Killer Heat by Brenda Novak Read Free Book Online Page A

fall asleep, she didn’t want to roll over on top of it. But there was little chanceof nodding off. She’d have to relax for that to happen. And she couldn’t relax. When she wasn’t thinking about Butch, she was thinking about Jonah. How ironic that he’d pop up on a day when she was so ill-equipped to deal with his reappearance in her life.
    Talk about rotten luck and terrible timing….
    Running a finger over each eyebrow as if she could smooth away the anxiety, she replayed the argument that had ensued after Finch had pulled away from the salvage yard.
    Jonah: “What the hell’s wrong with you, Francesca? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
    Francesca: “Weren’t you listening? I was trying to get my purse. He has the keys to my house, my cell phone, my wallet, everything!”
    Jonah: “I understand that. But you had no proof, no basis for accusing him. It was your word against his. Why provoke him?”
    Francesca: “You think I should’ve let it all go without a fight?”
    Jonah: “I think you don’t take on a man like that unless you know in advance that you’ve got him by the balls. He’d already allowed Hunsacker and his men to search the whole place. It wasn’t as if we could force him to let us look again. That would require a warrant.”
    Finch: “And, in case you’re wondering, there’s no way we could get a warrant. You were the one who was trespassing. You’re also the only one who inflicted bodily harm.”
    Francesca: “He tackled me! These abrasions and burns don’t mean anything?”
    Finch: “They don’t constitute an attack as obvious as the scratches you left on his face.”
    Jonah: “He could easily make up an excuse for that,say you flew into a panic when you thought that mannequin was a body and fell while you were running away. How would you prove otherwise?”
    Finch: “I’m telling you, any judge I approach would act to protect Vaughn’s rights, to stop a possible lawsuit if for no other reason.”
    Francesca: “A lawsuit?”
    Finch: “He could sue the city for ‘misconduct.’”
    Francesca: “Since when is following up on a lead considered misconduct?”
    At that point, the investigator had turned to face her for the first time since they’d left the salvage yard. “We descended on him like flies on shit because you’re an investigator. I believed you when you told me there was a body in that junkyard.” Here, he’d smacked the steering wheel. “Damn it, you hadn’t even looked at it!”
    Francesca: “I made a mistake, okay? That doesn’t mean he’s not responsible for April’s disappearance.”
    Finch: “No, it doesn’t. But we need proof before we go barging in there again. Solid proof. More than just your word.”
    Francesca: “Fine. I’ll get the proof!”
    Finch had shot her a sullen look. “You do that.”
    Jonah: “Considering what’s happened, the smartest response is to cut your losses and stay out of it. Your life is worth far more than whatever you had in that purse. Let us take it from here.”
    This comment had caused her to twist around in her seat. “So you do think he’s dangerous.”
    Jonah: “I plan to find out. That much I can promise.”
    Francesca: “Well, for the record, I’m not worried about my perfume and my lipstick, okay? I’m worried about him having my personal information.”
    Finch: “Cancel your credit cards and change your locks.”
    Jonah: “And until you can do that, don’t go home. Rekey your house and your car, put in a security system at your office, if you don’t already have one, and stay with your parents.”
    That wasn’t an option. These days, her parents spent their summers in Montana, building their dream house near her brother,