Mona Lisa Eyes (Danny Logan Mystery #4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

murder,” she said. She proceeded to give the timeline, such as we knew it, anyway. She flipped through maps that showed where Sophie lived, worked, and was ultimately found in the water. She described Sophie’s background—her parents, her sister, and her aunt and uncle. Her presentation was surprisingly detailed for one hour’s worth of prep. She was playing for keeps—she really wanted to sell the guys on this job. When she was finished, she concluded by saying, “Apparently, the police aren’t getting anywhere in finding Sophie’s killer, so when the family brought it up, SPD recommended that the family bring us in. This presents us with a wonderful opportunity to step into a high-profile case and maybe do some good and raise our image at the same time.” She paused a second, then advanced the slide back to the start—the close-up of Sophie. Cleary, she recognized the power of the photo. She turned to me. “That’s pretty much it.”
    I nodded. “Good. Very good.” I turned to the group. “Comments?”
    “Well, as I said earlier, I think this is very exciting,” Richard said. “Very exciting. A real opportunity. My only concern would have to be about coordination with SPD. But frankly, that’s an easy problem to solve. If SPD recommended us, then I suppose we just need to confirm that with Ron Bergstrom and figure out how they’d like us to fit in.” He looked at Toni, smiling broadly. “But Toni’s right. This is the kind of case that puts PI firms on the map.”
    I nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate the high-profile aspect of this case, but there is something for us to consider.”
    “Here he goes,” Toni said. “Mr. Buzzkill.”
    I ignored her. “The last time we tracked down a murderer, three of us almost got burned up in a barn.”
    “And blown up too,” Doc added.
    I nodded. “That’s right. Who could forget? Anyway, burned up and then blown up. Nobody’s bothered by that? Nobody’s worried about the danger of going after a killer?”
    Doc’s expression flashed a picture of contempt before quickly returning to normal. He’ s seen plenty of bad guys in his time, and they don’t intimidate him much. “That last one didn’ t turn out too bad,” he said. “And those guys were nasty. I’ll bet they were a lot more dangerous than whoever killed this girl.” He nodded toward the picture of Sophie.
    “Could be,” I said. “But remember the old saying—just because you walk through a pit of snakes and come out the other side without getting bit the first time doesn’t mean the next snake you meet’s not gonna kill you.”
    He looked at me and smiled slowly. “I like snakes.”
    “Very funny.”
    “C’mon, boss, let’s do it,” Kenny said. I turned to him. Kenny. Poor Kenny wasn’t even experienced enough to be scared.
    I looked at Toni. “I already know how you feel,” I said.
    She gave me a little shrug, and then raised her hand, rubbing her thumb and fingers together in the universal sign for money. She knew where I was weak, and she was reminding me.
    In the end, she was right: this was a good job for us—we could definitely use the funds. I made my decision. “Alright. Let’s go the next step. We’ll talk to SPD and see how they feel. But listen to me and listen good: if we get in—we’ re going to be careful, and we’re going to work as a team. Nobody gets kidnapped this time, right?”
     

     
    Ron Bergstrom works in the homicide division at SPD headquarters in downtown Seattle. He was out when I called, so I left a message. I hoped that he’d call back sometime that afternoon, because we’d promised the Wards we’d answer them the next morning. I’d just checked the time on my computer when Kenny knocked on the door frame. “Now a good time, boss?”
    “You bet. Come on in.”
    He stepped into my office and closed the door behind him. “Can I sit down?”
    “Sure.” I pointed to one of the chairs across from my desk.
    “ Thanks. I’ve got