WILL TIME WAIT: Boxed set of 3 bestselling 'ticking clock' thrillers Read Online Free PDF Page A

had left a lamp on when I’d clearly asked her not to, I
engaged the safety chain and locked the front door.  In light of what I’d
learned this weekend, it felt similar to sealing my escape hatch. 
    I
hated the idea of any problem, however big or small, clouding Laura’s wedding
week.  I couldn’t explain what didn’t feel right, but, it was like I’d
been signed up for something.  In secret. 
    It
wasn’t the actual email, the text, or even the phrases within them that worried
me. 
    No. 
    My
concern after this weekend’s unsettling news was, what happened to the people
who received them?

CHAPTER 3
     
    L aura’s dress
fitting!  I’d slept in. 
    I
ran into the bathroom to shower, sent a text to Laura, then drove like Lewis
Hamilton to her house. 
    “I’m
so sorry,” I whined, dashing into her hallway.  “I slept in.” 
    The
seamstress passed me with a huge zip bag draped across her arms.  Laura’s
wedding dress. 
    “You’re
forgiven.”  Laura backed up her words with a smile.  “Thanks for
trying to get here.  You’re more than a best friend.  You’re like the
sister I don’t have.” 
    “Ahr. 
Same here.”  I hugged her.
    “I’m
so pleased I’ll be wearing my mum’s wedding dress.  Kind of feels as though
she’ll be there on the day, you know?”
    Being
an only child, Laura had inherited a fortune when her parents died last year;
money, property, the works.  Her dad was into real estate and rented out
several houses, which Laura was now in charge of.  Laura didn’t blame me
for her parents’ death.  Nevertheless, my being in the right place at the
wrong time that day, left me riddled with guilt.  I had made it my duty to
be supportive at every stage of her wedding to fill a small bit of the void I’d
played a part in creating.  I’d failed miserably today, and assumed my
guilt showed in my expression. 
    “Is
your dress ready?”
    She
motioned for me to follow her into the kitchen.  “More or less fits me
like a glove.  Just like Paul does.” 
    “Oh,
Laura.  Shut the hell up.  That’s too soppy on an empty
stomach.  Is Paul at work?” 
    She
nodded.  “Then he’s going to the gym when he finishes.  I’ll hardly
see him today.  It’s his stag do tonight.”
    “Why
didn’t he have it on Saturday?”
    “Some
of the guys couldn’t make it.”
    I
sat at the granite island in her kitchen.  I ate a bagel, and thought
about how much I wanted Laura to embark on a new, positive life with
Paul.  She needed this marriage, needed something wonderful to mark the
start of a fresh era.  I did, too.  More than she’d ever know. 
    Laura
appeared wide-awake.  I, on the other hand, felt stuck in a different time
zone.
    “How
was your date ?  Sorry, I’ll rephrase, your night out ?” 
She shot me a sly grin.  “I meant to text you, but we went to bed
early.” 
    “Well,
we won’t be joining you down the aisle.  To say the least, the date was awkward.  Guess what?  He knew that guy who died.”  I
expected a reaction, but saw little more than concentration in her eyes while
she started wiping the worktop.  “I asked Phillip some questions, but he
wasn’t very helpful.  Anyway, he’s passing my number to Lee, Daryl’s
brother.”
    Laura
stopped cleaning, narrowed her eyes at me.  “You’re kidding?  The
poor guy.  Let him grieve in peace.”
    I
nodded.  “I will.  After I find out if he knows who sent me
that email.”  I lifted magazines and she wiped underneath.  “I didn’t
even know Daryl, but everything I do leads back to him.  It’s becoming
creepy.  If he wasn’t dead, I’d think he was stalking me!”
    “Strange,”
she mumbled, turning around to scrub the sink. 
    I
took the hint and changed the subject.  Her week was stressful enough
without me adding to it.
    “Don’t
let Jayne set me up again.”
    “Okay. 
But we both know she loves playing cupid.”
    I
laughed.  “And loves making me look