Dangerous Kisses (Siren Publishing Classic) by Tonya Ramagos Read Free Book Online

down memory lane or to rekindle what they once had.
    “You called my personal line, Detective.”
    Megan rolled her eyes. “Touché. Why wasn’t I notified?”
    Jerry sighed into his phone. “I had a feeling you would be calling. You took longer than I expected.”
    She wouldn’t have if Drake hadn’t showed up on her doorstep, but she didn’t tell Jerry that. “Why didn’t you call me ?” She refused to let up on this. Damn it, he knew how much Paul had meant to her.
    “It wasn’t a homicide, Megan.” His tone softened, his voice filling with compassion. “It was an accident. A horrible one that left no one at fault but the shark. I can’t very well take a fourteen-foot tiger shark into custody and neither could you.”
    “Don’t make jokes, Jerry,” she snapped. “Not now.”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that to be funny, nor did I mean to sound insensitive.” He paused for a heartbeat, and she heard the sounds of ice cubes hitting a glass in the background. “How did you hear?”
    “The late-night news report.”
    “I’m sorry about that, too. I thought about calling you, but I knew if I did, you would be up there in a flash.”
    Megan ran out of space to pace, whirled around, and started again. “Damn right I would’ve been.”
    “And there wouldn’t have been a reason for you to be. It wasn’t a pretty sight, Megan. Paul was a close friend to you, a father figure. I know that. I didn’t want you to remember him the way I’m going to.”
    “I appreciate your concern,” she said through gritted teeth, “but it was the wrong choice.”
    “It was as much an official choice as it was a personal one. There were no indications in that facility that led me to believe what happened to Paul was anything more than a terrible accident. I interrogated everyone at the scene then ordered the place sealed until morning.”
    “The sharks—”
    “Will be fine for now. Drake Allen informed me of an argument over the temperature of the shark tanks that occurred this afternoon, apparently shortly before Paul’s death. I had him check the gauges before I sent him home. I also checked it myself before I left. The temperature is holding at a steady seventy-five degrees.”
    “The self-cleaning system on that tiger shark tank won’t be enough after something like this. The tank will have to be manually cleaned.”
    “I’m aware of that.” Cusack’s tone rang with patience. “I also know that no harm will come to that shark or any of the other fish in that tank from swimming in bloody water for a few hours. Since I have you on the phone, you can tell me who would be in charge of that. I’m assuming before he was fired today, it would have been Robert Warren. Who is next in line?”
    “Drake.”
    Cusack made a sound that might have been laughter, but was full of derision. “Yeah, I figured that. I’ll get in touch with him first thing in the morning. He can get a small crew together, and I’ll let him in to take care of the tank.”
    “I’ll be there, too.” Megan made the decision in a finger snap.
    “Need I remind you that you are on vacation, Detective?” Warning cut through the patience in his voice.
    “Need I remind you, Sergeant, that you told me use the week to get out, hit the water, spend some time with the marine life? I’ll be hitting the water in that tank tomorrow morning, spending time with the shark that took Paul’s life.”
    “As part of the crew I intend to allow Allen to bring in,” Cusack guessed correctly, sounding none too pleased by the idea.
    “With both Paul and Robert gone, he’ll need someone with the skill to handle that shark. I’ve got the skill, I’ve got the knowledge, and I’ll be there.”
    “Are you seeing him now?” Though calmly asked, accusation laced his voice.
    The question threw her for a loop. She knew he suspected Drake was the reason she had broken off their relationship. He had interrogated her more than once before they broke up