The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner Read Free Book Online Page B

rustled. "The BMW was brand-new, purchased three weeks ago. Harding had a clean driving record. No DUIs, no speeding tickets."
    Jo scribbled notes. "The Yoshida and Maki Prichingo cases. Are the files ready for my review?"
    "We're swamped. It'll be this afternoon. Right now I'll send you what the press has reported."
    It would have to do. "Any more information on Harding's pas senger? How's she doing?"
    "Alive. Unconscious. She hasn't talked."
    "Where is she?"
    "St. Francis."
    "Good." Jo had staff privileges at St. Francis. She would go by.
    The lieutenant cleared her throat. "What do you think about the sexual fantasy angle?"
    "No thoughts yet. I need evidence before I draw conclusions."
    "I'd say Harding drew her own conclusion in red lipstick. She was dirty."
    "Maybe."
    Jo thought she heard the policewoman tapping a pencil against her desk. "You need anything else before you get to drawing?"
    Yes. Tang—is that your last name, favorite breakfast drink, or emblem of your biting personality? "Not right now. Thank you, Lieutenant."
    Tang hung up without saying you're welcome. In her notebook, next to the woman's name, Jo drew a smiley face with a tongue sticking out.
    She also drew a circle around Angelika Meyer's name. Harding's young passenger was key. If Meyer regained consciousness, she might be able to tell them what had happened inside the BMW. Might tell Jo what it was so damned vital to stop.
    Forty-eight hours and counting down. With the information she was likely to gather in that time, she might as well ask a Ouija board for help.
    With a clatter, Tina set a plate with her muffin and cheese panini on the table. "Your calories."
    "Excellent. Thanks."
    In the sun flowing through the windows, Tina's curls glowed copper, giving the impression that her head was on fire. She sat down and leaned toward Jo.
    "I ran into Mike Sadowski—from your high school class? He's aching to go out with you."
    "You think everybody's aching to go out with me. Barry Bonds. The archbishop. The cable car driver on the Rice-A-Roni box."
    "Your ubercoffee turned out extra-acidic, didn't it?" She picked at Jo's muffin. "You busy tonight? I've got plans and it would be more fun if you came along."
    "What's his name?"
    "Girls' night out. It's cultural. Aerobic. Healthy." Tina smiled. "It's girly. None of that nature grunge, rock climbing shtick you do."
    Jo tapped her fingers on the table. "Does it involve my Chi, or dancing with a pole?"
    "No. Pinky swear." Tina's eyes were wide with innocence. "Come on."
    Jo softened. "What time? Group's at seven."
    "After that." Tina became pensive. "How's it going?"
    "Good." She shrugged, and smiled. "It gets my mind off psychological autopsies."
    "Only you would work with a bereavement group to get your mind off death."
    "Tuesdays with Mori."
    Tina laughed, but the pensive expression remained. It contained an ever-near melancholy concern for her. Jo hated that look. She wanted people to stop worrying about her. She glanced away, focusing instead on her computer screen.
    Lieutenant Tang had sent the list of news articles. One caught her eye.
    Boat Fire "Deliberately Set"?
    It was an article about the dead fashion designer, Maki. His sailboat had been spotted in flames off the coast. Rescuers had found his body aboard, along with that of his lover. File photos showed them: Maki, a shaven-headed East Asian in his forties, snapped by paparazzi. Disco-ball smile, a top dog's bearing. His lover, William fillets, was pale, Caucasian, with a pinched mouth. The second fiddle. No cause of death had been disclosed. The article speculated that drugs were involved, or a fatal lovers' argument. Because the boat was found adrift outside city limits, federal authorities were involved in the investigation.
    Assistant U.S. Attorney Callie Harding says no decision has been made whether to open a criminal investigation.
    Hell. Tang had said there must be a link between Harding's crash and Maki's death. And here was a link, a