Gift of Fire Read Online Free PDF Page B

shelf at the local pharmacy that afternoon. Then she remembered how casually Jonas had left for Mexico, carrying only a few changes of underwear and a wicked-looking knife that he knew how to use quite well.
    “Nothing’s wrong, Laura. I’ve just been feeling a little depressed lately. I think I need a vacation.” She took one hand out of the water and picked up a glossy brochure. Water dripped on the photograph of the beachfront hotel. “Hawaii sounds nice.”
    “A vacation, hm? You know something? I think that might be a good idea.”
     
    Doug and Elyssa Warwick walked into the No Bull Cafe at two o’clock the following day. Verity saw at once that Laura’s brief descriptions had been right on target. Doug
    Warwick was a good-looking young professional, with expensively trimmed sandy brown hair and a salon tan. His shirt was Ralph Lauren’s version of outdoor wear, and his khaki slacks had pleats in them.
    Verity was impressed with the pleats. She had tried to persuade Jonas to buy a pair of pleated trousers the last time they had gone to San Francisco. It had turned into one of those all-too-frequent occasions when Jonas had, as Laura bluntly put it, put his foot down. They had come home with a new pair of Levi’s that hadn’t even been prewashed for the fashionable broken-in look. Clothes were not one of Jonas’s passions.
    Elyssa Warwick was a surprise. Thanks to Laura’s description, Verity had been prepared for the wide, luminous eyes and serene smile. What she hadn’t expected were the undeniably attractive face, the lushly rounded figure, and the silvery blond hair worn in a sleek, shoulder-length bob.
    Elyssa was dressed all in white—a white silk shirt that was open one button lower than necessary for fashion, a white wool trumpet skirt, and white ballet shoes.
    The unrelieved white made a perfect backdrop for the glittering jewelry that adorned every limb, finger, and ear. Huge, sculpted pieces of metal hung from her ears; several rows of colorful necklaces swung over her full breasts; her bracelets were wide cuffs that extended almost to her elbows; bands of gold adorned with small bells circled her ankles. She tinkled and chimed whenever she moved.
    “You must be Verity,” Elyssa said warmly as she extended an elegantly shaped hand. Each graceful finger wore a ring, and her long nails were painted in a variety of glittering colors. “Laura Griswald told us all about you. She said we mustn’t miss your cooking while we’re here in Sequence Springs.”
    Verity escorted her guests to a table. “Please sit down. I’ll be able to talk to you in a few minutes. I just have to finish up some things in the kitchen. Did you want something to eat?”
    Doug Warwick spied the gleaming copper espresso machine in the corner and smiled. “Maybe a cup of espresso, or a café au lait. We ate lunch in the spa dining room.”
    Verity nodded. She’d had an espresso machine installed two months earlier. Actually, Jonas had installed it. He’d had the huge, complex machine up and running within two hours of its arrival. He really was quite handy to have around.
    Verity made two small cups of potent espresso and carried them to the Warwicks’ table. Doug and Elyssa smiled gratefully. A few minutes later the last lunch customer left, and Verity made herself a cup of tea.
    “I understand you’re looking for Jonas,” she said as she sat down at the Warwicks’ table. “I’m afraid he’s out of town at the moment. Business, you know. He’s doing some consulting work for a client in Mexico.”
    Elyssa stirred her espresso and looked seriously impressed. “I imagine his work takes him all over the world.”
    Verity coughed slightly. “His sort of work is international in scope, naturally. He certainly has done a great deal of traveling. I’m expecting him back any day now, however. In his absence I handle certain business matters for him. May I inquire how you heard about him? For the past few years he’s