Divine Justice by Cheryl Kaye Tardif Read Free Book Online Page B

Jasi explained. "Just briefly, mind you. But it was obvious you knew the importance of his gloves."
    "I'll have to work on that."
    Ben held out his hand. "I'll admit I was expecting someone more…"
    "Russian?" Natassia shook his hand briefly, then shifted smoothly into a heavy accent. "You're wondering where my Russian accent has gone, da? I'm fluent in five languages. English, French, Spanish, Japanese and Russian." She looked directly at him. "Vy zhenaty?"
    He was sure she'd just called him something nasty.
    She switched to a perfect Canadian accent. "Oh, and I speak a bit of German, but not enough to fool anyone."
    "Must come in handy," Jasi said in admiration.
    "With a little help from a good makeup artist, I can pass for all five nationalities." Natassia fastened her gaze on him. "Looks can be deceiving, eh?"
    Ben clamped his lips shut. The woman had made her point. And he didn't like that. She had firmly set him in his place, and at this particular moment, he wasn't exactly sure where that was.
    "I'll do some background checks while you two visit Marilyn Winkler."
    Jasi gave him a surprised look. "Don't you want to come too?"
    "I'll go see her later."
    He needed some time to assess the current situation.
    And Natassia Prushenko.
    The only way he could do that was if he distanced himself from her. For the good of the case, he told himself.
    Natassia stared at him. "I'll need case details."
    "What did Matthew tell you?" Jasi asked.
    "He said a dead politician was found on the beach."
    "The victim's name is Monty Winkler. He's an MLA."
    "Any suspects?"
    "Not yet," Jasi replied. "And no primary murder scene."
    While she filled Natassia in on the details, Ben sipped his coffee. He tried to eat the last few fries, but they were tasteless and cold. His attention kept wandering―much to his dismay―to a gold cross that was playing hide and seek between black lace and flawless skin.
     
    "A job interview, huh?" Jasi said to Natassia as they made their way to the elevator. They'd left Ben back in the coffee shop to sulk.
    "It was the only thing I could think of saying."
    "And what was that you said to him? Vy …"
    "Vy zhenaty?" Natassia laughed. "I asked if he was married."
    From the corner of her eye, Jasi peeked at her new partner. She was about to say something, warn the woman, but the elevator stopped at their floor.
    "I still don't understand why you were so nervous to meet Ben," she said, swiping the hotel key in the lock and making a mental note to get one for Natassia. "He's a great supervisor, very patient and not overly demanding."
    "It wasn't Ben I was nervous about meeting."
    Jasi was taken aback. "Me?" She laughed. "You've got to be kidding."
    When they entered the room, Jasi spotted a red light flashing on the phone.
    "Someone's left us a message," she said, curious.
    She called down to the front desk. "I have a message?"
    "There's a small package down here for you."
    She frowned. "Who's it from?"
    "It's from a Matthew Divine, at the CFBI."
    "I'll be right down."
     
    When Jasi returned to the room, she showed Natassia the small box she'd retrieved from the front desk.
    "I have no idea why Matthew sent me this."
    "What's inside?"
    "I don't know. I haven't opened it yet."
    Natassia smiled. "Is it your birthday or something?"
    "No," she frowned. "Not for a couple of months."
    The box was about the size of a triple pack of soap bars and the postal stamp had yesterday's date. When she opened the package, she found an envelope and a note from Matthew. As usual, he was a man of few words.
    Jasi, someone sent this to you, so I'm forwarding it on.
    She studied the envelope. Someone had carefully printed her name in block letters. That was it, nothing else.
    Who sent this?
    She'd have to ask Matthew later.
    "Well, aren't you going to open it?" Natassia asked.
    She did just that and a lighter slid into the palm of her hand. She showed it to Natassia. "Just what I need."
    "I take it you don't smoke?"
    Jasi made a face. "No,