Too Darn Hot by Sandra Scoppettone Read Free Book Online Page A

“
You
called
me,
Johnny.”
    He laughed and my heart did a tango. “We still going to the movies tonight?”
    “Yeah, why not?”
    “I wasn’t sure since you found another body. You’re really something, Faye.”
    “I guess I’m just lucky.” I didn’t bother asking him how he knew. The New York City Police Department was like a small town. “We’re gonna see
This Is the Army,
right?”
    “Right. I hear it’s real good.”
    “Swell.”
    “I’ll pick you up at seven. We can have a bite to eat, then hit a nine o’clock show.”
    “Sounds good.”
    “Okay. See you at seven.”
    “Bye, Johnny.”
    “Faye?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Watch your step, okay?”
    “Would ya say that to a man?”
    “No, but I wouldn’t be having this conversation with a man.”
    “Very funny. See ya later.” I could hear him chuckling as we hung up.
    We’d been dating for about four months. We met on another murder case of mine. That second body I’d found was in his precinct. One thing led to another and before I knew it we were dating. Neither of us had said the three little words yet, but I had the feelings and I thought he did, too.
    I’d been lucky to find Johnny. If you were a cop, you got a permanent deferment cause we needed the police on the home front. I’d been going solo for a while when I met him, but that wasn’t why I picked him. He was everything I wanted in a guy. We even had our work in common. That, I had to admit, could get in the way sometimes. We’d had to break a lotta dates. But when we were together, we got along great.
    I dialed Detective Powell’s precinct. I wasn’t sure he’d give me any info, but I had to try.
    “Detective Powell,” he said.
    I told him who I was and then asked, “You identify the John Doe yet?”
    “Why would I tell you?”
    “I thought if ya hadn’t, I might put ya on to somebody who could.” I was thinking of Claire.
    “You on the level?”
    “I am.”
    “Cause if yer not I can make life pretty uncomfortable for ya.”
    “Meanin?”
    “No help from the department, no way, never.”
    “I’m on the level. So did ya ID him?”
    “So happens we didn’t. None a those boneheads at the hotel knew nothin. Listen to them you’d think
nobody
ever checked in Private Ladd.”
    “Ya couldn’t find his buddy?”
    “Nobody knew about him neither.”
    “Gimme a little time and I’ll call ya back with the name of somebody who at least can tell ya whether John Doe is Charlie Ladd or not.”
    “Why can’t ya tell me now? Thought ya were on the level.”
    “I am. I just gotta make a phone call.”
    “You said . . .”
    “Call ya back.”
    Next I dialed Claire at work. I got a lotta malarkey about who was I and why was I calling. And the clock kept ticking. Not that I was itching to tell Claire about the body in Ladd’s room, but I hadda do it, and find out about Lucille Turner. Finally I heard Claire’s voice on the other end.
    “It’s Faye Quick,” I said.
    “Have you found Charlie?”
    The first time I called a client, they were sure I’d solved their case. Fat chance.
    “No. I need to clear up a few things.”
    “I can’t stay on that long.”
    I heard her light a cig and it made me want to light my own, which I did. “Do you know anyone named Lucille Turner?”
    Silence. I had my answer.
    “Did ya hear me, Miss Turner?”
    “Yeah, I heard.”
    “So who is she?”
    “My sister.”
    “You never said ya had a sister.”
    “I didn’t think it was important and you never asked.”
    Claire Turner could be a royal pain in the keister. “The more ya tell me the more I can help. May as well get your money’s worth.”
    “That’s the last thing on my mind. Why do you want to know about Lucille?”
    “Her name came up. Can ya give me her phone number?”
    “Why would you want to speak to her?”
    “Have ya been listenin to me, Claire?”
    “But what could Lucille have to do with Charlie?”
    “One last time. Follow my ground rules, no exceptions,