Deadly Little Secrets by Jeanne Adams Read Free Book Online Page A

him.
    â€œJen,” Ana finally got a word in edgewise. “Hey, would you mind if I joined you on Friday, just for a bit?”
    There was a moment of silence, then a squeal of glee. “Really? You’d go? Like dress up and everything?”
    â€œSure. It’s business though. I need to be there. Check stuff out with the gallery owner.”
    â€œWith Carrie McCray?” Jen was incredulous. “Seriously?”
    â€œWell, I want to take a look at this guy of yours too.” She was tweaking Jen now and waiting to see how she’d take it.
    She could hear the pout in her friend’s voice. “You’re not going to weird him out with the third degree are you?”
    â€œNo, really, I won’t. Besides a gun and weighted blackjack don’t go with the dress I’m planning to wear,” she joked, getting a reluctant laugh from Jen. “It’s just that I do need to go to that gallery, for a cold case I’m checking out, and it would be great if I could do it unofficially first. You know, incognito.”
    â€œWow, cool, like undercover?”
    Ana grinned. “Sort of. I’d use another name, look a little different, but meet you there so I have an entrée. That is, if your date doesn’t object.”
    â€œI’ll text him and double-check, then let you know. You gonna be in your office?”
    â€œYeah, but text me on my phone for now rather than e-mail. I’ve got a go-ahead, but I’d like to keep this off the radar.” Jen wouldn’t question that, but Pretzky would have. Ana wasn’t sure why she wanted to keep Jen’s connection to her visit to Prometheus and Carrie off the official notes for now, but she did.
    â€œGot it,” Jen said, her mind obviously now on other things because she didn’t have anything else to say about Mr. Millionaire. “I gotta go, I’m getting another call. Later?”
    â€œYou bet,” Ana said, heading for vending to get something sweet.
    Before the end of the day, Ana had a text saying there would be a pass for her at the door if she’d give Jen a name for the pass. Digging through her desk, Ana got out her folder with alternate identities and picked one of her favorites.
    â€œShirley Bascom. That looks good.” Shirley, as her alter ego, was about the right temperament to be going out for an evening at the gallery. A red wig and a pair of glasses would do the rest. Not that a gallery would check that closely if a millionaire gave her name as a guest. She texted the name to Jen.
    She spent the rest of the week and all of Friday sorting through the data, arranging it to suit her, making sure she knew whose pieces had come from which gallery and which showing. She pulled out and sorted everything that had come from Prometheus, both before Luke Gideon’s death and after it.
    Only two fraudulent items were on the list after Luke’s death. Interesting. She wondered what Carrie McCray had changed, if anything.
    â€œYou going tonight?” Pretzky sneaked up on her again.
    Ana refused to jump, refused to give Pretzky any more satisfaction.
    â€œYeah. Got a pass through a connection. Using an alias, not that I really need it, but it’ll keep things clear and separate.”
    â€œGood.” Pretzky surprised her by approving. Ana had figured she’d bitch about it. “Keep me posted. Send an e-mail after you leave the event, fill me in.”
    â€œWill do,” she said, glancing up. Pretzky was frowning at her, a strange look on her face. “Problem?”
    â€œOf course not. See that you report in, Burton,” she said curtly, stalking away.
    â€œHave a good weekend,” Ana called. She nearly winced again as the words left her mouth. She didn’t want to fraternize with Pretzky. Didn’t want to imply friendship. Didn’t even want to hate the woman. She didn’t want to feel anything for her current post other than the tedium of