No Rules Read Online Free PDF Page B

an eidetic memory, and I was distracted. I can’t recall every single word. I’m sure he made a comment about the weather, or about the menu, but so what?”
    “There.” She nearly jumped at his exclamation. “That’s it. We use code phrases about those exact things. I knew it.”
    “Who is we ? And why the hell do you use code phrases?”
    Donovan’s joy lasted another two seconds before his abrasive personality kicked back in. “Look, this could take some time. Right now I need to get you out of here.”
    He moved to take her arm again, but she shook off his hand and stepped backward. “Oh, no, I’m not the one leaving. You are.”
    “You can’t stay here, Jessie. The same people who killed your father are after you, and they know where you are.”
    She tipped her head, as if shifting the words in her brain might help them make sense. She’d actually started to wonder if what he claimed was true until he got to the part about killing her father. Donovan was either operating under a misconception, or he was more paranoid than she was. Or…“You can’t wait to get rid of me so you can go through this house, can you? You probably already have buyers lined up for the Persian rugs and antique hookah pipes. There must be a small fortune in the furnishings, and they mean nothing to you but a nice windfall.”
    He waved her accusation aside. “There’s nothing in the house I want. I’ve already checked.”
    “You what?” Her outrage rose to squeaky levels. “You went through this house without my permission?”
    “Key, remember? I checked the files and computer logs; it’s not here. Whatever your father wants me to know, he left with you, just like he said he would in his last message. You can have the rest.”
    “I… Do you mean you don’t want the rugs? Or the paintings?”
    “It’s all yours. Right now I just want to save you from the people who killed Wally and who are trying to kill you, too.”
    The paintings were hers. Her elation lasted several seconds, until reality crept back in. He was still operating under some paranoid delusion of murder and intrigue. “You’re mistaken,” she said, a gentle way of saying the more accurate phrase: You’re crazy. “My father died of a heart attack; the sheriff told me so when he first called.”
    “I spoke with the coroner and the sheriff yesterday evening, Jessie, and I examined Wally’s body. Your father was injected with a drug that stopped his heart. He was murdered.”
    Her mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. “I don’t believe you.”
    “I’m sorry, but it’s true. He was killed after a day of questioning and torture. Since the men who did it have already tried to kill you twice, I’d say you’re next on their list. I’m taking you someplace safe so we can figure out the information Wally died to keep secret.”
    It was too much, even for a woman who dabbled in paranoia. At least her delusions of the dangers that lurked in everyday situations were more realistic. This guy was a freaking nutcase, possibly as crazy as the man who had attacked her. What in the hell was happening in Nipagonee Rapids?
    A bin of lunatics was running loose in the north woods, that was what, and she fallen into the middle of them. The theory made as much sense to her as his absurd claims about torture and murder.
    “You’re crazy,” she declared. When he didn’t loosen his grip, she went back to the tactic of pacifying the lunatic. “Look, Mr. Donovan, I’m grateful for your concern, but I’m perfectly safe here. No one even knows I’m here, because I’m still registered at the Valley View Motel.”
    “I found you, didn’t I?”
    She frowned. “Yes, but—”
    “I’m not the only one.”
    The hardness in his eyes made her pause. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “Ask the dead guy in the garage, the one who came to kill you. Where’s your suitcase?”
    “ What ?” It felt like he’d socked her in the jaw, it took so long to get her