Cold As Ice: Novel (A Kristen Conner Mystery Book 3) by M.K. Gilroy Read Free Book Online Page B

farther—I wasn’t even thinking there was anything wrong because I hadn’t heard the scream yet.”
    “I would have liked to hear that scream,” he says. “The medical techie told me you weren’t lying. When someone with a severed windpipe screams, it’s like nothing else you’ll ever hear.”
    Really, Tommy? You just said that? I stare forward. He drums hisfingers on the door handle and knows to hold his tongue.
    “Okay, Detective Barnes—”
    “Call me Tommy since we’re on a first name basis,” he interrupts, almost with a snarl. He’s giving me that New York attitude. A little exaggerated if you ask me. Am I supposed to be intimidated?
    “Okay, Detective Tommy, I know the routine. You’re just doing your job. You’re asking the same questions over and over because it might jog a memory. But I’m telling you I have zilch.”
    His fingers continue to drum in a broken pattern of threes.
    “So, Tommy. Who did I find?”
    He turns to me and I can see him debating with himself. He finally says, “The victim was a big tuna in the business world.” He pauses and holds up a hand. “Let me correct that. Not a tuna but a whale. The kind of guy that gets his picture on the cover of Forbes. But what made the ID come up so fast was he was on an FBI watch list.”
    “FBI—really?”
    “Yeah.”
    “What’s he into?”
    “That’s above my pay grade too,” he answers and pauses. He decides to end our battle of who can respond the least to the other’s questions and continues, “He’s the CEO of some biotech company. From what I picked up, Homeland Security, the FBI, CDC, and some other agencies with initials I’ve never heard of think he’s into some very deep and dangerous territory. When Homeland Security is in the same sentence as biotech, my mind starts thinking things it isn’t getting paid to think. So I’m leaving it at that. You know everything I know now. You’re a detective. You figure it out. I still expect some reciprocity when you know more.”
    “I’m going to make a call,” I say.
    “It’s a free country,” Barnes snaps. “So have at it.”
    “Where do we go from here?” I ask as I start scrolling through names on my phone.
    “Our relationship?” he asks, putting his hand on my arm.
    I shrug it off. I’m used to guys flirting with me on the job. It never gets old. Right? I give him a dirty look.
    “We’re on hold,” he answers. “We’re going to drive you to wherever ‘what’s next’ is as soon as the brass tells us where that is.”
    “Can I at least get a shower and change?”
    “I’ve been told you aren’t going anywhere between points A and B. Apparently you’ve got the reputation of being a lone ranger who doesn’t always play team ball.”
    “Who said that?”
    He smiles and holds up his hands, palms face up, in the universal “can’t say” sign. I glare at him, but not because I’m mad. I’m wanting him to feel he won something, so he’ll give me what I want later.
    I need to let Klarissa know there’s been a change of plans and I won’t be checking out of the hotel. I look at my phone again. Five missed calls from my mom. No surprise. A bunch from my partner, Don Squires. Very surprising. He compartmentalizes work and home better than any other cop I know. I’m still technically on vacation until morning. So this is out of character for him to intrude across boundaries. I have missed calls from Klarissa, Kaylen, and then someone calling from a number inside CPD. Wish I knew who but all I have on my log is the main switchboard number. Squires from work? Maybe he’s the new boss. I have five voice mails.
    I’d like to clear them but I need to call Austin Reynolds first. My sort of boyfriend, ex-Special Forces for the US Army Rangers, and agent-at-large for the FBI is the one who has all the connections and who can tell me what I’ve gotten myself into. This time.
    The blood from the dead man has thawed out. I don’t get grossed out easily,