She's a police detective trying to end the terror caused by a string
of murders. He's the last kind of person she ever thought she'd turn
to for help. Until they can catch the killer, no one will be safe.
of murders. He's the last kind of person she ever thought she'd turn
to for help. Until they can catch the killer, no one will be safe.
Excerpt from:
Read My Mind
Read My Mind
Jennifer picked out clean clothes, paying a little more attention to her selection than on most work
days. That included a sexy push-up bra. When they got ready to leave the crime scene, she had
insisted on driving her self home, promising to meet Mark at Pancake Jacks after she showered and
changed. That way she could go right from breakfast to work.
That's what she had told him before she left. She told herself that too. Though she couldn't deny
now that she had wanted the chance to freshen up first, to show up at breakfast with hair fixed and
makeup on, and just a few touches of her favorite perfume in the right places.
"So what," she said aloud as she headed down the hall and toward the bathroom.
She didn't see anything wrong with a little mutual sexual attraction. And the way Mark had looked
at her this morning, it was mutual. She had almost melted under his stare. There was a moment
there where she even thought he was about to kiss her, but then he had invited her to breakfast
instead.
And so what if he was a couple of years younger than her? Two years hardly counted, even though
she had always been the younger one in all of her relationships. That word bounced around in her
brain. Relationship?
Breakfast wasn't a relationship. It was sharing a meal. She didn't have time for a relationship.
What about mutually enjoyable hot sex?
"Now where did that come from?" she asked.
The sound of a key turning in the lock on her front door brought her to a stop just in front of the
bathroom.
"Jen, don't shoot," her sister Elysa called from outside. She opened the door a couple of inches. The
safety chain kept her from opening it further.
Jennifer glared at the wooden door as if she could see the person on the other side. "Give me one
reason why I shouldn't. On second thought, maybe you better give me two reasons."
"I've brought a peace offering with me." Elysa stuck a white bag through the small opening and
waved it back and forth.
"What?" Jennifer asked, though she was pretty sure of what the bag's
contents were.
"Your favorite, cream filled donuts coated with chocolate. Still warm," Elysa teased in a singsong
tone, waving the bag back and forth. All the while she stayed behind the safety of the door.
"Okay, I won't shoot this time." Jennifer walked forward and bumped the door into her sister's arm
that was still sticking through the opening.
"Ouch. Watch it. Cutting the hand off to get the donuts isn't fair."
Elysa jerked her hand and the bag back outside.
Jennifer shut the door enough to remove the safety chain. "Okay."
Elysa stuck her head in. Her red curls bounced with the movement, her
dangling silver-star earrings swayed. "I knew you loved me too much to stay mad at me."
"Ha. You pull one more set up on me, and you'll find out just how dangerous I can be." She was
tired of the endless line of men her sister paraded in front of her. Ever since Elysa had married, she
seemed to think it was her duty to marry off her older sister--and as quickly as possible. The only
trouble was, Jennifer didn't have time for a serious relationship, and didn't want one. Marriage was
about as serious as two people could get.
Elysa stepped inside and shut the door behind her. "Fair enough. No more playing match maker."
"Honest? You promise?"
Elysa drew an invisible cross over the front of her shinny green blouse with the tip of a red
fingernail. "Cross my heart."
Jennifer wasn't convinced. "Honest? You'll stop trying to find Mister Right for me? Not one more
blind date? Not one more, fancy meeting you here?"
"Hey, if you're determined to spend the rest of your life single, what can I do about it?" She
shrugged and carried her goodies through the small living room and into the kitchen. "Got any
coffee made?"
Jennifer still had her doubts. But she dropped her clean clothes on the couch and followed her
sister to the other room. "No, I don't. And I'm afraid I don't have time to make any, or for company
this morning. I've got to hit the shower and then meet someone."
"Who?" Elysa asked casually as she moved toward the coffee maker.
Jennifer's guard was still up. "No one you know."
"No one I know?" Elysa smiled over her shoulder. "Hmmmm."
Jennifer pointed a finger at her. "Don't hmmmm or look at me like that. It's work. That's all." That
wasn't all, Jennifer's hormones yelled. She was glad that her sister couldn't hear hormones.
"All right already. You don't have to bite my head off."
"You still have your head."
"You might want to be nice to me for another reason." Elysa pulled a little box out of her purse. "I've
got a birthday present...and I didn't bring the cake with thirty candles, like I wanted."
"Lucky for you!" Jennifer didn't like being reminded that her twenties were gone forever. Her family
would have the chance to remind her again at the surprise supper and party her mother had
planned for tonight.
Elysa only smiled. "You go and take your shower and I'll have the coffee ready and waiting when you
get out. You can open your gift then. After all, you have to eat before you go any way."
"I'm going to eat with..." Oops. She almost gave away a name, a male name. "...with the person I'm
meeting."
Her sister's radar kicked in to high gear. Jennifer could almost see two little antennas pop up on
Elysa's head.
"Ah, no name. That's a good sign."
"It isn't any kind of sign. It's breakfast and talking over a case. Blood and gore. Sorry to disappoint
you, but there's nothing more to it."
"You must have a reason to not mention a name. If it were someone from work, you'd have said a
name. I know all of your friends from work."
Jennifer kept herself from fidget under her younger sister's stare. "You don't know everyone on the
taskforce. New people have been brought in from the Sheriff's office and the FBI."
"I get the local news reports every evening and read the newspaper. Still..."
Jennifer should have just named one of the guys from work. "I'm the
detective, not you, and I don't have time for this. Make the coffee, enjoy the donuts, but save a
couple for me for later. I've got to get a move on or I'll be late for my meeting."
"Go ahead. Of course I could wait around outside, and then follow you," she warned.
