Dying to Have Her Read Online Free PDF Page B

case.”
    “You dated her for a while, right?”
    “Yeah, I did. It began and ended, Sharon.”
    “I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
    “Thanks,” he said.
    “What’s happened?” she asked.
    “A spotlight fell. An actress was killed.”
    “Not Serena McCormack?” Was her voice hopeful ?
    His fingers again tightened around the receiver. He forced himself to ease his grip. He was going to break the damned thing.
    “No. Jane Dunne.”
    “Jane Dunne … oh, yeah, I think I saw something on the news about her being a hot property right now and joining the cast. She’s dead? She died on the set?’
    “An accident, except that … I don’t really know all the particulars yet.”
    He could almost see her shiver. “That show is jinxed.”
    “It’s the highest-rated daytime serial out there.”
    “You’re a P.I. now, not a cop.”
    “But I have friends who are calling in favors. The show is important to a lot of people.”
    “Yeah, I’m sure. And it will be more so now. People love to stop and watch the blood at the scene of an accident.”
    “I’ll make this up to you,” he said.
    “You will. And I’ll make it up to you. Remember that if the queen of daytime starts getting nasty. Call me when you can. I’m going to go unpack.”
    “Thanks for understanding.”
    “Oh, sure. Maybe I’ll head out on the dig that’s going on with some folks from UCLA. They’ll still let me in on it, I’m sure.”
    “Great.”
    “I’ll let you know what I’m up to—just in case you do need me. Or want to see me.”
    “Thanks. You’re easy to want to see, Sharon.” Those were words he could say and mean completely. He cared about her. Just not the way he should. Pity he couldn’t explain.
    There was this other woman, once. Perfect and beautiful, but so far from the concept of commitment that there was nowhere left to go. She was into entertainment; he’d spent some time as that entertainment. She dangled men from her career. He hadn’t been able to dangle any longer. It was over. Really over.
    He stared at the fireplace and started swearing again. Then he got up and paced.
    So much for being his own man.
    “Thank God you’re home! Are you all right?”
    It wasn’t going to be a peaceful evening, Serena thought. Melinda was asking a rhetorical question. She had barely gotten home and kicked off her shoes before she’d heard the knock at her door, checked through the peephole, and seen her sister.
    Melinda’s first action was to throw her arms around Serena and hug her tightly enough to break bones. Serena hugged Melinda back, naturally grateful that her sister was so concerned, but both annoyed and unnerved that everyone seemed to feel she had escaped a fate intended for her.
    “I’m fine, Melinda.” She withdrew from her sister’s embrace, realizing that Melinda was very agitated. Melinda passed through the small marble entry and went straight through to the rear of the house, where she stopped by the sliding glass doors that led out to the pool. She stared out at the pool and patio, shaking her head.
    “She’s dead,” Melinda said. She was trembling.
    “It was a terrible accident.”
    “They’re sure that’s all there was to it?” Melinda queried, her back to Serena.
    Serena paused, surprised by her sister’s worried tone. Melinda was five years her senior, and though Serena resembled her sister physically, they were nothing at all alike. Melinda had been a brilliant student; Serena had been good herself in school, but nothing to compare with her sister. She had been far too interested in dance classes, then guitar lessons, mime lessons. She had always known that she wanted to act. She had done theater work through high school and college, and then started landing commercials and guest spots on sitcoms, did movie work, then a stint on an old soap, and finally she’d gotten the chance to be a main character on Valentine Valley. Melinda had gone on