Free LIES OF THE PHOENIX (A Lieutenant Cassidy Mystery Book 1) by Jeanne Tosti Page A

small wave and he started off to the parking garage while she walked in the opposite direction toward the theater.
    What a nice dinner, she thought. Maybe I just need to schedule things like this more often and make sure that it’s not in conflict with any of his work . She still needed to talk to him about Kyle, though. Work obligations may not be completely within Jordan’s control, but Kyle sure was.
    Sarah entered the theater lobby and saw Ruth and Eric Abbot across the room waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Standing beside them was a tall, nice looking man, in his mid-thirties. He had an athletic build and looked uncomfortable in the suit he was wearing.
    Ruth called out as soon as she saw Sarah, “Hi, Sarah. Over here!”
    Sarah made her way through the throng of people entering the theater.
    “Did you enjoy your dinner?” Ruth didn’t wait for an answer. “This is our house guest, Ben Taggert. I think I told you, he’s related to Eric’s sister by way of marriage. Ben, this is my best friend, Sarah.” Just then Ruth saw another couple from their group and she moved on to the next greeting.
    Ben stood there for an awkward moment and then said with an engaging smile, “I guess I’m your stand-in for tonight. Sorry your husband couldn’t make it. It was nice of Ruth to ask me. I don’t really know anyone in this city yet.”
    Sarah relaxed. He seemed nice enough. “Oh, don’t worry about it. We have a nice group of friends. You’ll fit right in. I’m glad that Ruth knew someone who could use the ticket. I would hate to see it go to waste.”
    Ruth rejoined the group and announced that everyone had arrived. She passed out tickets to each person and then herded them toward the appropriate theater door for seating. Ben and Sarah were told they would be seated next to each other and that they should stay together in the group to facilitate the seating.
    As they jostled toward their designated theater door entrance under Ruth’s direction, Ben leaned down to Sarah and said under his breath, “Reminds me of lining up for recess in elementary school. She doesn’t give out detentions, does she?”
    Sarah muffled a laugh. “You haven’t seen anything yet. Just don’t ask to go to the restroom after we’re seated or you’ll be in real trouble.”
    He responded with a smile and they continued to move toward the theater door. An usher escorted them to their seats. After they were seated both Ben and Sarah paged through the playbill booklet they had been handed. Up to that point, Sarah had no idea of the name of the play they were to see or as to what it was about.
    Ben looked at the booklet and read the title of the play, “ No life, No friends. Hmm. This title does not bode well for us. Do you know anything about this play?” he asked Sarah.
    “No, I don’t think Ruth does either. This is a new theater and Eric was able to get discount tickets so we thought we would go just to see the new theater venue. Have you heard something negative about the play?”
    “No, no. Nothing negative. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
    Sarah decided to make conversation until it was curtain time. “So Ruth tells me you have relocated to Chicago.”
    “Yes, I’m a freelance writer. I was working with a number of business contacts here in Chicago and it was just easier to make this my home base. I used to be in Milwaukee.”
    “A writer? What kind of writer?”
    “I do articles for magazines, some newspaper work, feature articles, a book or two. Mostly reality based crime stuff. I’m always looking for a good story.”
    “So what makes you so knowledgeable about criminal activity?” Sarah seemed a bit skeptical.
    “I used to be a cop. Other than that, not much,” he said casually. “So, how long have you been married? Kids? ”
    “Oh, I’ve just been married a few months. No kids yet. We’re still getting to know each other.”
    “Just getting to know each other?”
    “Uh, yeah.”