Nick of Time (A Bug Man Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

frowned. “That’s what she asked me.”
    “She did? Oh, Nick—that’s bad.”
    “There was nothing for me to do there—all the arrangements were already taken care of. What was I supposed to do, just sit around and hold her hand?”
    “Nick, this is marriage we’re talking about. There’s a lot of hand-holding involved—more if you’re lucky.”
    “Never mind,” he said. “My mother already had this talk with me.”
    Kegan’s expression suddenly changed. “Hey, wait a minute—how come I didn’t get a wedding invitation?”
    Nick shrugged. “Because I didn’t think of you.”
    “Well, thanks a lot. How’s that supposed to make me feel?”
    “Uninvited?”
    “Nick.”
    “Would you really have come? Be honest.”
    “Are you kidding? To see the Bug Man marry the Dog Woman? I love the circus.”
    “See, that’s just the kind of attitude that kept you off the guest list.”
    “I want you to know my feelings are hurt,” she said with a pout. “I may never forgive you.”
    “Well, if it makes you feel more included, you can still send a gift.” Nick glanced around the room, then leaned closer to Kegan and whispered, “Does anybody else know?”
    “I don’t think so,” she said. “Want me to make an announcement?”
    “Not unless you want to be our next murder victim.”
    Just then a deep voice rose from the center of the crowded room—it was Bill Fleisher, one of the founding members and the society’s commissioner, the man responsible for conducting the monthly meetings. “May I have everyone’s attention, please? As you all know, it’s our custom here at Vidocq to enjoy lunch before the presentation of cases. But we’re doing things a little differently today; I’m afraid we have a case to solve before we can have our lunch. Nick Polchak, where are you? Would you step forward, please?”
    Nick groaned as every head in the room turned to look at him. He glared at Kegan: “Liar.”
    “Should have invited me,” she said.
    The group slowly parted, opening a pathway to the center of the room. There, on the floor, was the outline of a human body marked off in masking tape. Taped in letters below the outline were the words Nick Polchak, Bachelor .
    Fleisher motioned Nick forward. “Dr. Polchak, we seem to have a bit of a mystery here, and I understand you possess information that might help the rest of us solve the case. Is there anything you’d like to say to your fellow members?”
    “Yes,” Nick said. “I’m hungry—let’s eat.”
    “Nick’s getting married!” Kegan shouted.
    The group erupted in laughter and applause, patting Nick on the back and congratulating him as they all moved into the dining room; soon Nick and Kegan were the only ones left in the lobby.
    “Well, that was humiliating,” Nick said.
    “You’re welcome.”
    Nick and Kegan stepped to the dining room doorway and looked over the group as they took their seats around a halfdozen circular tables draped in white. “Have you seen Pete?” Nick asked.
    “Pete Boudreau? I haven’t seen him today.”
    “That’s odd. Pete would never miss one of these meetings— he practically lives for these things.”
    “Maybe he’s sick.”
    “If he was, he would have called me. He wrote and invited me to meet him here today. He said there’s a case he’s been consulting on—something he needs my help with. Any idea what he’s been working on lately?”
    “Not me—I’ve missed the last few meetings myself. Have you tried his phone?”
    “Several times. No luck.”
    Nick and Kegan found open seats at a back table and the luncheon ensued. The menu was Mediterranean today, a Greek-style penne with fresh tomatoes—at least, that’s what Kegan told him. To Nick it was just food, and his favorite kind of food—the kind he didn’t have to prepare himself.
    “Anybody seen Pete Boudreau today?” he kept asking around the table during breaks in the conversation. But no one had seen him, and no one wanted to talk