She Can Tell Read Online Free PDF Page B

exactly coming easy these days.” Not without nightmares anyway.
    “Mike, you can’t take responsibility for what happened. The FBI couldn’t find the Riverside Killer, and they were working that case a lot longer than you.”
    “I’m supposed to protect the people of this town. I failed.” One of them had died. An innocent young woman. The vision of her abused and bloated body would haunt him forever. Jack’s fiancée had also been abducted by the serial killer. Beth had barely survived, something Mike was reminded of every time he went to Jack’s house. Mike could’ve made the last poker game if he’d tried. “Doesn’t matter. It’s all over now. On to other crimes.”
    But there was no moving on for him. Though the Riverside Killer was dead, neither Mike nor the town would ever be the same. His quaint little hamlet bore the permanent stain of murder.
    Doubt lurked in Sean’s eyes, but he let it go. “Heard about that cluster at the Mitchell place last night. Troy’s such an asswipe. Is he really going to press charges against his sister-in-law?”
    “I have to wait until he sobers up to find out. When I called over to the jail this morning, he was painting the concrete with last night’s Wild Turkey.”
    “Nice.”
    “Probably the only thing that’ll keep him in jail today. No lawyer wants to put a puking defendant before a judge, even if the judge plays golf with the defendant’s daddy.”
    “They prefer their courtrooms hurl-free.”
    Mike finished the toast and pushed the container away. “Thanks for the food.”
    “Somebody has to take care of you. And on that note, we’re having a barbecue this afternoon and Amanda—”
    “Sean.” Mike cut him off. “I’m sorry. I just don’t have the time.”
    Sean sighed. “Amanda’s worried about you. She’d like to see you relax and get a real meal.”
    “Just had one.” Mike pressed a hand to his solar plexus, where it felt like the onions were bursting into flames.
    “You cannot work twenty-four-seven.”
    Mike’s gaze drifted to his computer screen and the
Philadelphia Times
article. From the back of a huge stallion, Rachel Parker squinted out from under a black riding cap. Those eyes were intense, even in black and white. The snug riding pants and tall black boots showcased that tight, athletic body. But getting turned on by the memory of it rubbing against him was totally inappropriate. Mike’s chair squeaked as he shifted his weight.
    The caption below the photo read,
Local Rider Takes Silver at the Pan American Games.
Miss Parker wasn’t just a horse trainer. She and her mount, Fleet O’ Feet, were former members of the US Equestrian Team. “Besides, I have to pay Sarah Mitchell’s sister a call today.”
    Sean reached over and swiveled Mike’s screen so he could see it. “That her?”
    “Yeah.”
    Sean gave him the once-over. “You should shower and shave first. She’s hot.”
    “This is not a date.” Mike rolled his eyes. “She’s involved in an active case. Totally off-limits. Plus, she’s the complicated type, and I’ve had enough of that kind of complication.”
    “You’re not exactly Mr. Simple. You have enough baggage to fill a fucking freighter.”
    Mike ignored Sean’s uncomfortably accurate comment. “Look, Vince Mitchell is pissed enough that I had the audacity to arrest Troy last night. He doesn’t care that his son knocked his wife down a flight of stairs and broke her arm. You can bet he’s already working on the rest of the town council. I’m surprised the mayor hasn’t paid me a visit yet to convince me to make the charges magically disappear. They’re gonna be on my ass like a pair of tighty-whities. I need to walk the line here. One slipup and I’m history.”
    Mike pulled an economy-sized bottle of antacids from his drawer and shook out three.
    “Buying those things in bulk now?”
    “They were on sale.” Mike tossed them back and chewed, then used the last of his coffee to wash the