Death and Relaxation Read Online Free PDF Page A

it.
    W-x-y-and-z.
    “Give me a minute to drag on my dignity,” he said. “And my pants.”
    “I could come back later.”
    “Naw, you’re already here. Come on in. Do you want coffee?” He turned and walked off toward his room.
    No tattoos on his back, or at least none that I noticed. Too busy staring at that fine ass, thank you.
    “Laney?” he asked.
    Right. What had he been talking about? Coffee.
    “No thanks,” I said. “This won’t take long.”
    Spud couldn’t decide which human he wanted to lick the most. He gave my boot a last once-over, then barked and took off after Ryder, who shut the door in his face.
    Spud barked again, then lay down, licking the underside of the door, his curled tail thumping furiously on the floor.
    I clamped my palm over my mouth to smother my heavy exhale of laughter. Wow. For a day that had started out bad, it had just totally turned around.
    My chest fluttered as the images of Ryder, naked, played over and over in my mind.
    I took a deep breath. No laughing. No swooning either. Time to pull myself together and act like a cop.
    I studied the interior of the place.
    While the outside of the house was rustic logs, sturdy and just a little rugged, the inside was all sleek and modern. Black leather couch and wingback chairs took the center of the living room and adjoining sitting area that overlooked the big windows facing the lake. A gas fireplace took the corner of the far wall and clean white-shaded lamps strung across the high vaulted ceiling.
    Art on the walls was original oils and watercolors in stark black against white with single, bold brushes of color. I stepped a little closer to a piece that looked like a ship going down in a dark sea, the lighthouse a blind, useless eye in the storm. Ryder’s blocky initials linked together to create a small signature in the corner.
    There was a lot of power in that painting. A lot of pain.
    The house was a study of clean lines that anchored the negative space, furniture set to allow for a clear path to the deck and front and back doors, the open kitchen offering a clear view of most of the living area.
    A blueprint spread across the immaculate glass coffee table, round black stones from the beach pinning the corners.
    This wasn’t what I’d expect from a small-town bachelor. This was sleek, refined, and undoubtedly masculine.
    For just a moment I pondered how much of his life I’d missed. How much he’d changed since I’d known him. The high school boy with dreams in his eyes had come back a man with goals. I just didn’t know what those goals were.
    “So—” he called out from his room, “move it, Spud—what brings you by, Laney?”
    “I responded to a call this morning.”
    Spud rocketed out of the hall, claws clicking on the wooden floor as he hit the living room, carved a tight circle then skidded into my legs. He lifted his head so I could pet it without bending, and raced over to the fireplace, where he pounced onto a basket of toys.
    “So it’s work?” Ryder had changed into a long-sleeved Henley and jeans, but was still barefoot.
    “It’s work.”
    He dropped down on the couch, pushed one of the pillows out of the way, and extended one hand.
    “Have a seat.”
    When he smiled like that it was hard to remember work. Ryder might have been gone for a long time, but my fantasies of him seemed to have no expiration date.
    “I won’t be long, thanks.” I remained standing and pulled the notebook out of my pocket.
    “Where were you yesterday evening around six o’clock?”
    He frowned. “I’m a suspect for something?”
    “You might be.”
    “Pretty sure I haven’t broken any laws, unless indecency counts.” There was that smile again, tugging all the needs in me like unknotted strings.
    Okay, maybe he hadn’t changed all that much from the high school boy I had fallen for.
    Spud bombed back over, a stuffed moose in his mouth. He stopped at my feet, dropped it, and sat, tail wagging.
    I patted his head