Queens Ransom (Sofie Metropolis) by Tori Carrington Read Free Book Online Page A

when he was pimply and I never let him forget it. Not for a minute.
    But recently things between us had improved substantially.
    Hungry wood chippers and neighborhood serial killers had a way of bonding people together.
    ‘So, what’s up?’ he said, as if this were a summer day and we were just coming across each other, indulging in a bit of catch up.
    I raised a brow. ‘Other than every hair on my body ’cause it’s freakin’ freezing out here?’
    I knew this was the way Pino operated. Why come straight to the point when you could work your away around to it? I imagined he thought he was some uniformed version of Columbo trying to get a suspect to incriminate themselves because they judged him somewhere below incompetent.
    Unfortunately I was guessing most of the people Pino questioned had nothing incriminating to say.
    I unlocked the driver’s door of my Mustang and put my purse and travel cup inside.
    ‘You planning on sharing what’s on your mind? Or are you going to make me leave you standing here?’ I asked.
    ‘Your car.’
    ‘My car.’ I gestured for him to continue.
    ‘You left it in the middle of the street last night.’
    ‘Ah.’ So he must have been the one to park it.
    Shit.
    ‘I was in a hurry.’ I got into the car. ‘Like I am now.’
    He caught the door when I tried to close it. ‘Right.’
    I grimaced at him. I supposed I should at least thank him for saving me the towing money and hassle. So I did.
    ‘Cough it up, Sof.’
    ‘What? Am I cat? No fur balls to be had.’
    I couldn’t very well tell him I was working a custodial kidnapping case and that I’d been instructed not to go to the police.
    He positioned himself so I couldn’t close the door without hitting him and crossed his arms.
    ‘There was an awesome sale and I got caught behind some asshole that was double parked?’ I tried.
    ‘And left your keys in the car?’
    ‘Yeah.’ I smiled brightly. ‘The sale was good, it was the last day and the shop was about to close.’
    ‘What did you get?’
    ‘A pair of crotchless underwear,’ I said. ‘Look, Pino, I’d really like to give you a full rundown, but I’m late for a doctor’s appointment.’
    ‘Nice try.’
    ‘Yeah, my annual pap smear. You know, female stuff where that crotchless underwear really comes in handy. You want to tag along?’
    That caught him off guard. As I knew it would.
    Somehow his face got redder than the cold had already made it.
    ‘Can I go now? Or would you like further details?’
    I couldn’t help giving myself an inward smile. It wasn’t that long ago I wouldn’t have dared say what I just had to him. To anybody, for that matter. Now the words and the lies they represented slid right off my tongue smooth as could be.
    And garnered me exactly the results I wanted.
    He stepped back. ‘I still want that explanation.’
    ‘And maybe later I’ll give it to you.’
    I closed the door, started Lucille with a great deal of sputtering and ass shaking, and then pulled from the curb, the move from ice rut to ice rut jarring my bones.
    My cell rang as soon as I put Pino in my rear-view mirror.
    Damn.
    I fumbled to get it out of my purse and nearly hit a parked car when a woman swung open her door without looking.
    ‘Moron!’ I shouted.
    She flipped me the bird.
    ‘Is that anyway to talk to your mother?’ the voice on the phone wanted to know.
    Great.
    Hadn’t I just talked to her?
    No matter, I got the distinct impression the guilt trip she was about to send me on was going to be a good one.

Six
     
    A half hour later I sat parked at the curb on a residential street in Corona where the tenements hugged the sidewalks and there barely seemed room enough to breathe, much less live. I was lucky to have gotten a parking spot at all, and might have dinged the old Pontiac behind me as I tried my skill at parallel parking while sliding on six inches of solid ice.
    I sipped my frappé. ‘You sure this is the place?’ I asked Rosie on my cell