Hot Trick (A Detective Shelley Caldwell Novel) by Patricia Rosemoor Read Free Book Online

would never hurt anyone!”
    Surprised that she was defending her new employer so vehemently, I wondered if Silke had feelings for him. I told her about Casey Brogan and how I’d thought the supposed banshee’s warning was connected to Sebastian. “Surely you can see why I have to check this out. By the way, the victim’s name is Julie Martin.”
    “Sorry, it doesn’t ring any bells for me.”
    “Maybe it will for Sebastian, but I have to be able to talk to him to find out.”
    “I’m sure he would want to help.”
    “Good. Then you won’t mind giving me his phone number or address.”
    “I wouldn’t mind if I had them.”
    She didn’t have contact information for her employer? “How do you call him?”
    “He calls me.”
    “And you don’t know where he lives?”
    “Someplace in Humboldt Park.”
    Wow, that narrowed it down to a couple of square miles. “What about a studio?”
    “What studio?”
    “Where does he keep his props? Let me guess—you don’t have the address. What about rehearsals?”
    “Tonight was the first time I worked for him, Shell.” Annoyance laced Silke’s voice. “When I met him at a coffee shop, he told me what I had to do and said I needed to improvise and to follow Oriel’s lead.”
    She’d interviewed for a job in a coffee shop rather than in an office? Why was I not surprised?
    “Oriel…” I said, grabbing on to the name. “Are you still with her?”
    “Yeah, she’s on the dance floor.”
    “See if she has Sebastian’s address or phone number and get back to me.”
    When I hung up, I realized Jake was holding my jacket to his face as if smelling it. I stared for a moment, my stomach twirling. Undoubtedly his sour expression came from the scent of riverbank all over my clothes.
    “Something wrong?”
    He dropped the jacket on the couch. “You tell me.”
    For a moment I stood mesmerized by the beauty of the man—all six feet of him, athletically built, with dark hair and smoldering good looks. Even the fine scar cutting through the beard stubble on his left cheek turned me on. And then I told my hormones to go on hold for a little while longer.
    “Of course something’s wrong. A woman has been murdered. But that’s not what I meant.”
    “This Sebastian… I’ve heard of him. Was he as good as his publicity would indicate?”
    “Better.”
    Jake’s eyebrows arched. “Really. In what way?”
    If I didn’t know better, I would think he was jealous. “Listen, I need to take a shower, and now while Silke’s trying to get me that information seems like the right time.”
    I headed into the bedroom where I got clean underwear, tan slacks and a white cotton shirt. I looked under the bed right into Sarge’s wide, slightly panicked eyes. Cadet was directly behind Sarge, as if using him for protection. She meowed pitifully.
    “Come on. You guys know Jake. It’s okay. He won’t eat you or anything.”
    But I wasn’t very convincing, because both cats stayed put. I wasn’t sure if their reluctance came from having so little contact with men before Jake…or if they sensed he wasn’t quite all human. Sighing, I got to my feet. Jake leaned against the doorway, watching me intently. His expression was hungry. And not for food.
    Heading for the bathroom, I said, “If Silke calls back before I’m out, would you write down the address for me?”
    “I would rather give you more personal attention. I could get you really clean.”
    My insides tumbled and I groaned. “Don’t tempt me, please. Sounds great, but not tonight. Not when—”
    “Not when you have detecting to do,” he finished for me.
    “Yeah, you know the drill. Really, I’m sorry.” I was already backing into the bathroom. “Can I have a rain check, though?”
    “Always.”
    Always …a word that both excited and frightened me. I couldn’t imagine sharing “always” with one man…but neither could I imagine being without Jake.

Chapter Eight
    Silke snapped the cell phone shut. She had