Without Any Warning (A Samantha Jamison Mystery Volume 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

ringing. Loudly .
    I was obviously failing miserably, since I reached for it before voicemail picked up. I couldn’t imagine who was calling. I had just spoken to Sandra earlier, Mona was making herself presentable, and the cleaning crew had just left.
    “Hello,” I said distractedly. I tried reviewing my notes.
    “I need to talk to your girlfriend,” a man said brusquely.
    “May I ask who’s calling?” I asked, not paying attention to his words, figuring it was regarding one of Mona’s interviews. I had long ago lost count .
    “This doesn’t concern you. Put her on the phone. I gotta talk to her now!”
    I sat up straight, instantly on guard. I hesitated before uttering another word. I knew this was no return call from an interview. Besides, why call my house phone? How did he get it? Mona had been using her cell phone.
    After overhearing her one-sided conversation the other day, I figured this call had something to do with that. My protective mode took over. I tried to play for time. “Excuse me? I think you must have the wrong number. What did you say your name was?”
    “I didn’t,” he threw back. “Good try, babe, but I’m calling the shots, not you.” He laughed, and then abruptly disconnected.
    Mona rushed in seconds later. “Sam, I can expl—”
    I whipped around, staring at her. “Were you listening in on the extension?”
    She hesitated. “Well… sort of.” She was finding it difficult looking directly at me.
    “And I suppose you can tell me what just transpired?”
    “I have a very simple explanation,” she said cautiously.
    “You do? Great, because I would like to hear it, if you don’t mind.” I waited.
    “I was expecting an important call,” she said slowly, “…and I figured you were too busy with your book… and that it might be for me. So I tried to save you the aggravation of being disturbed, but unfortunately I wasn’t fast enough. You got to the phone first.”
    Talk about a lame excuse! The whole thing didn’t make sense. “Why was someone calling you on my phone? Why not call your cell?”
    “I must have given yours by mistake and read the wrong number back to them.”
    Why wouldn’t she know her own cell number? Why was it written down next to my number?
    Something was going on here that she wasn’t telling me. “Are you in some kind of trouble, Mona? Because if you are I would appreciate knowing right now. Okay?”
    Mona faltered and then sat on the edge of my bed, clearly uncomfortable. “Look, I lied to you before. I was never really getting married. I made all that up.”
    Finally, the truth!
    “Why?” I asked, surprised, but after some consideration, I wasn’t, not really. Mona had always been unpredictable.
    It’s sort of complicated,” she said. “I had to get out of town quickly.”
    She still wasn’t offering me much to go on. “And what was the emergency?” I asked, frustrated. “Why didn’t you get in touch with me afterwards? Maybe, I could have helped.”
    “Look,” said Mona, “I think I have it totally under control. I swear. We go way back, right? Trust me on this, Sam. I would let you know if I was in any kind of trouble.”
    Been there, seen it, done it myself.
    Who was she kidding?
    “Then how come I’m not quite convinced of that. What are you not telling me, Mona?”
    “I’ll fill you in on everything when it’s all over. I promise. I want my life back, and you’re the only one I can trust right now. Of all the people I know, I was hoping I could count on you. How about it? Can you please wait?”
    I sighed. It seemed that was all I was doing lately, sighing. At this point, I figured the only way I was going to help her and get to the truth was to go along with this insane and possibly dangerous request of hers. I sighed again, deciding to take a chance. “Of course.”
    But a sixth sense and common sense told me that this was just the beginning of something really bad.

 
     
     
    Chapter 11
    Cleaning Up A