The Evidence Room: A Mystery Read Online Free PDF

without getting better. Someone had made an effort with the Kut and Kurl, though; its exterior had been painted an aggressive shade of pink, and the cloudy front windows had been cleaned and fitted with cheap lace trim curtains.
    Inside, Josh could see his target, Pernaria Vincent. She was seated at a desk, three chairs and mirrors behind her, illuminated by a square of fluorescent light that made the outside darkness seem threatening, as if at any moment, it might consume the tiny shop.
    Josh exited the car and checked around the building. No other cars; was she really alone after hours? People were incredibly stupid, Josh thought. Women disappeared every day, plucked from their lives by men who looked like the boy next door. Bad things happened in ordinary places.
    Josh completed his perimeter sweep and peered in the window. Pernaria was concentrating on something, her head bent over the desk like a schoolgirl taking an exam. Josh would chat her up a little bit, work his way up to asking about a buy. He pushed open the door.
    “ Je ne vous dois pas un sou ,” the woman said in a mechanical voice. She registered Josh’s arrival with a tired nod, but her heavily-lashed green eyes swept over him from head to toe. Her hair was tucked into a twenties-style bob wig, and her eyeliner was drawn out beyond the curve of her eyes in a dramatic sweep. The effect was a cross between something feline and a bad Cleopatra costume.
    “I owe you nothing,” the woman went on in a spiky tone, but winked at him. Josh realized that she was mimicking a voice on the digital recorder that sat in front of her, not unlike the recorder that nestled in his pocket.
    “Well, now, that’s not quite true, is it?” Josh said. “You do owe me something.”
    The woman giggled, the easy laugh of a woman used to male attention. She was lovely in an unexpected way, with pearl skin and soft features. “Sorry. I’m learning French. Planning on moving to Paris soon. And what is it that I owe you?”
    “How about an explanation for why a beautiful woman like you is sitting here alone on Friday night?” Josh infused the cheesy line with Tennessee charm. Women had always loved Josh. Maybe they sensed how much he wanted to protect them.
    “I guess I was just waiting for you,” the woman said. “I’m Pernaria, but everyone calls me Pea.” She stood up, revealing a pair of perfect legs set off by sky-high heels. Josh tried to gag the male part of his brain, which was now drowning out the cop part. What was this woman’s role in the drug ring? Fuck your brains out and rob you blind?
    Behind her, the woman on the tape prompted in a strident voice . Pouvez-vous m’aider? Can you help me?
    “I’m Matt.” Using the alias was getting easier every time, softening up like an old pair of jeans. Josh averted his eyes and looked at the yellow wall behind Pea, where faded beauty-queen photos, curling at the edges, were displayed in a crooked row. There was a dimpled toddler, then a little girl in a sailor dress, then a teenager in a gypsy costume holding a tambourine aloft, and then the pictures stopped.
    “So you’re a beauty queen, huh?” He saw right away that it was the wrong thing to say, that he had crossed some sort of invisible border. Her face darkened, and she crossed her arms.
    Je me suis perdu , the woman on the tape said, this time speaking in a breathy tone. I am lost.
    “That’s my sister,” Pea said. She frowned and perched on the edge of the desk. “I told her to take those down. Bunch of perverts running those pageants.” And then Josh saw it, the damage just underneath the surface. She was like him; someone had stolen something from her, something that could never be replaced.
    She had seen something in his expression also, because now she came closer and dug both her hands into his hair, drawing her nails across his scalp. Josh stood perfectly still, the digital recorder beating in his pocket like a second heart.
    “You’re not