Grace Among Thieves by Julie Hyzy Read Free Book Online Page B

possible. And honestly, I would hate to have to reschedule.” I massaged my temples. “What a headache that would be. Especially since we don’t even know that there’s any connection between the Kane Estate thefts and Marshfield’s missing items. Now that we’re forewarned, though, we can be prepared.”
    “If there is any connection, you’ve already thwarted them by limiting chaos as cover,” Bruce said. “You have to feel pretty good about that.”
    I took another look at the bottle of wine Bruce had brought home. “You said Hillary was flirting up a storm?”
    “Like there was no tomorrow.”
    “Curious.”
    “Why?” he asked.
    “I thought she hated Emberstowne and everyone in it.”
    He twisted his mouth and shook his head.
    “What aren’t you telling me?”
    “I don’t think she hates it here as much as she pretends. I was watching her today at the wine bar. She got this look in her eyes.”
    “Predatory?” I asked with a smirk.
    Bruce didn’t laugh. “I’d call it wistful. She seemed to want to fit in but didn’t know how. I think she’s uncomfortable interacting with others. Unless she’s flirting with men”—he pointed to himself—“or antagonizing other women.” He pointed to me.
    “She flirts with you?”
    “All the time; Scott, too. For all the good it’ll do her.” Now he did laugh. “That’s what I mean, though. She doesn’t know how to interact with men except in a sexual way.”
    “I still don’t understand why she’s hanging out in town. Something doesn’t add up.”
    “She’s not so bad, you know.”
    I cocked an eyebrow. “Has all that female flirting addled your brain?”
    “I feel sorry for her. Sure, she looks all put together, but she has to work at it. Hard. And the cracks are beginning to show. She wants to be happy, but doesn’t have a clue how to get there.”
    I thought about that. “You’re pretty insightful.”
    “Now I know you’re exhausted. Say good night, Gracie.”
    He was right. I stood. “Good night.”

Chapter 5
    FROM ALMOST THE TIME I’D REALIZED I WAS allergic to Bootsie, she’d shifted her sleep pattern, voluntarily accommodating me as though aware of my discomfort. Instead of sharing my pillow the way she had from the start, she’d taken to making herself comfortable behind my knees, nestling into their crook every night, while I stroked the side of her face until we both fell asleep.
    She lifted her head when my alarm went off at four. “Sorry, kiddo,” I said, scooching away so as not to disturb her slumber. I needn’t have worried. As I tucked my feet into my big yellow slippers, I glanced back. She’d rolled over, sound asleep again. Lucky cat.
    Forty minutes after waking, I was out the door. Although nothing required my presence at the filming this morning, I wanted to make certain that the treasures featured today were described accurately. And after Nadia’s warning, I didn’t want to leave anything to chance.
    I parked in my usual place in the underground employee lot, leaving Hillary’s bottle of wine there to retrieve later. Instead of cutting through the mansion I went straight outdoors, making my way around to the front. The early morning air was cool and damp, filling my senses with that gorgeous mossy scent of green, and tickling me as though the dew were settling directly on my skin. Shuffling through the soft underbrush, I breathed deeply. Life was filled with promise and hope. Today was sure to be a good day.
    I came up a small rise and turned at the mansion’s northeast corner, surprised to see trucks parked outside the giant front doors. They were panel trucks, very similar to the one I’d rented when I moved here from New York. These, however, were solid black rather than bright yellow, and bore no logo whatsoever.
    Corbin and his team were assembling outside the front doors when I arrived. Marshfield’s outdoor spotlights kept the area bright as day, but the darkness that sheltered the woods beyond