You Belong to Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

absolutely,’ Ruby said, her very red lips twitching. ‘I sure as hell wouldn’t marry one. But short term, their brand of trouble is well worth it.’
    Red was Ruby’s trademark because she was anything but subtle. She wore it on her lips and on the long fingernails that she pressed on at the end of each shift. Men buzzed around her like bees to a queen and Ruby proudly held court.
    Lucy liked her. They had a business-hours friendship that left most people shaking their heads. Oil and water , the others would say. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to get which was the water. Ruby was flashy and vivid where Lucy was contained. Bland.
    Or so they all thought. Not even Ruby knew what Lucy did when she left the office. None of them did. And if Lucy had her way, they never would.
    ‘Well, make trouble on your own time,’ Lucy said briskly. ‘I promised Detective Fitzpatrick we’d process this guy as soon as we got him back to the morgue. How many cases do I have today, anyway?’
    ‘Maybe four,’ Ruby replied absently, stealing looks over her shoulder. ‘He’s coming. Detective Hot Cop. Stevie Mazzetti’s with him.’
    ‘Ruby,’ Lucy snapped and Ruby sighed again.
    ‘See, that’s the difference between us,’ she said.
    ‘What, that I’m a professional?’ Lucy asked sarcastically.
    Ruby just grinned, unoffended. ‘That too. You’ve got to get out, kid. See some men that don’t have tags on their toes.’
    ‘Right now, the victim in the chair is my main concern.’
    Ruby puckered her lips. ‘Ooh. And now we get prim.’
    Lucy stopped short. ‘Someone meant for me to find him,’ she said quietly. ‘Dressed him so that I’d think he was someone important to me. Finding out who he is and how he died so that the cops can find out who did this . . . that’s my priority.’
    Ruby sobered. ‘I’m sorry. Why don’t you go in to the lab? Alan and I can bag him.’
    ‘If it had been my friend I’d let you, but he’s not and the cops need answers.’
    Ruby nodded once. ‘Then let’s get busy.’
    ‘Thank you.’ Ruby walked to where ME Tech Alan Dunbar waited, casting glances over her shoulder at Detective Fitzpatrick along the way. Lucy was tempted to sneak one last peek herself, but there was work to do.
    A man to identify. And a question to answer. Why set the victim up for me to find?
    ‘Lucy! What is this? Are you all right?’
    The voice behind her was as familiar as her own and when Lucy turned, she automatically looked down. At five-feet-nothing, Gwyn Weaver was ten inches shorter than Lucy in her sock feet. When she wore her work boots, Lucy towered even higher.
    Lucy was surprised it had taken her best friend this long to get out here. Usually Gwyn was on the front row of any crowd. This morning her smooth voice was shrill and panicked and Lucy opened her mouth to reassure.
    ‘I’m—’ Startled, Lucy cut herself off, her chin lifting and eyes widening at the sight of Gwyn’s companion. ‘Royce.’ Who stared at her coveralls with the big ‘ME’ stenciled on the back. Royce, who only knew her from the club. ‘You . . . you both came.’
    Shit . Lucy had known when Gwyn moved into her apartment complex that this would happen eventually, that at some point one of Gwyn’s boyfriends would see her in her day job attire. She had just expected it would be her nice prim suit, not her coveralls. And she certainly hadn’t expected it this morning.
    Although she should have. They’d gotten in so late from picking her up at the airport last night. It made sense Royce would sleep over at Gwyn’s place. On any other morning it wouldn’t have mattered. Except this morning it did.
    ‘He knows, Lucy,’ Gwyn said under her breath. She was searching Lucy’s face, her own panic receding. ‘I had to tell him. But he’s not going to tell.’
    ‘I promise,’ Royce said, seemingly taking her day job in stride. ‘I take it that you didn’t really go to California for a sales