Bubblegum Blonde by Anna Snow Read Free Book Online

think of it. Cheaters and liars are my specialty, potential murderers, not so much. As much as I hated to admit it, even to myself, as far as this case was concerned, I was winging it.
    I steered my car to the side of the road and stopped. I pulled my purse from the passenger seat into my lap then rooted around inside until I found the slip of paper Mandy had written the address on and rechecked to make sure I had the correct address.
    A quick scan of the neighborhood told me all was quiet. From the peeks I'd gotten of the neighbors' vehicles, Mercedes, Bentleys, and one very impressive Audi, my tiny red Volkswagen Beetle stuck out like a sore thumb.
    I know. A red Volkswagen Beetle wasn't the most inconspicuous, sensible vehicle for someone in my profession, but I loved my car, and more importantly, it was in my price range. Cheap.
    With a quick glance in the rearview mirror, I spotted a tall hedge on the corner of the Hatchett property. I put the car in gear, made a quick U-turn in the middle of the desolate street, and pulled up behind the bush. The hedge was tall enough to hide my car from prying eyes, so I killed the engine, grabbed my gun, a small(ish), very cute .380 handgun, and exited the car. I shoved the weapon in the back waistband of my jeans and pulled my simple blue T-shirt over the grip to conceal it, should I be seen.
    As I stepped away from the car, my cell phone buzzed. I slowed my steps, pulled it out of my pocket, and read the display.
    Kelly.
    I pressed the phone to my ear. "Yeah?"
    "Mandy says she just double-checked and confirmed that Hatchett does in fact have a meeting and should be out of the house for at least a couple of hours. You should be clear except for the staff, and considering that it's Friday, they may not even be in today. Mandy couldn't find a schedule for that, but you may not have much to worry about on that front."
    "Excellent. I'm outside the gate about to head inside now. I'll call you in ten."
    "Got it," she answered and then ended the call.
    I put my cell on vibrate and shoved it back into my pocket. The midday sun glared down on me, and sweat started to slither down my back. I took a deep breath and quickened my steps down the sidewalk leading toward the backyard.
    When I reached the rear corner of the tall, wrought-iron fence surrounding the house, I checked my surroundings. The rear of the Hatchett estate and the house across from it sat on the end of a dead-end street. Directly behind the houses was a slight hill leading up to a thick, tree-lined area. When I looked about and was certain I hadn't piqued the interest of any nosey neighbors, I stepped around the fence between the grassy hill and the back of the wrought-iron fence enclosing the backyard. Thick, green ivy covered the fence, giving the occupants in the backyard a semblance of privacy. I slid my hand between the vines and pulled them apart, making a gap just big enough to see through.
    I pressed my face up to the opening and looked around.
    The backyard appeared empty, so I switched my attention to the windows of the house. They too were void of life both upstairs and down. From the looks of it, I was in the clear where the household staff was concerned. I jumped as high as I could and grabbed hold of the top of the fence, hoisted myself up, and climbed to the top.
    It took some effort, but I finally got myself into a position where I could slide my leg in between the sharp, decorative spikes lining the top of the fence. Once I'd finally wiggled my way into a sitting position between the spikes and steadied myself atop the fence, I wiggled both legs over to the other side. When I'd made it completely past the spikes and was on the other side of the fence, I dropped quickly down to the ground without incident. While crouched in my ninja position I took a moment to scan the area.
    No alarms blared, and no ginormous dogs had me in their sights as their next meal. I was the only one in the yard. I sprinted across the