December Frost (A Southern Romance Monthly) Read Online Free PDF

charges, along with the curator at the High."  
    "I did not steal anything!" He was losing his cool here. He didn't understand why the Professor would deny knowing him. He never had before. Unless they were lying. "Oh…you two are good. You haven't called the Professor. You're testing me. I know how interrogations work. Check my prints. I am who I say I am."  
    "We're running your prints now." He stood and moved to the door. "So you'll be with us a while, Mister Phantom."  
    "I want to see a lawyer."  
    "We can arrange that." Captain D opened the door and held it out for Inzmann.  
    Thomas stared up at her from where he sat. "Can I talk to you?"  
    She pursed her thick, beautiful lips and shrugged. "Okay. Captain?"  
    "Yeah, we'll be recording so it doesn't matter." He left the room.  
    Detective Inzmann took the seat the Captain vacated. "What did you want to talk to me about?"  
    "I need you to find the Phantom."  
    "You're the Phantom."  
    "No. I'm not." He licked his lips and thought quickly. "Do a bit of history on the Phantom. Never caught. Never identified. Never seen. For two years. If I'm the Phantom, how come you found me so easy?" He held out his cuffed hands and gestured for her to come closer.  
    When she hesitated he said in a low voice. "I'm handcuffed. I can't and wouldn't hurt you. But what I want to tell you is for you."  
    She pursed her lips. He loved looking at her mouth, and thought about running his thumb over it. He was sure her lips were like velvet. "All right." She stood and leaned over the table. This of course put her cleavage in his face.  
    When he noticed it and stumbled, she smirked. "You got five seconds, Phantom."  
    Thomas got hold of himself and closed his eyes. Best way to avoid the boobs. He lowered his voice enough so he knew it wouldn't register on the room's microphones. "As a detective, wouldn't you find it odd that you just happen to catch me running out of a room? I fought with the Phantom. I had him right there, but he got away from me. I have a rental car. In that car are my case-files and my laptop. It has the emails from the Professor. I also have a tablet tucked under the passenger's seat. It's cloned to my laptop so everything is there as well, just in case the computer gets stolen. My key is with my things—they took it when I was brought in. It also has my house key on it."  
    She didn't say anything. But she was watching him. When she moved to stand, he reached over and managed to touch her fingers with his. "Please. I am not the Phantom, but if you convict me of being the Phantom, then he'll get away. He's setting me up."  
    She didn't move her hand from his and narrowed her eyes. "Why? Why would he do that?"  
    "Because I've been on his trail for the past year and a half and I was getting close. Look at what I did tonight—I actually caught him—" Thomas stopped as a few puzzle pieces fell into place. "Wait a minute. He already knew…he knew where I was. He knew I was in the room with him. In fact he knew what flight I'd be on."  
    "How would he know that?"  
    Thomas lowered his shoulders in defeat. "I don't know. This night's not going the way I wanted it to."  
    "And how was that?"  
    "Oh you know…catch the thief…get the girl." He looked at her. Detective Inzmann didn't look away. "I guess that won't happen now will it?"  
    "Depends." She pulled her hand away and stood. "Have a good night, Mister Phantom."  
    Thomas's hopes dashed against the room's fake mirror. She didn't believe him. He could only hope when the prints came back, they would show him to be who he said he was. If not…this was the best theft the Phantom had ever done.  
    He'd stolen his life.

CHAPTER SEVEN

    Cecelia sat at her desk, staring at the ID file on Thomas Carr.  
    Who ever it was, it wasn't the guy in holding. Thomas Carr wasn't as good looking. The rest of the information could have been the same. Six foot one, brown hair, green eyes, two hundred pounds.