Cold Comfort by Ellis Vidler Read Free Book Online Page B

brow raised.
    "Thanks for dinner."
    He reminded her of a Rottweiler who'd raided the picnic basket. "You're welcome." She snickered.
    "So what's funny?"
    "Nothing, nothing." You'd better get hold of yourself, girl. You're getting punchy . Food. Think about food . What else did she have? Nothing except cake. She wondered if he'd found it too, glanced at the container. Of course he had. The man was a sinkhole. Resigned, she took out a carton of eggs, the single woman's best friend. "Do you want scrambled eggs? I'm having some."
    "No, I'll have coffee while you eat. Want some?" He nodded toward the machine on the counter. "Where do you keep the coffee?"
    "Here." She pushed a sealed container toward him and pointed to the filters. "No thanks. I prefer tea, at least in the middle of the night."
    Claire dropped a pat of butter into the skillet while Riley made coffee. She cracked two eggs and dropped them into the sizzling fat. "What do you think of my security? I'm sure it's not adequate against a determined burglar, but is anything?"
    He sat at the table, talking over the gurgling of the coffee pot. "The nails in the windows are a good idea, but no, you aren't going to stop anyone who really wants in."
    "Is there anything reasonable I can do about it?" She laid a place mat in front of him and set a coffee mug on it. The teakettle sang, calling her back to the stove.
    "A mat for a cup of coffee? Just more laundry." He shook his head. "You could get a simple alarm system that would trigger a siren. It would wake you up and alert the neighbors. It would be more effective than a silent alarm that summons the police. If the slimebag's halfway efficient, you'd be dead before they got here."
    Claire almost dropped the teapot. "You do have a way with words, Mr. Riley."
    "What do you think he's after, a lock of your hair? And I told you to call me Riley."
    "Right. Riley." He wasn't going to pussyfoot around to spare her delicate sensibilities. She dropped a bag of mint tea in her cup and filled it with hot water, giving herself time to think.
    The phone rang. She whipped around, spilling tea into her saucer. "Oh, damn, not again."
    "You think it's your obscene caller? Answer. I want to hear."
    She set her tea on the counter and lifted the receiver. Riley leaned in close, his head touching hers. "Hello," she said, determined to keep her voice steady.
    "Claire? It's me, Hal. Are you okay?"
    "Yes, I'm fine," she said, shifting away from Riley. A corner of his mouth quirked and he sat back down.
    "I saw your lights and thought I'd better check," Hal said.
    "Thanks. I couldn't sleep and came down to make tea."
    "Neither could I. Do you want me to come over? Everything's quiet here."
    She wondered if Riley could hear him. "No, I appreciate the offer, but I'm going back to bed soon." She said goodnight and hung up. So he'd finally noticed her. Why now? Somehow, Hal's presence in her life didn't seem so attractive as it might have yesterday.
    The coffeemaker stopped bubbling, and Riley stood to pour a cup. His voice interrupted her musings. "No nasty suggestions? Your friendly neighbor isn't your midnight caller?"
    "Of course not." He was baiting her, and she refused to be sucked in. She dumped the tea from her saucer and made herself a fresh cup.
    Riley returned to her problem. "The guy who attacked you has an impersonal feel — you're pretty sure you don't know him?"
    She clutched the cup, absorbing its warmth, and sniffed the fragrant mint. "I don't think so. I didn't see him, but he wasn't wearing the aftershave I smelled in my bedroom—I'd recognize it."
    "That's it. I knew something didn't fit. There are two of them. No one with asthma or breathing problems would wear perfumy stuff. I'll bet the second guy's smoke and aftershave are what's causing him to sound so bad, which also means the wheezer's not the boss. Number Two, the boss, messed up your bed the other night, and the other one waited here for you." He swirled the coffee in the