An Adrien English Mystery: The Dark Tide by Josh Lanyon Read Free Book Online Page B

miasma following the trauma of getting shot and nearly dying. I couldn't seem to make myself care about much of anything. I just wanted to be alone, but when I was alone, I felt edgy, almost nervous. Had I lost the knack of living by myself?
    In the midst of these gloomy thoughts, the phone rang, and my heart jumped. I went to the phone, made myself take a deep breath, and answered.
    “So you are there,” Guy said in that slightly affected accent, and I felt a flicker of disappointment. Not that I wasn't happy to hear from Guy. I missed Guy, truth be told. I guess I'd been hoping…
    “I'm here.”
    “I was sure you'd be at Riordan's.”
    “No.”
    I could feel a dozen questions in that brief pause. He said easily enough, “Good. I'm glad of that. How are you feeling?”
    I was really quite tired of that question.
    “I'm fine.”
    “Lisa sounded…”
    “Lisa is ticked off because I left the nest AMA.”
    “Against medical advice?”
    “Against Mother's advice.”
    Guy chuckled. “That sounds about right. I heard you had a spot of excitement at the bookstore today?”
    I filled him in on the discovery of the skeleton in the floor, and he said, “I don't think there can be much mystery about it. They're all but announcing on the telly that it's this Stevens bloke.”
    “It's on the TV ?”
    “Of course.”

    An Adrien English Mystery: The Dark Tide

    27

    Of course. I'd slept through the afternoon and missed a lot of the excitement. Naturally the media would have turned out for a story like this. And naturally Natalie would have neglected to mention anything she figured might upset me.
    Guy was saying, “What the hell is it about you that attracts murder and mayhem?”
    “Something in my body language?”
    He groaned. “That was bad—even for you.”
    “What are they saying?”
    “Oh, you know. It's a slow week for news. They're making it sound like the Black Dahlia murderer has been revealed at last.”
    “Is there any real information on Stevens? I remember when I first bought this place, I tried to find out what I could, and there didn't seem to be anything on him.”
    “How hard did you look? After all, the press is going to have resources you didn't. Not to mention the fact that you weren't the supersleuth then that you are now.”
    “Don't even joke about it. Do you know who's in charge of this investigation? Detective Alonzo.”
    “Christ.” That was heartfelt. “But it's a-a what do they call it? A cold case, isn't it? Don't they have special departments for that?”
    “I have no idea.” And my LAPD contact—I remembered Alonzo's “ hey, give my regards to your boyfriend , ex- Lieutenant Riordan .” I felt another surge of anger on Jake's behalf. Jake had been ten times the cop that incompetent, homophobic asshole would ever be.
    I realized that Guy was still talking, and I hadn't heard a word he'd said.
    “…dinner one evening.”
    I replied automatically, “That sounds great.” And it did. I realized again how much I missed Guy. It had been good between us, hadn't it? Why hadn't it been enough?
    We chatted a bit more, and Guy rang off. Three minutes later the phone rang again, and my heart did another of those fish-on-a-hook leaps. This time the caller was Lisa. Right on schedule.
    “Darling, you have to come home,” she started in as soon as I answered. “You cannot possibly want to stay in that…that tomb with bodies falling out of the wall!”
    “I don't know why not,” I replied. “It's everything a ghoul could ask for.”
    “There's nothing humorous about this, Adrien. Your heart still isn't strong enough to withstand any kind of strain.”
    My amusement faded. “Please don't start.”
    “You're going to undo everything the doctors worked so hard for.”
    “Lisa.”
    “You have to be realistic now. You know what the doctors said.”
    “Lisa.”
    “Why do you so resent the idea that your family loves you and wants to take care of you?
    Sometimes I think you'd