In the Drink Read Online Free PDF

your own are much slimmer, even with our help. And if you don’t figure it out and it’s legit, someone will die anyway.”
    I looked at all of them with a pleading expression. “So what should I do? If I don’t involve Duncan, someone might die, and if I do involve him someone might die. I can’t win.”
    â€œThen we should find a way to involve Duncan without anyone knowing,” Joe said. “What if you call him, read him the letter, and then arrange to meet him somewhere on the sly?”
    Cora brightened up then and said, “And in the meantime, maybe we can use all this press attention you’ve been getting to your advantage.”
    â€œHow so?” I asked, curious.
    â€œThe next time one of them comes into the bar, mention that you and Duncan are a thing of the past, and that you don’t want anything more to do with him. Don’t make it obvious. Just let them overhear a discussion you have with someone.”
    Joe said, “If we’re careful about it, maybe we can use some of the other cops who come in here as secret go-betweens for you and Duncan. There should be a couple of cops you can trust to do that, right?”
    â€œMaybe,” I said, not sure if I liked the idea. “Though it seems to me that the more people we involve in this, the more likely it is something will leak. That’s why I decided to share this with you three only and not the rest of the group. I trust you guys to keep it to yourselves, at least for now.”
    â€œAnd you know we will,” Joe said. “But I think we’re overlooking an even more important issue here.” He paused to see if anyone could guess what he was referring to but we all stared blankly at him. “ Your safety,” he said. “Clearly this nut-job has a bone to pick with you. He’s fixated on you, and that means you’re in jeopardy.”
    I frowned at this, staring at the letter. “I suppose,” I said. “But I don’t get a sense of imminent danger toward me. Instead I feel like whoever wrote this wants to hurt me in other ways, by killing people, people I know and care about. It feels like it’s a game to him . . . or her, because I suppose it could be a woman who wrote it.”
    â€œStatistics don’t bear that out,” Cora said, “but you’re right. We shouldn’t harbor any biases or jump to any conclusions that might blind us to the facts.”
    â€œI’m all for involving Duncan,” Frank said. “I’m still not convinced this isn’t some kind of sick prank, but I agree that the stakes are too high for us to simply shrug it off or ignore it.”
    I nodded my agreement. “If we can involve Duncan and keep it from being known, that would be my preference, too. I could have him come down here and enter through the back door in the alley behind the new section. There’s no way to be sure it isn’t being watched, but I think if Duncan understands the need to be secretive, he can pull it off.”
    â€œThat works for me,” Cora said, and the two brothers nodded their agreement.
    â€œThen we’re agreed,” I said. I took out my cell phone and after a deep, bracing breath, I added, “Here goes nothing.”

Chapter 3
    I hit the speed dial number for Duncan. He answered two rings later, and his voice triggered a sweet burst of chocolate in my mouth, though the taste was also fizzy and slightly metallic as a result of hearing it through the phone. The metal taste and fizziness always infiltrate the flavor of voices when I hear them over the phone.
    â€œHey, Mack,” he said. “I was just about to call you.”
    â€œYou were? Why?”
    â€œI’m off duty tonight and I’m about to leave the station. I was wondering if you might be able to escape the bar for a while and have dinner with me.”
    Though I was delighted to hear him suggest some personal time together, I