Teased to Death (Misty Newman 1) by Gina LaManna Read Free Book Online Page A

class this afternoon." She fixed me with a nonchalant, even stare that caused me to wonder the level of this woman's sanity. "With my husband being murdered here and all, you'll understand that I had to deal with that alone."
    I crossed my arms. "I have to call the police. It's probably best if we don't touch anything and wait outside."
    We held each other's stare for a long while.
    "Yes, you're right," she said finally, tucking the feather into the pocket of her skintight jeans. There were enough holes in her jeans that I wondered if she'd let a woodpecker loose on them. Her shirt was slightly more material than a bra, cropped to just below her chest and tight enough that I could see the outline of everything underneath. Each and every suntanned wrinkle.
    I remembered with a crash of reality that I didn't have a phone. "I'm going to go wait in Sweets."
    I left the room without a backward glance, hoping against hope that Mrs. Jenkins would leave as well. A part of me wanted her to stay in the studio so the cops could catch her red-handed and take her away. Sure, I wasn't sure if it was Mrs. Jenkins who graffitied my studio at all, but her whole demeanor freaked me out. The sight of her turned my stomach, and it wasn't just the poor choice of clothing or excessive amounts of skin on display.
    I pushed open the door to the candy shop.
    "Can I use your phone?" I asked. "I gotta call the police."
    "For what now?" Donna handed over a light-pink fancy phone. Something I might've had back when I had enough money to live on.
    "Someone wrote mean words in my studio. And I'm not sure whether it's blood or spray paint, but I'm not licking it to find out."
    The phone rang once. I expected Lana to answer the emergency line.
    Instead, I got a male voice. "Hey, baby, what's up? Thanks for the note in my lunch this morning…I don't know what got into you, but I'd love to cash in on that offer tonight—"
    "Nathan," I interrupted. "This is Misty. Didn't I call 9-1-1?"
    There was a long silence. I could feel Nathan's embarrassment from across the invisible phone line. "Oh."
    "I didn't know 9-1-1 doubled as a dating hotline." My joke fell flat, and I cleared my throat. "But seriously, is this 9-1-1?"
    "Yes. Lana recognizes Donna's number and patches it straight to me. We always got some emergency with the kids puking or pooping or expelling bodily fluids of some sort in a location they shouldn't."
    "Ah. Well, I'm looking to report some stuff. Could you give me over to someone?" I glanced out of the corner of my eye at Donna. "Preferably not Jax."
    "Sure. No problem. Here you go."
    "Sorry about that." Lana, the ageless dispatcher, came back on the line. "I didn't realize…almost everyone has a cell these days."
    "Yeah, well. Not this girl." I gave a weak smile at Donna, who was looking on curiously.
    "I understand. How are you? It's been a while since you've been back…last time you weren't old enough to drink a beer." Lana cackled. "Though I don't ever recall that stopping you."
    "Yes, yes. Good stuff. So, is there someone around I can talk to? Preferably—"
    "Preferably not Jax, I'm guessing. You two had a bit of a falling out when you moved away, didn't you? What was that all about, anyway? I always thought you two kids were perfect for each other," Lana drawled.
    "Things change," I said. "Distance is tough, you know. Anyway, if you could just…"
    "Yes, of course. Say, how are you doing with the whole Mr. Jenkins thing? I personally don't think you could've ever done something as horrendous as that, but you know, the justice system doesn't work based on trust." She laughed until she coughed.
    I sighed. "I appreciate your vote of confidence, Lana, but really…could you please?"
    "Right. Right. I'll pass you along now."
    "Howdy," Alfred sang over the line. "Howdy doody."
    "Oh, great," I muttered. I held a hand over the phone and mouthed to Donna. "Seriously? It's The Brady Bunch over there."
    Donna opened her eyes wide and nodded.
    "Hi,