Trouble In Spades by Heather Webber Read Free Book Online

gun holster was nestled next to his ribs under his left arm, and his badge was clipped to the waistband of his jeans.
    I rounded up my breath and willed my brain not to notice how good he looked despite the circles under his eyes. "Did he find it?" I asked.
    "Maria says nothing was taken. Her computer, laptop, the expensive hideous sculpture . . . it's all here still, and the guy's arms were empty when he fled the house after Maria doused him."
    "He could have stuffed something like this in his pants," I said, holding up a file.
    "True. Maria said she won't know if anything's missing from the files until she goes through them, but I don't think she'll find anything gone."
    "Why not?"
    He pushed away from the door, taking a step toward me. Mentally, I restrained the feeling to go to him, to wrap my arms around him, feel him, touch him . . . Ginger, I reminded myself.
    My head snapped up. He was gazing at me, a softness in his eyes. Or that could have been my imagination because when he blinked the emotion was gone, replaced with the mask he slipped on when he worked.
    "He comes in," Kevin said, "comes straight to the office. Doesn't stop and poke around the boxes in the other room marked 'crystal' or 'silver.' He knows what he's looking for. Knows where to find it. Or thinks he does. But it's not here in the office, so he goes for her briefcase."
    This was the most he'd talked to me in weeks.
    "But that's not here either," he continued. "Which forces him to go upstairs. He knows Maria is up there—her car is parked in the driveway, the lights are on, and music is playing. I'm guessing this wasn't part of the plan, but he's willing to take the risk."
    "Why?"
    Kevin shrugged. "Don't know. And Maria doesn't either. So it's kind of hard to put together."
    For some reason, I thought of Verona and Colin Frye . . . and the missing guest list.
    Even though it was utterly ridiculous to think that the Fryes would break in to Maria and Nate's condo to look for a guest list, I found myself asking, "Do we know for sure if it was a man?"
    Kevin shook his head. "No. Too dark. But it took some strength to get that door open. I'd put good money on a man."
    "Women can be strong," I said.
    "She'd have to be really strong," Kevin said. "That door was dead-bolted."
    "Women can be re ally s trong," I said, feeling like arguing.
    "Nina . . ." He sighed.
    "What?"
    "Do I need to remind you about the bathroom window?" Once—once!—I couldn't lift the bathroom window. Okay, maybe twice. And I was fairly strong.
    "Okay," I said, giving in, "let's just say it's a man."
    "Whoever it was," Kevin said, a smile twitching his lips, "certainly didn't expect Maria to confront him with a bottle of Aqua Net."
    I grinned. Maria, who wore six hundred dollar shoes and bought designer perfume and makeup, still faithfully used the same hair spray she did in junior high when she teased her hair to impossible heights. She'd never been able to break her Aqua Net addiction.
    Although I hated to think about it, I had to know. "Do you think she's in any danger?" She annoyed me, but she was my baby sister, and it would kill me to see anything happen to her.
    "My gut instinct?" I nodded.
    "No. If she were, he'd have gone to her first."
    "But he didn't get her briefcase. Won't he try for it again?"
    "Maybe."
    I stuffed the papers back into a box. "Thanks for the reassurances."
    Absently I wondered if Ana was having any luck outside.
    Kevin nudged an overturned box with his toe. "Maria's not staying here tonight, is she?"
    Shaking my head, I said, "Going to the new place. It has an alarm system."
    "Good."
    I heard sharp clip-claps on the wooden stairs. Apparently, Maria had felt the need to put on heels.
    "I'll be leaving now." Kevin turned to go.
    "Hey," I said.
    He looked back at me, a question in his eyes.
    I forced the word out. "Thanks." Damn. That was harder than I thought. "For coming, I mean." He nodded and walked away.
    Ack. My knees were knocking. I hated