"You do, little sister, and I promise you'll spot blue lights flashing in your rearview mirror before you
get a mile from here. Don't forget I have lots of friends, and most of them have the authority to
arrest people."
Her sister only laughed and reached for the coffee filters.
days. That included a sexy push-up bra. When they got ready to leave the crime scene, she had
insisted on driving her self home, promising to meet Mark at Pancake Jacks after she showered and
changed. That way she could go right from breakfast to work.
That's what she had told him before she left. She told herself that too. Though she couldn't deny
now that she had wanted the chance to freshen up first, to show up at breakfast with hair fixed and
makeup on, and just a few touches of her favorite perfume in the right places.
"So what," she said aloud as she headed down the hall and toward the bathroom.
She didn't see anything wrong with a little mutual sexual attraction. And the way Mark had looked
at her this morning, it was mutual. She had almost melted under his stare. There was a moment
there where she even thought he was about to kiss her, but then he had invited her to breakfast
instead.
And so what if he was a couple of years younger than her? Two years hardly counted, even though
she had always been the younger one in all of her relationships. That word bounced around in her
brain. Relationship?
Breakfast wasn't a relationship. It was sharing a meal. She didn't have time for a relationship.
What about mutually enjoyable hot sex?
"Now where did that come from?" she asked.
The sound of a key turning in the lock on her front door brought her to a stop just in front of the
bathroom.
"Jen, don't shoot," her sister Elysa called from outside. She opened the door a couple of inches. The
safety chain kept her from opening it further.
Jennifer glared at the wooden door as if she could see the person on the other side. "Give me one
reason why I shouldn't. On second thought, maybe you better give me two reasons."
"I've brought a peace offering with me." Elysa stuck a white bag through the small opening and
waved it back and forth.
"What?" Jennifer asked, though she was pretty sure of what the bag's
contents were.
"Your favorite, cream filled donuts coated with chocolate. Still warm," Elysa teased in a singsong
tone, waving the bag back and forth. All the while she stayed behind the safety of the door.
"Okay, I won't shoot this time." Jennifer walked forward and bumped the door into her sister's arm
that was still sticking through the opening.
"Ouch. Watch it. Cutting the hand off to get the donuts isn't fair."
Elysa jerked her hand and the bag back outside.
Jennifer shut the door enough to remove the safety chain. "Okay."
Elysa stuck her head in. Her red curls bounced with the movement, her
dangling silver-star earrings swayed. "I knew you loved me too much to stay mad at me."
"Ha. You pull one more set up on me, and you'll find out just how dangerous I can be." She was
tired of the endless line of men her sister paraded in front of her. Ever since Elysa had married, she
seemed to think it was her duty to marry off her older sister--and as quickly as possible. The only
trouble was, Jennifer didn't have time for a serious relationship, and didn't want one. Marriage was
about as serious as two people could get.
Elysa stepped inside and shut the door behind her. "Fair enough. No more playing match maker."
"Honest? You promise?"
Elysa drew an invisible cross over the front of her shinny green blouse with the tip of a red
fingernail. "Cross my heart."
Jennifer wasn't convinced. "Honest? You'll stop trying to find Mister Right for me? Not one more
blind date? Not one more, fancy meeting you here?"
"Hey, if you're determined to spend the rest of your life single, what can I do about it?" She
shrugged and carried her goodies through the small living room and into the kitchen. "Got any
coffee made?"
Jennifer still had her doubts. But she dropped her clean clothes on the couch and followed her
sister to the other room. "No, I don't. And I'm afraid I don't have time to make any, or for company
this morning. I've got to hit the shower and then meet someone."
"Who?" Elysa asked casually as she moved toward the coffee maker.
Jennifer's guard was still up. "No one you know."
"No one I know?" Elysa smiled over her shoulder. "Hmmmm."
Jennifer pointed a finger at her. "Don't hmmmm or look at me like that. It's work. That's all." That
wasn't all, Jennifer's hormones yelled. She was glad that her sister couldn't hear hormones.
"All right already. You don't have to bite my head off."
"You still have your head."
"You might want to be nice to me for another reason." Elysa pulled a little box out of her purse. "I've
got a birthday present...and I didn't bring the cake with thirty candles, like I wanted."
"Lucky for you!" Jennifer didn't like being reminded that her twenties were gone forever. Her family
would have the chance to remind her again at the surprise supper and party her mother had
planned for tonight.
Elysa only smiled. "You go and take your shower and I'll have the coffee ready and waiting when you
get out. You can open your gift then. After all, you have to eat before you go any way."
"I'm going to eat with..." Oops. She almost gave away a name, a male name. "...with the person I'm
meeting."
Her sister's radar kicked in to high gear. Jennifer could almost see two little antennas pop up on
Elysa's head.
"Ah, no name. That's a good sign."
"It isn't any kind of sign. It's breakfast and talking over a case. Blood and gore. Sorry to disappoint
you, but there's nothing more to it."
"You must have a reason to not mention a name. If it were someone from work, you'd have said a
name. I know all of your friends from work."
Jennifer kept herself from fidget under her younger sister's stare. "You don't know everyone on the
taskforce. New people have been brought in from the Sheriff's office and the FBI."
"I get the local news reports every evening and read the newspaper. Still..."
Jennifer should have just named one of the guys from work. "I'm the
detective, not you, and I don't have time for this. Make the coffee, enjoy the donuts, but save a
couple for me for later. I've got to get a move on or I'll be late for my meeting."
"Go ahead. Of course I could wait around outside, and then follow you," she warned.
"You do, little sister, and I promise you'll spot blue lights flashing in your rearview mirror before you
get a mile from here. Don't forget I have lots of friends, and most of them have the authority to
arrest people."
Her sister only laughed and reached for the coffee filters.
Copyright by Charlotte Dillon. All rights reserved.
Read My Mind
