In Dark Waters Read Online Free PDF Page A

And she'd have argued with Mitch just for the sake of it, if not for the look of relief on Stu's face.
    She managed one of her best smiles. "See, all taken care of."
    A hint of a smile tugged the edges of Mitch's mouth. She hated accepting his help and he knew it. He called out to a policeman, "Jeff, can you take Stu back in Kelsey's car?"
    The tall thin policeman nodded. "Be glad to."
    Stu looked past her to Mitch. "You'll call me as soon as the body is up?"
    "Promise," Mitch said.
    "All right." Stu kissed Kelsey on the cheek. "Call me the minute you get back to town."
    "That's the second promise you've asked me to make today," she said, trying to lighten the mood. "Making promises goes against my grain, but for you I'll make an exception."
    Stu chuckled. "I'm old. I have a right to be greedy."
    Kelsey handed Jeff her keys and then helped Stu up the hill. His limp was more pronounced and his shoulders stooped.
    Jeff slid behind the wheel and adjusted the seat back before starting the engine. He backed the car out of the parking area. Only when the car was out of sight did she turn and walk back toward Mitch. "Stu was always so full of life. I never figured he'd get old."
    "He's got a lot of life left in him." The concern in Mitch's voice yanked at her heart. "Stu cares a lot about you."
    His kindness threatened to shatter her shaky composure. "Do me a favor. Don't be nice to me. I don't trust
nice
. Whether it was Donna, the social workers or you,
nice
always signaled trouble—the rent wasn't paid, a stint in a foster home was coming or you didn't know what to do with an emotional, love-struck teenager."
    His jaw tightened, released. "When's the last time you ate? Your skin is pasty and there are dark circles under your eyes."
    She managed a shaky grin. "There, that's more like it."
    Shaking his head, he strode to his car and grabbed a thermos from behind the seat and a pack of Nabs from a cooler. He opened the red cap, poured coffee into a cup and handed it to her.
    She stared into the steaming cup. "Thanks."
    He tore open the packet of crackers. "Sorry, no cream and sugar."
    Warmth from the hot cup seeped into her cold fingers. "Black's fine."
    He handed her an orange square cracker. "I can still have one of my men drive you."
    Kelsey sipped her coffee. Good. She ate the cracker. To her relief, her stomach settled immediately. "I've been racking my brain trying to figure out who killed Donna."
    Her comment caught him off guard. "Why would you think your mother was murdered?"
    Kelsey fingered the cross that dangled from the chain around her neck. "Because of the company she kept. Petty thieves. Shoplifters. A few addicts."
    Mitch shoved out a sigh. "When I talked to Stu earlier, he said she seemed on edge those last couple of days she was in town. What do you remember about those last days?"
    "She kept talking about the money she was coming into. She said once she was done with her business here, we'd be set for life. No more traveling. A real home. I didn't pay any attention because Donna had said it all before."
    Mitch shook his head. "Did she say where the money was coming from?"
    "No. For once she was very quiet about her plans. She wasn't even drinking much those last couple of days. I could tell because her hands trembled when she lit her cigarettes."
    Mitch stared at the quarry. "Stu talked about Donna from time to time. He said he always figured she'd end up a movie star or married to a rich man."
    Her mouth curved in a half smile. "She had a talent for getting under a man's skin. Stu was in love with her. They dated pretty seriously in high school. He was the one person in town who kept up with Donna. And no matter how nasty she could be, he never had a bad thing to say about her to me."
    "What happened with them?"
    "She left Stu for a richer man."
    "Your father?"
    "Maybe. I don't know." She sipped her coffee.
    "You don't know who your father is?" His words were clipped.
    Donna had never told Kelsey who her father