4 Big Easy Hunter Read Online Free PDF

Darby asked cheerfully.
    “OUT!” Detective Bentley barked at them while pointing to the doorway.
    Nate immediately turned around and scurried out. Darby looked at me and Mick on the sofa and could easily see the tension. He saw Sasha going through cupboards in the kitchen, and Dick was making a fair amount of noise in the back of the apartment.
    “I’ll call you later,” I told him with a weak smile. “Everything is ok.”
    He could tell the detective meant business, so he simply nodded to us and took off down the hallway after Nate.
    An hour later, Detective Bentley gave us the courtesy of letting us know nothing had been found in the apartment or our vehicles other than our own personal belongings. He dismissed Dick and Sasha, and sat back down in the living room chair.
    “Susan, I know you’ll want to tell Darby what happened here tonight, but I’m going to ask you to keep it to yourself for a while. There’s some talk around town about the robberies and the woman with the red car, but we’ve been able to keep it out of the papers for now. With everyone so frightened by the serial rapist over at the mall, we don’t want the community any more fearful than it already is. We have extra manpower to deal with all of this, but so far we don’t have any good leads in either case, and it’s been frustrating. I know this was upsetting tonight, but I believe you aren’t involved in this, and this was the only thing I could do to help you right now.”
    I nodded my head.
    “Chuck,” Mick addressed the detective, “Susan, Darby, and Nate are leaving a week from Monday to go to New Orleans for the week. If you don’t have this resolved by then, and there are more break-ins and car sightings while she’s gone, well, that should put her in the clear for good, right?”
    “I would say so, unless you’re the one wearing a blonde wig and driving the car at night while breaking into homes,” he said flatly.
    My mouth fell open, and my eyes popped out. My heart started racing. He surely didn’t think Mick was behind the break-ins.
    He took one look at my face and started to laugh. “Susan, you just made my night. It isn’t a good visit with you unless I can get an unnecessary rise out of you.” He stood up, still laughing, and walked toward the door. I wanted to yell at him, but I knew he had actually done me a favor tonight.
    Mick stood up, walked over to the door with him, and said, “Good-night, Chuck. I hope the next time we hear from you, it’s with good news.” The two men shook hands, and Mick closed the door behind him.
    I stood up preparing to plead my case, but Mick stopped me. He gathered me into his strong arms and kissed me hard. He gazed at me with tenderness and said, “Susan, I love you. I know you. I know why you did what you did last night. I even know why you didn’t let me know you were awake. I get it. But, sweetheart, you have to realize it’s not just you anymore. It’s us. I’m in this, too, and I’d go along with most of your madcap ideas if you’d let me in on them. If I would have known you wanted to creep around at night looking for the other Chevelle, I’m pretty sure I would have done that with you. It might have even been fun. You get a crazy idea in your head, and then you try to implement it all by yourself, and …” his voice trailed off.
    I didn’t say anything. I felt bad enough, and I was grateful for his understanding and concern rather than his anger.
    “Do you understand now why I’m hesitant to let you go to New Orleans by yourself?” he asked.
    “Mick, with everything that’s going on here in Carbide City, I think New Orleans is the safer place for me right now. And I won’t be with just Darby. Nate will be there, too, and then Mom and Dad will be there on Thursday. We’ll all be fine. Please don’t worry.” I peered into his tender eyes and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Mick.”
    He reached down and in one swift movement lifted me up into his arms