Jennifer Crusie Bundle by Jennifer Crusie Read Free Book Online Page B

logic tells me there isn’t,” Lucy said.
    â€œYour logic is wrong,” Zack said absently.
    â€œI beg your pardon?”
    â€œWhy were you in that diner today?”
    â€œI told you, I was at the courthouse….”
    â€œWere you supposed to meet Bradley at the diner?”
    â€œNot exactly. I was supposed to meet Bradley at the courthouse. But he’d sent me a note, asking me to have lunch with him at the diner after the hearing, and then when he didn’t show up at the courthouse and my sister Tina wanted to talk, I suggested the diner, just in case he’d be there.”
    â€œSo you went to the diner to meet Bradley.”
    â€œNo,” Lucy said patiently. “I wasn’t even sure he’d be there. But Tina insisted on lunch so she could convince me to become spontaneous and irresponsible, and I picked the diner just in case he might be there. And then thanks to her, I beat up a cop.”
    â€œYou did not beat up a cop. I told you, I wasn’t fighting back.” Zack leaned forward until he was almost touching her, his blue eyes blazing into hers. “Now, listen. Concentrate. ”
    Lucy blinked at the heat in his gaze. “Okay,” she said, trying to remember what they’d been talking about. He was doing something to her brain, scrambling her thoughts. I bet he’s murder on cell phones, she thought, and then dragged her attention back to what he was saying.
    â€œMy partner and I were there because a woman called and told us that Bradley was going to be there,” Zack said, speaking very clearly as if he thought she was slightly backward. “That is all she said. ‘Bradley’s going to be at Harvey’s Diner on Second at one.’ Now, could that have been your sister?”
    Lucy pulled back a little so she could think. “My sister would love to see Bradley arrested and shot, but even she wouldn’t call and tell you he was going to be there if there wasn’t any reason for you to arrest him. Trust me, Tina does not think that Bradley is involved in a crime. And neither do I. And neither do you. You’re just annoyed because your instincts failed you.”
    â€œNo,” Zack said. “Somebody shot at you this afternoon. Remember when I grabbed you by the alley?”
    â€œVividly.”
    He leaned forward suddenly and touched the cut on her cheek, and she jerked back. “How did you get that?”
    â€œA car hit a stone….”
    Zack shook his head. “Somebody shot at you and missed and the bullet kicked back a piece of the brick wall. I saw it hit you. That’s why I dragged you into the alley.”
    â€œOh.” Lucy digested the information. “So you thought you were saving my life while I thought you were mugging me.”
    â€œI didn’t think I was saving your life, I…”
    â€œAnd then I beat you up. I’m really sorry.”
    Zack closed his eyes and then looked at Lucy again. “Listen to me carefully. Somebody is trying to kill you.”
    She glared at him. “Listen to me carefully. Nobody is trying to kill me, and if you looked at this logically, you would see that.”
    â€œWait a minute.”
    â€œThere are two people standing against the wall. One of these people is a mild-mannered high-school teacher whose students all adore her. The other is a condescending police officer who grabs innocent women and drags them into alleys and who has probably alienated everyone in the greater Riverbend area. Now, which of these two people is most likely to be shot at?”
    â€œYou,” Zack said. “My instincts tell me you.”
    â€œYour instincts stink,” Lucy said and blinked. “I’m sorry. I’m usually not rude. I’ve had a bad day.”
    â€œThat’s all right,” Zack said. “People are rude to me all the time.”
    He shoved his notebook back in his jacket and stood. “Listen, we’ll argue