Free Six Killer Bodies by Stephanie Bond Page B

mind,” he said, folding his hand around
    her fingers and kissing the tips. Then he touched the
    charm bracelet she wore. “I heard these bracelets were
    supposed to foretel the future.”
    “Ha, ha,” she said nervously.
    “What kind of charms do you have?”
    She tried to pul away. “It doesn’t matter. It’s sil y.”
    “Then show me,” he said, turning her wrist. “Does that
    one say ‘aloha’?”
    She nodded. “See? It makes no sense.”
    “I don’t know,” he murmured. “Hawaii sounds like a
    romantic place to visit. And the champagne glasses, wel …”
    He grinned. “That could give a man hope.”
    She blushed.
    “And let’s see, is that a puzzle piece?”
    “I haven’t put together a puzzle since Wesley was a kid.”
    “But you’re a puzzle,” he said with a smile, then squinted.
    “Is that…three hearts?”
    From his sour expression she could tel he’d done the
    math and didn’t like the bottom line. “See, I told you it’s
    sil y.” She gently pul ed her wrist out of his grasp.
    “What’s the last charm?”
    She gave a wave. “A woman doing yoga. Maybe that’s a
    sign I should start exercising more.”
    “You look perfect to me.”
    She gave a little laugh, happy that she didn’t have to reveal
    the charm of the woman lying down with her arms crossed
    over her chest, corpselike. “Thank you, Peter.”
    “I do worry about you. Michael Lane is stil out there.”
    “The store is stil providing a security guard to watch over
    me. And everyone there knows Michael.”
    He sighed. “Then I guess if you can’t be here with me,
    being at work is the next safest place to be.”
    “Right,” she said with a forced smile. “I’d better get going.
    Do you have the keys to the rental car?”
    Peter pointed to the keyless remote and ignition key lying
    on the end of the table. “Have you given any more thought
    to setting a date for our Vegas trip?”
    “No, but I wil .” She picked up the key, then dropped a
    good kiss on his mouth before walking toward the sliding
    glass door.
    “Can we do something tonight?” he called.
    “I’d like that,” she said. “I’l call you later. Have a great
    day!” She waved and closed the door behind her, juggling
    the cup of juice. Her chest felt tight over the lies. Guilt
    always seemed to be close at hand when she was around
    Peter. But if she could help prove Coop wasn’t The
    Charmed Kil er, her head would be clear enough to get on
    with her life. At least that was the story she was sticking
    with.
    To assuage her mind a tiny bit about lying to Peter, she
    swung by the mall, thinking if Michael Lane was watching
    her, she’d want to give him the chance to approach her in
    a public place. Inside the mall, she visited kiosks, jewelry
    shops, and department stores that sold charms, asking
    about the people who’d purchased them lately. She
    showed the sales clerks Michael Lane’s picture, hoping to
    trigger a memory.
    “Isn’t this the guy who jumped in the Chattahoochee
    River?” one woman asked.
    “Yes,” Carlotta admitted. That wasn’t the memory she’d
    been hoping for.
    “Haven’t seen him, except on TV. Why are you asking
    questions?”
    “I knew one of the victims,” Carlotta said, thinking of the
    prostitute Pepper and the cheeky conversation they’d had
    only days before the woman had been found stabbed. “I’m
    simply making my own inquiries. And I knew Michael
    Lane.”
    “You think Michael Lane is The Charmed Kil er instead of
    the guy they arrested?” the woman pressed.
    “All I know is that with recent budget cuts, the police
    department is shorthanded,” Carlotta offered. “I’m just
    trying to do some legwork for them.”
    “Oh, I see.”
    She knew she could get in a world of trouble for making it
    sound as if she was working with the APD, but she was
    desperate. She also knew there were about a thousand
    places in Atlanta alone that sold charms, not counting the
    Internet. Add to the mix the fact