Heart-Shaped Box (Claire Montrose Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

color-streaked and foil-wrapped hair.
    The cop had a narrow, pale face, and he didn’t look any older than twenty-five. “What’s the problem here, folks?” he asked. He made a point of resting his hand on the butt of his gun. His gaze was fastened on Claire, not Wade. In the last few years, a number of mentally ill people in Portland had committed “suicide by cop.”
    Claire wasn’t sure what to answer. Was it her business to tell the cop that Wade had tricked a hooker into giving him something for free?
    While she hesitated, the cop leaned over Wade, who was sitting back on his heels. He’d even managed to zip up his pants. The red imprint of a hand was rising up on his cheek, and there was a smear of dirt on his chin.
    “ Did this woman assault you, buddy?”
    When Wade looked at Claire, it was clear he was focused on her outfit, not her face. A slow smile spread across his face. “Just a little argument, officers. Nothing to be concerned about.”
    Everything seemed to be calming down until Susie’s old Chevette came tearing up. She was yelling before she even got the car door open. “Where’s the fire? Is the house okay?”
    “ Everything’s fine, Susie. Just a little misunderstanding.”
    Susie’s confused glance went from the cop to the two fireman (who were now openly laughing) to Wade. He sat on the curb, the front of his starched white shirt stained yellow with vomit. Susie was still confused, but then she happened to catch sight of Claire’s wrist. She grabbed it to look at her watch. “It’s that late? We’ve got to rinse your hair out right now.” She began to pull Claire behind her.
    The cop put a hand on her shoulder. “Not so fast, ma’am. You’re interrupting an ongoing investigation. I’m going to have to ask you to allow me to continue without interference.”
    “ If I don’t rinse her hair out now, it’s going to start falling out. In big clumps.”
    He stiffened. “All in good time, ma’am.”
    Great. Now the cop had stopped paying attention to Wade and Claire and was getting angry at Susie. Was it Claire’s imagination, or did her scalp suddenly feel tight, as if the follicles were reaching a critical breaking point? She couldn’t take that chance.
    “ Wait a second. There’s no problem here, Officer. Right, Wade?”
    Wade started at the sound of his name. He gave Claire a puzzled look, but didn’t miss his cue. “Right. No problem,” he echoed.
    “ So can I go?”
    “ There’s still the little matter of disturbing the peace,” the cop said stubbornly.
    “ Oh, leave it go, Riley,” one of the firemen said over his shoulder as the two men walked back to their truck. They climbed in, turned off the lights and drove away.
    The cop gave the three of them a long look. “I don’t know what the hell’s been happening here. You should be glad I don’t have the time to haul your butts in the way you deserve.” Then he turned on his heel and marched smartly back to his patrol car. The back of his neck was an ugly red.
    Wade stood up and gave Susie and Claire a half-bow. The palm of his right hand hovered over his shirt without touching it. “Ladies,” he said with a nod, then walked off, as dignified as if nothing had happened.
    -CSHFLW

Chapter Four
    Friday, July 2, 5 p.m.
    Claire tilted the rearview mirror so that she could look at her hair one more time. Despite the heat, and her car’s lack of air-conditioning, she had driven to Minor with her window resolutely rolled up. Dante had felt no such compunction, however, so the right side of her hair was tousled. In a corner of the mirror, she caught a glimpse of a crumpled Tootsie Roll wrapper in the seat behind her, caught in a crack between the narrow bench seat and the seat back. She stretched back and quickly pocketed it. Normally, her car was cluttered with junk-food wrappers, but when Dante was in town she took pains to keep that side of herself hidden from him. Despite her best efforts, her car was like a