Mama Said by Wendy Byrne Read Free Book Online Page B

afraid of the cops, you won’t even involve them when they should be.”
    “I’m not afraid of anything.” What happened to that quiet Gabriella of a few minutes ago? He should have enjoyed that hiccup of peace while it lasted. “Don’t you get it? That wasn’t just any punk kid. He got paid to do what he did. Patrick wants you to report the crime.”
    “You are so freakin’ paranoid. You’re not even making sense.” She sounded tired and grumpy. “I was fired and mugged all within thirty seconds and now you’re forcing me to listen to your cops-are-out-to-get-me paranoia. Enough already.”
    He shook his head. How could he get her to understand? “If you insist on stirring up even more trouble, feel free to call the police on your own.” He sighed. “But you have no idea what kind of hell my brother can cause.”
    * * *
     
    A sleepless night didn’t make Shane’s argument make any more sense. His idea that there was some giant conspiracy operating against him was sheer lunacy. The police were the good guys.
    Patrick was not the enemy. Maybe he and Shane had a rocky past, but that had nothing to do with what happened to her last night.
    Besides, her brothers were police officers. What would they think if they learned she had been a victim of a crime and didn’t report it?
    More determined than ever, Gabriella dumped out the contents of her purse and searched for the card Patrick had slipped into her hand the previous night. Finally locating it, she opened up her cell and dialed the number.
    The phone rang several times before voice mail picked up. “This is Detective Patrick O’Neil. Leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
    “Patrick, this is Gabriella. I need to talk to you. I’ll call you back.” Just as she finished leaving the message, there was a knock at the door. Startled, she dropped her phone onto the wood floor.
    Ohmigod, what if there was some kind of audio or video surveillance inside the apartment? Could Shane have wired the place for sound? Was everything she said being piped into the stereo of his car, or his cell, or his office, or all three simultaneously? Or was some of his paranoia rubbing off on her?
    Gabriella jumped at the second knock. Convinced it was Shane stopping by to bodily throw her out of town, her voice shook as she answered. “Who is it?”
    “Carissa.”
    She sighed, knowing she was only marginally safer with Carissa. Her allegiance had been clear from the first day Gabriella had met her, but she had a hard time believing Shane had sent her to do his dirty work.
    When she opened the door seconds later, Carissa stood on the other side. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I have to ask you a favor.” It might have been some kind of elaborate trick, but the harried look on her face said otherwise.
    “Sure. What is it?”
    She walked inside, nervousness reflected in her frenetic movements. Normally Carissa was calm and matter-of-fact, even when all four lines on the phone were ringing simultaneously.
    “I need to get in touch with Shane. He’s working on a case, and an emergency hearing on a motion for dismissal has just been scheduled for today at five. The defense lawyer, Vince Perry, needs Shane to testify about what he found. But Shane’s teaching, so he has his phone off. Is there any way you could take a cab to let him know? I’ve got to get to class, otherwise I’d go.”
    “Teaching?” She couldn’t imagine him teaching anything except how to be grumpy twenty-four-seven.
    Preoccupied, Carissa paced back and forth in the small apartment. “This never happens. Everyone knows Wednesday afternoons are sacred for Shane.” She took a deep breath, as if trying to find another way out of this puzzle. But in the end, she couldn’t. “He volunteers every Wednesday afternoon at one of the high schools.” Based on her move towards the door, it was pretty obvious she didn’t want to elaborate.
    Any qualms Gabriella might have had were