Crimson Eve Read Online Free PDF Page A

split second, she considered leaving it. If something happened to her, police would go through her place, looking for clues. Vividly she pictured flashes of scenes — her body lying crumpled and dirty in a forest, undiscovered. Police searching through her house for clues to her disappearance. Frank West, Kanner Lake’s youngest officer, finding the diary, flipping through it. His eyes going wide . . .
    The diary might lead them to her killer. But it would also spill her heinous secrets. Even in death, she couldn’t bear it.
    Carla put all the caps back as she’d found them and slid the box onto her closet shelf.
    Clutching the diary to her chest, she hobbled back to her car. Behind the wheel, Carla threw it under her seat.
    Breathing a prayer, she smacked the garage door button, half expecting to see her killer’s black Durango on the other side.
    No one was there. But he could be mere minutes away.
    Carla screeched in reverse onto the driveway, closed the garage door, and fled into the night.

SEVEN
    Man, would the cell phone in his pocket ever stop ringing?
    Tony Derrat wasn’t about to answer. The ring tone told him it was his boss. Tony just wanted to smash the phone on the late Edna San’s long driveway. His eyes still stung and his throat burned like fire. Rage alone kept his feet moving toward his rental car outside the gate.
    How dare some smart-mouthed realtor think she could outwit him. No way was he going to lose that half-million dollars.
    Tony hadn’t climbed into his job; he’d fallen into it. Down and drunk ten years ago, living on the streets — and out of the blue, a proposition from a woman he barely knew. Five thousand bucks for getting rid of her abusive husband.
    Five thousand dollars . All he had to do was pop off some lowlife who knocked his wife around.
    The job had gone down like smooth vodka — and Tony’s new habit was born. The next two years brought a dozen more hits. Meanwhile he cleaned himself up good. Landed a pretty wife. Learned new skills and made some key friends. He studied accents, how to dress. How to look educated around hoity-toity people.
    Four years ago he’d hit the big time, working behind the scenes for one very powerful person. Was paid more than ever and hadn’t even had to kill anybody. Until now.
    Tony stumbled and nearly went sprawling. He spit out a curse, caught himself with both hands. Rough asphalt scraped his palms. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself back up, dragging searing air in, out, in, out.
    He had to get off this property.
    Tony’s eyes wouldn’t focus on his watch. How long had he laid on the ground after Carla Radling screeched away?
    She could be headed any direction by now.
    His cell phone went off again, different tone. Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” Great, the home ring. Tony told himself he’d call his wife back later, but the next thing he knew, he was pulling the phone out of his pocket. Robyn would worry if he didn’t answer. He tried to make his voice sound normal. “Hello.”
    “Hi, Daddy!”
    Timmy, his three-year-old. Tony’s heart surged. Timmy was the one person who made this gopher job worth it. “Hey, Boo. What’s up?”
    “Mommy said I could talk to you before I went to bed.”
    “Yeah, great.” Tony turned his head and coughed hard.
    “You sick, Daddy?”
    “No,” he wheezed. “I’m fine.”
    “Then whatcha doin’?”
    “Just got out of a dinner meeting.”
    “Whatdja eat?”
    Eat, what did he eat? Tony’s mind went blank. “Uh, hamburger. And fries. And a chocolate shake.”
    “Wow! Yummm. I wanna go with you next time.”
    A click in Tony’s ear. Had to be his boss calling on the other line. He made a face. “Hey, Boo, gotta go, another call’s coming in. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
    “ ’Kay, Daddy. Love you.”
    “Love you too, big guy.”
    Violent coughing seized him as he closed the phone. A fireball from his chest rose up his throat.
    The phone rang his boss’s