Hurricane Bay by Heather Graham Read Free Book Online Page B

money for what Sheila has cost me. I don’t give a damn whether I ever hear from her again or not.”
    â€œBut she has to keep in touch with you, because of the money,” Kelsey persisted.
    Latham took a step toward her.
    Out on the streets, she thought, he wouldn’t have scared her. If she hadn’t known him, he might even have appeared to be a decent looking and friendly kind of fellow. An all-around American male, the type to watch football on a Sunday afternoon, play armchair quarterback and show up for work on Monday morning to talk over the game with the guys.
    Except that he smelled a little like fish.
    But she did know him. She knew he had taken a belt to Sheila several times when she had lived at home.
    And he made her nervous as hell.
    She took a backward step toward the door.
    â€œLook, I’m really worried about Sheila,” Kelsey said. “If you do hear anything from her, anything at all, please have her get in touch with me right away.”
    â€œAnd where would that be, missy?” he asked. He was walking toward her again. She had the strangest sensation that if he touched her, she would somehow be marked for life. The remaining light outside had faded. The living room was lit by one weak bulb in a lamp with no shade. The pale light fell on the carcasses of mounted fish on the wall, and the head and neck of a tiny key deer with glassy eyes.
    â€œJust tell Sheila to get ahold of me if you hear from her. She’ll know where I am.”
    â€œYou’re staying out at her place, eh?”
    â€œMr. Latham, you did raise Sheila. You must have some feelings for her.”
    â€œYeah, I hate the little bitch.”
    â€œI’m worried, and she’s missing. And the police will be around to talk to you,” Kelsey said, her sense of both uneasiness and indignation rising within her.
    â€œThe cops?” Latham said, then he repeated the words, his voice seeming to rise to a roar. “The cops! You called the cops on me because that little twit of a girl has gone off with some poor Joe she intends to milk for all he’s worth?”
    At that point he was almost upon her. Dignity and courtesy be damned, Kelsey was getting out. She turned and headed for the door. She heard him following after her. She felt his breathing.
    His hand clamped down on her shoulder. She almost screamed as he spun her around. “Don’t you go causing trouble for me, you hear? You mark my words—Sheila is off with some man—a fool with money, with any luck. Getting the police involved is just going to get her into trouble. Maybe she’ll even see some jail time, understand? Don’t go getting the cops involved with Sheila and me. Don’t you do it over that riffraff girl!”
    He had powerful fingers. They were digging into her shoulder. His face was taut with tension, and his eyes had a hard yellow gleam about them.
    The stench of fish wafted over her.
    â€œLet go of my shoulder.”
    He smiled. The man had amazingly good teeth. Very white. It could have been a good smile, but instead it was full of menace and pleasure at the fear he was sensing in her.
    â€œYou came to my house to throw accusations in my face, little lady,” he said quietly, not releasing her.
    â€œAccusations?” Kelsey said. “I didn’t accuse you of anything. I asked you if you had seen Sheila, and if you could tell her I’m looking for her if you do see her.”
    â€œIf you didn’t accuse me of anything, why are you calling the cops on me?”
    His grasp had a definite biting quality. He was strong, or, at least, stronger than she was.
    Cindy had been right. She shouldn’t have come here. Alone. At night.
    Alone at any time, she thought.
    She wanted to remain calm and rational; she also wanted to scream and jerk away from him. She tried to remember all the movies she had seen, all the programs she had watched about dealing with dangerous situations.