of the window.
    He breathed a deep sigh of relief when he laid the phone back in its cradle. According to a friend at the hospital, the young woman he pulled from the lake would recover completely. She was being released today.
    A satisfying warmth spread through his body as an image of the unconscious girl appeared before him. Even in the chaos of the rescue, he had sensed that she was beautiful. Knowing he had saved her life gave him an inner peace like the warmth of the sun rising over the city.
    A knock on the door interrupted his musings, and he turned. “Come in.”
    A short balding man in a creased white shirt sauntered into the room. He threw his suit jacket over the arm of the sofa and draped his rather oversized frame onto the chair in front of the massive desk. As a high-powered lawyer, Steve Reynolds had been employed by Jaydn’s company for many years and felt at home in Jaydn’s office.
    “You sent for me?” His statement came out on a yawn.
    Jaydn laughed. “Sorry to get you up so early. I forget you’re a night-owl and barely out of bed before ten in the morning.”
    Steve laughed and glanced at him sideways. “Since you’re paying my salary, I can’t complain.”
    Jaydn laughed again. “I have a sticky problem for you to solve.”
    The older man sat up quickly in his seat and leaned forward. Steve loved a challenge and was always up for a fight. Jaydn hid a smile before he continued.
    “The city council of Bishop wants us to build a parking garage for city use in downtown Bishop. I believe we have property there that’s rented at the moment, but I want you to talk with the tenants and see if they’d be interested in moving. See what you can do to get them out of there—nothing illegal, but I’d like them moved to another location.”
    Steve nodded. “I’ll take care of it.” He stood up to leave but turned back around. “Hey, where’s Florence this morning? Her desk is a mess, and as long as I’ve been coming to this office, I’ve never seen it look that way.”
    “She’s out with the flu. The temp’s not very organized. It’s been rough.”
    A heartless grunt burst from Steve’s mouth. “ Humph ! Now you see how the rest of us live.” He chortled as he walked out the door.
    Jaydn sighed and turned back to the mass of paperwork cluttering his desk, wishing his efficient secretary would return.

ELEVEN
     
    OH, WOW! I ALMOST BEAT you this time.” Chet flipped the tennis towel over his head and wiped the sweat out of his eyes.
    Elliott looked at the score sheet in his hand and gaped at his own winning score of sixty-love. He grinned on the inside and shrugged. Chet’s bluster was talking again in spite of losing the game.
    Elliott picked up his racket and stuffed it into his bag. “Yeah, well, how come you don’t show more of that winning spirit at work?”
    Chet’s smile dissolved into a frown, and he sat down on the bench lining the tennis courts. “I just don’t understand it. It’s not like me at all. Brad’s gonna fire me if I don’t stop making so many stupid mistakes.” His normally self-assured attitude was taking a beating.
    Elliott took a long look at his partner. “Maybe you’re trying too hard, Chet. It’s not as bad as you’re making it sound.”
    Chet squared his shoulders. “Yeah it is, and Brad’s not gonna put up with it much longer. I’ve gotta do something to show him I’m worth keeping on the force.”
    Elliot’s usual teasing banter was checked when he saw the look of determination on Chet’s face. “Be patient, man. The mistakes you’ve made are normal for rookies. We all made mistakes our first time out of the gates. I made my share.”
    “Sure enough?”
    “Yeah. The worst one was when I gave a ticket to the mayor for parking in his own parking space.”
    Some of the