Jingle of Coins by C D Ledbetter Read Free Book Online

some surveillance work?” He leaned over and peered into the rear of the engine compartment. Unable to see through the maze of colored wires, engine parts, and hose lines, he waited for Pete to finish.
    “I’ll be right with you.” A few minutes later there was a loud crash, followed by a string of obscenities. Shortly thereafter Pete rolled out and wiped his greasy hands on a rag. He stared at Glen for a few minutes, frowning. “What’s the job?”
    “Divorce case. I need somebody to keep an eye on the wife while I’m at work. All you have to do is tell me where she goes, what she does, and who she meets. Pays a hundred bucks a day.”
    Pete wiped his brow with his forearm. “When do I start?”
    “In a couple of days.”
    “Okay.” He glanced back at the car. “I hate to be rude, but I gotta get back to work.”
    Glen smiled. “No problem. I’ll be in touch.” He handed the older man two hundred dollars. “Here’s two days’ pay in advance.”
    Pete grunted and stuffed the money into his pocket. “Thanks.”
    Glen watched Pete disappear, then walked back to his car. So far, so good, he thought as he pulled onto the freeway. Now all he had to do was wait for Emily to return. Unfortunately, waiting was always the hardest part.

 
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
    Emily slowed her speed as she navigated the steep rise to the top of the mountain. The last few miles formed a series of hills and sharp curves that climbed steadily upward. Even though she kept her car in the inside lane, the feeling of dread that began as a prickle of unease on the base of her neck increased tenfold. Fighting the terror that threatened to overwhelm her, she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip and concentrated on increasing the distance between her car and the one ahead. Her Jeep inched closer to the top of the rise, and she noted with dismay a series of signs indicating a steep downward grade.
    Oh God. Not only did she have to go down the other side of the mountain—she had to negotiate a six percent grade! Memories of her accident flooded her brain, bringing with them a mind-numbing panic. As she fought the terror that threatened to block out rational thought, her chest tightened and her breathing turned into painful gasps. Her vision blurred. Some rational part of her brain recognized the onset of a panic attack, so she eased the car into the emergency stopping lane. Her hands shook as she raised them to cover her mouth in an effort to calm frazzled nerves. Using the relaxation techniques she’d learned in physical therapy, she cleared her mind of conscious thought and focused on deep breathing while she counted from one to twenty. By the time she reached twelve, the painful gasps to force air into her lungs became easy breaths, and the pounding in her chest slowed to slow, rhythmic thumps.
    Emily willed the rest of her body to relax. This was ridiculous. She had to go down the other side of the mountain. She couldn’t stay up here forever, and she certainly wasn’t going to allow a state trooper or worse, local cop, to drive her car down the mountain. No way was she going to take that route. She’d made it this far by herself, and by God, she could make it the rest of the way. The word coward no longer existed in her vocabulary.
    “I can do this,” she told herself in a voice made unrecognizable by fear. “Six percent isn’t that steep a grade. All I have to do is hold the wheel steady and go slow. Just because I had a wreck coming down the mountain in northern California doesn’t mean I’m going to have one now. I’ll be fine. People drive down this mountain every day without incident. It’s less than a hundred miles to Vegas. I can make that. I know I can.”
    Vegas lay just beyond the horizon, beckoning like a desert mirage, so close, yet far away. Emily took a deep breath, and squared her shoulders. Clamping her teeth together to keep them from chattering, she started the engine and slowly merged back into traffic,