Bosom Bodies (Mina's Adventures) by Maria Grazia Swan Read Free Book Online Page A

Soon Mina was in her own bed. “You rest now, and I’ll make coffee for the three of us.” Three of us? Sergeant Jones must still have been t here.
    The phone rang. Mina picked it up.
    “Mina? It’s Adams." Oh, great. She needed her lawyer like she needed a hole in her head. "I hear you aren’t well. DeFiore called. I need you to listen carefully; it’s important. You must give your car key to the policeman waiting in your living room.”
    “What? Why does he need my car? Something wrong with his?”
    “No, Mina, that’s not the reason. Give him the car key, and then I’ll explain to you. Okay?”
    “Coffee is ready.” Margo walked into the bedroom. Sergeant Jones was with her but stopped at the threshold. “Did you spill perfume in the bathroom? Smells like a cosmetic counter in there.”
    “Is Margo with you? Good, I was hoping she got there. Mina, the key?”
    Was this all part of her dream? If so, she needed to snap out of it. But the coffee smelled real, and Margo looked, well, like Margo. The ignition key of her Bug was on the night table. As she picked it up, she noticed the answering machine light blinking.
    “Adams, I’m giving him the key. I don’t want to, but I’m doing it.” She felt herself tear up. Was she crying because of her car? Time stood still - Margo at the foot of her bed, steaming coffee in hand, Sergeant Jones waiting by her bedroom door, Adams on the phone telling her to surrender the key, and that red light blinking, blinking. “Here.” She lifted her hand, open palm. Jones came to her, took the key, nodded and left.
    “What’s wrong with your car?” Margo asked.
    “Nothing’s wrong with my car, ” Mina cried into the phone.
    “Could have fooled me.” Margo wasn’t done. “There was a small crowd surrounding the Bug and a tow truck down in the garage. Did you have an accident?”
    “What?”
    “Mina, listen to me." Adams' s voice commanded her attention again. " DeFiore thinks you were drugged, and it’s hard for you to understand everything that’s going on. You need to trust me. The police are impounding your car. Are you listening?”
    “Impounding my car? I only have a few parking tickets. And why would I have been drugged? Nothing is missing from my place that I know of, anyway. Maybe I ate something bad. When do I get my car back?” She was out of breath, and her head pounded like window shutters in a hurricane.
    “Mina, it’s possible your car was involved in a hit and run.”
     
    At some level of consciousness Mina knew the car, the drugs and the police were all somehow connected to Barbara’s death, but something deep inside wouldn't let her accept that reality yet. She lay still under the blanket, breathing softly, afraid the rhythm of her breath would start a chain reaction in her head. All was quiet in the place.
    At the end of the hall she could hear the TV. Margo must be watching some late show. The only light filtering through her covers came from her blinking answering machine. Curse that flickering from hell. Her nausea gone, her brain wide-awake , she tried to put the pieces together. Could Angelina have drugged her? But why?
    Maybe Ginger would shed some light on this mess. Poor Ginger. What a sad welcome home. She would call Ginger in the morning. Maybe they could have coffee or something. Darn, she didn’t have any transportation. They took her car. It was a conspiracy, to isolate her. Margo was t here to keep an eye on her so she couldn’t seek help. Who else was there to ask? She was all alone .
    The phone rang. It was so unexpected that Mina froze. She slid her hand from under the covers, grabbed the phone and whispered, “Hello.”
    “Mina? Is that you? Why are you whispering? Are you okay?” Brian.
    “I’m not feeling well.”
    “Oh, so sorry. Is that why you didn’t answer last night? Poor baby, and here I was thinking you were out partying . I apologize. Delete that rude message I left, will you? Is it the flu? Did you see