Beneath a Buried House (Detective Elliot Mystery Book 2) by Bob Avey Read Free Book Online

well of such things as this; instant attraction, natural chemistry. He just never expected it to happen to him twice in one lifetime.
    When the two of them finally took a seat, luckily a few chairs away, the conversation continued but Elliot could tell by the look on Cunningham’s face that he wasn’t happy. The thought crossed his mind that this girl must be someone special. Cunningham had many lady friends, and he wouldn’t ordinarily get his feathers ruffled over someone giving a little too much attention to his date.  Still, Elliot couldn’t stop himself from stealing glances in her direction.
    Elliot looked away, staring at his hands folded on the table. He knew her from somewhere, must have met her before, though he could not recall where and when. If not, could he be so completely attracted to a total stranger, feeling the pangs of love for nothing more than eyes, and hair, and sensual movement? Yet in their earlier meetings, his feelings had not made themselves known; she must have made a different impression, must have appeared, if not ordinary then certainly not extraordinary. This evening, however, she did not look ordinary but quite seductive, her eyes full of mystery, as is the evening upon the setting of the sun.
    To make matters worse, Elliot caught her looking back, her big eyes darting quickly away in an attempt to avoid direct confrontation. He suspected she didn’t do this out of fear. She just wasn’t sure she wanted to act on the attraction. He understood that feeling as well. He felt pressure on his arm and realized it was Sergeant Conley.
    “Pull your tongue back in, Elliot. You’re embarrassing me.”
    Elliot glanced around the table. “Is it that obvious?”
    “Hell yes and then some. I got to admit she’s a real eye-catcher. Every one of us was looking, but you were looking . She’s with Cunningham. Show a little respect.”
    Conley was right and his words were not lost on Elliot. He felt bad about it, though his eyes still wandered in her direction. “Thanks,” he said. “Glad you were here to pull me back down to reality.”
    He had to get out of there. It was the only way to avoid trouble. He made an excuse, said his good-byes, and walked away.
    Outside he stood for a moment, his breath vaporizing in the cold air. He had plenty of things to think about, but only one had his attention, pushing aside even the deeply disturbing baphomet symbol.  No matter how he tried to redirect his thoughts, they ended up in the same place. Scenarios of his being with Cyndi kept sprouting in his imagination where they would grow wildly out of control. He wasn’t sure whether to embrace those feelings, which might well lead to their becoming real, or consider their disconcerting aura as a warning and do his best to abate them.
    It was Carmen Garcia all over again.
     

Chapter Seven
    The next morning Elliot sat in Detective Dombrowski’s office, though his thoughts were more on Cyndi. Her eyes haunted him, and he could not decide on their color, whether they were blue, or if they were gray. They seemed to be both and yet neither. He finally decided they were the color of the sky, not the deep blue of spring, but rather like that of a summer afternoon, when the blaze of the sun has all but drained the color from it.
    Elliot leaned forward. “I’d like to talk to you about the John Doe case,” he said.
    “What’s on your mind?”
    “I don’t think we should just write it off. Something tells me it’s not as straightforward as it looks. There’s more to it.”
    After what seemed an unbearable amount of time, Dombrowski said, “What makes you think we’re going to write it off?”
    Elliot considered his answer. He hadn’t expected the question to be turned around on him. “You seemed distracted at the scene, your thoughts elsewhere. I got the impression you’d already decided everything was just as it appeared to be, even before we left the apartment building.”
    Dombrowski’s face