Free The Devil Makes Three by Julie Mangan Page B

check this out and get reading.”
    “Good luck.”
    I turned and left, nervously aware that he stayed on the aisle, watching me go.

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 8
    In which Gretchen doesn’t take the out she’s offered.
     
    Corbin didn’t make contact for a while. I deposited the few thousand I had left in a CD and prayed the situation had come to a close.
    It seemed reasonable that Collin was the real personality of the three. I had nearly forgotten Agent Cade in all of this: I hadn’t seen him since he came to the funeral home asking questions about Martins’ murder. He obviously served as the sort of enforcer or conscience of the three, while Corbin represented the id, seeking pleasure and pursuing his own agenda at any cost to others. Collin was the happy medium between the two.
    With wry amusement I noted all three had an obsession with crime, only solidifying my suspicion of the true nature of their singular identity.
    I also couldn’t help but wonder at the sudden lack of communication from Corbin. Had something snapped in Collin, enabling him to repress that particular portion of his personality? For that matter, I’d only seen Agent Cade once. Maybe something had happened, allowing Collin to say a permanent farewell to the others in residence.
    Whatever the reason, I enjoyed ogling him in class. I made it a point to get there on time everyday and to pick a seat up front, utilizing my new battery power. He smiled the first time he saw me there and shook his head. After that he just smiled. I felt fairly confident that he had enjoyed our little experience in the library, and that I was not the only one to feel the underlying sensual tension. And yet, neither of us made another move, as if hesitant to explore further. The reasons why were obvious.
    When my phone rang one night and the caller ID showed up ‘professor’ my heart skipped a beat, my mind automatically turning to Collin. Then reality set in. But perhaps I worried for nothing. Perhaps it really was Collin rather than Corbin, though I couldn’t imagine what would prompt him to call me.
    “Hello?” I asked, flipping it open.
    “Temptress, the sound of your voice affects me like a drug, lulling me to ecstasy.”
    “I had hoped I’d heard the last from you.”
    “Do you find me that intense? You just can’t handle me?”
    I was ashamed to recognize the electric skitter that ran from my toes to various body parts. “I wouldn’t know. I’d prefer not to find out.”
    “Well we can discuss what you want to find out later. Right now I have a job for you.”
    I lay on my bed, reading the book Collin had recommended. Friday and Saturday nights were my nights off from the funeral home and I usually spent them firmly ensconced in my apartment.
    “I hope you don’t mean tonight.”
    “I do.”
    “I’m kind of settled in.”
    “Get dressed and go to the funeral home. I want you to wait until it closes. I don’t care what excuse you give your parents. Tell them your apartment’s noisy or something and you want to study there. Once they’re gone you’ll find an envelope tucked inside the pulpit in the main chapel. I’ll get it from you when I can.”
    “What, no witty banter this evening?”
    “Sorry Temptress, I’m in a hurry. Crimes to commit, lives to ruin.”
    “What about Dustin?” Dustin worked as the part-time help that filled in on my days off. He went to Jamestown University like me, but had enough in student loans and grants that he didn’t have to work full-time.
    “Don’t linger. Once you’re alone, get the goods and get gone. I don’t care what excuse you give him.”
    With a growl and grimace I consented, but not before I informed him that I thought him a wacko. He simply laughed, a melodious sound making my flesh tingle with anticipation -- anticipation I feared to examine.
    So why didn’t I feel that way about Collin?
    The funeral home bustled with people when I got there. In viewing room number one we had Milton