Truly, Madly Read Online Free PDF Page B

changed from guarded to . . . pleased? It took a second before I realized he'd had no clue who I was—I could have been any crazy off the street, suddenly standing here in his office.
    ''Sorry I didn't hear you.'' He held out his hand to shake mine. ''Sean Donahue.''
    I stared at it. Oh no.
    ''I don't have cooties, Ms. Valentine.''
    I tucked the files I'd carried into the crook of my left arm. Bracing myself, I said, ''Of course not, and call me Lucy.'' Reaching across his desk, I shook his hand quickly. The room whirled, spinning. It wasn't that same movie-reel-out-of-control feeling I was used to. It was more of a slow-motion flip-book feeling. Images coming lazily, page after page. However, I couldn't make any sense of what I saw. The pictures were blurred, out of focus . . .
    Except for one. I yanked my hand away.
    He stared at his own hand long enough to make me wonder if he'd felt something, seen something, too. But no, that was impossible.
    I didn't know what to make of the whole slow-motion feeling. It was new. And I certainly didn't know what to make of the one clear image in my vision. There certainly hadn't been any lost objects to be seen.
    Deciding I would try to pick it apart later, I sat in the chair across from him. We looked at each other for a good ten seconds. And funny enough, it wasn't awkward. It was kind of like . . . meeting an old friend. Which made no sense, since I'd never met him before. No way would I forget eyes like those.
    I tried to shake off the feeling. I hated keeping Raphael waiting, and if I kept making goo-goo eyes at Sean Donahue, then I'd never get out of here.
    ''I, um, need your help.''
    ''All right.''
    ''With a client.''
    He leaned back in his chair. ''Go on.''
    ''I need to find a girl.'' I settled my files in my lap. My desire to find Jennifer Thompson was twofold. First and foremost, I had to figure out if she was the body in the grave. The skeleton, after all, had been wearing Michael's engagement ring. She was the last to have it.
    Second, if Jennifer wasn't mysteriously missing I had to implement my plan to reunite the two, skeleton or not. But I hoped she'd be able to shed some light on who might have possession of Michael's family heirloom.
    ''Her name?''
    ''Jennifer Thompson.''
    Sean jotted a note on a pad of paper he pulled from his desk drawer. ''Social Security?''
    I shrugged.
    ''Why do you want to find her?''
    ''For a client,'' I evaded. ''You'll be able to find out if she's married . . . or dead, right?''
    ''Dead?''
    ''Theoretically.''
    ''That's some theory.''
    I didn't comment. No need to tell him about the skeleton.
    ''Okay,'' he said. ''A girl named Jennifer Thompson. Piece of cake. There's probably only a couple thousand Jennifer Thompsons around.''
    I shifted in my seat. ''You don't need to mock.''
    The corner of his mouth rose up in a little grin. ''It's what I do best. Do you have any other info on her?''
    ''She went to BU, probably graduated six or seven years ago. Her family used to live in Weymouth Landing; her birthday is May eleventh.''
    He scribbled on a notepad. ''That helps.''
    My cell phone rang, a jazzy rendition of ''Jingle Bells.'' I fished the phone from my satchel, checked the ID, and groaned. Dovie. I silenced the call, dropped the phone back into the depths from which it came.
    ''Sorry,'' I said.
    '' ‘Jingle Bells'? It's barely November.''
    ''It's never too early for Christmas.''
    He smiled, and it sent my heart pounding crazily in my chest. For a second there, I thought maybe I'd be taking the same trip to Mass General my father had.
    ''I'll do a search, see what turns up. I'll have news for you as soon as possible.''
    ''I know you're busy,'' I said, recalling what he'd said on the phone about needing to work through the files stacked on his desk.
    Only . . . his desk was perfectly clear, except for a pad of paper, a pen, a phone, and a picture of two adorable little girls—Sam's daughters, Sean's nieces.
    Obviously Sean hadn't