Cold Comfort Read Online Free PDF

nose, he guessed.
    "I don't have set fees," he said at last. "Don't worry about it. It won't be more than you can afford, I promise you." Except it involved a woman — worse, a lady — he might have enjoyed figuring out this puzzle. It was certainly different from his usual investigations. But it did involve her, and he wanted no part of it. Damn Ray.
    "Not good enough. I need numbers."
    He made a rapid assessment and named a ridiculously low figure. "If we can solve this thing quickly, you might get change back. If not, we'll talk about it when this is used up."
    "All right. I can live with that."
    He hoped so, because someone sure as hell had other ideas for her.
    She extended her hand. Over the soup bowls, Riley accepted her cold hand and the trust it implied. She didn't know, but his debt to Ray already bound him more tightly than any legal document could.
    He wanted to examine her house and assess its security. And figure out what warranted the break-in and the attacks.
    "By the way," she said, interrupting his thoughts with a hint of a smile, "if those ornaments got broken, I'll replace them. I wouldn't want your nephew or his mother to be disappointed."
    Oh. Those ornaments. "Not my finest hour. My work doesn't usually involve china shops — I felt like the proverbial bull."
    "I noticed you were better in the alley."
    "Yeah. Let's go. My truck's right outside. I'll drive you to your car." He figured he could solve this in two or three days, five tops, and be on his way.
    He unlocked the Bronco, giving her a hand up into the cold seat. He felt the chill in her fingers through her leather glove . Aftershock.
    They covered the two blocks to Claire's parking lot in silence, isolated by their separate thoughts. Riley pulled into a space beside her car, dousing his lights but leaving the engine running. "Give me your keys and stay here. I'll start it, and you can sit here until yours warms up," he said, holding out his hand.
    She handed him the keys.
    Riley got out and walked around to the Fiat.
    She lowered her window and watched as he circled her car before opening the driver's door.
    Squeezing into the Fiat, he knocked his knee on the dash and cursed softly before he thought to scoot the seat back. Claire laughed.
    He looked up at her face, framed in the Bronco's window. Tough lady. Tougher than he'd expected, laughing an hour after someone tried to kill her. Nanette would have been a watery mess, working her way toward a Valium-induced coma. Memories he could live without.
    The car started easily. He managed to climb out, then stood back while she slipped in.
    After she readjusted the seat, he closed the Fiat door. Tapping the window by the lock to remind her, he said, "I'll see you at your house. Keep it a little slow. I'll hang back and see if anyone else is interested in you."
    The smile died on her face.
    He needed to remember she wasn't his usual client, tone it down a little. "When you get home, stay in your car. Don't get out until I tell you. If you don't see me within a couple of minutes, drive straight to the police station."

 
    Chapter 3
     
     
    Riley waited in the shadows, alert, until Claire disappeared around the corner. At least she didn't argue. No one pulled out behind her, but that didn't mean much. Everyone involved knew where she lived, and everyone but him had been inside the house. Riley put the Bronco in gear and followed her.
    He caught a light, hooked a quick right, and traveled in parallel with Claire for a couple of blocks. No one seemed to notice the little Fiat, but why follow her? They could pick her off any time. Her house was the logical place. Shit. Riley stepped on the accelerator, swerved around a lumbering old Caddy, and drove quickly to a large house he'd spotted earlier — rented to students from William and Mary, most likely. Parked cars claimed most of the yard, and several more lined the street. The Bronco wouldn't stand out. Riley left it and ambled down the drive in long