Free Dead Write: A Forensic Handwriting Mystery by Sheila Lowe Page A

the hotel where he was staying indicated that he had taken a quickie course with their instructor and was not adequately prepared for the difficulty he ran into. He had been strongly warned not to dive alone. That’s the hotel covering its ass. It was assumed that he had ignored this advice, as no one came forward to claim the body, which was found by other divers, trapped underwater in seaweed.
    It all sounded on the up-and-up, but Claudia found herself wanting to discuss her questions about the two deaths with Jovanic. She considered phoning him, but if he had been up all night on stakeout, he was probably catching up on his sleep. She would have to wait for him to call. Meanwhile, there was still time to take a look at the other clients. She opened a new browser and Googled Shellee Jones.
    She was staring at the words on the laptop screen when “Bad Boys” sounded on her cell phone.

Chapter 6
    The Cops television show theme was the one Claudia had chosen for Jovanic’s ring tone. “Hey,” she said, “how’s it going?”
    “Hey,” Jovanic said. “It’s going fine here. How’s it going with Anastasia?”
    “Grusha. I haven’t seen her yet today. She’s sending me to talk to some of the other consultants she uses before we get together later.”
    “What’s the point of that?”
    “I haven’t had a chance to ask her. I guess she just wants all the consultants to get to know one another.”
    “How about you come home soon and consult with me ?”
    “Is that your way of saying you miss me?”
    “You know, it’s not nice to force a guy to say stuff like that, but . . . okay, yeah, I miss you.” She could hear the grin in his voice.
    “I miss you, too.” But I’m liking the space a little bit.
    “So, how are you doing, all alone in the big city?” He knew her well enough to detect the nuances.
    “I’m fine. Great.”
    “You sure? You sound—”
    “Stop being so protective, Joel, I’m fine. How’s Alex?” That just slipped out before she was even aware that it had been on her tongue.
    When he hesitated, Claudia got a sharp impression that she wasn’t the only one who wasn’t telling all. She thought about pressing the point, but she wanted to see his eyes when she asked him what was up. And she was convinced that something was.
    “Alex is fine, you’re fine, we’re all fine.” He sounded fed up, with a weariness that probably had little to do with the number of hours he had worked. “Are you pissed because I didn’t call last night?”
    “Of course not. You were working.”
    “I got in late, didn’t want to wake you.” He added quickly, “You know how it is on a stakeout.”
    “Yeah. Did you get your man? Or woman?”
    “No, we’re on again tonight. So, how’s the job really going?”
    She told him what she’d learned from Susan Rowan.
    “Two dead clients?” he repeated.
    “Two young, dead clients.”
    “Both accidents, unrelated.”
    “There doesn’t seem to be a connection, just a weird fluke.”
    “You know what I think about coincidences.”
    Jovanic had block-printed writing. That meant he expected things to have a sound, logical reason or he wouldn’t accept them.
    “I don’t much believe in coincidences, either,” she said. “But maybe this is one of those times when a cigar is just a cigar.”
    “It stinks like a cigar.”
    Claudia laughed. “That’s funny, coming from a reformed smoker.”
    “Cigarettes smell better than cigars. Maybe I should take it up again.”
    “Not if you want to kiss these lips, Columbo.”
    He made a huffing sound that passed for a chuckle. “I haven’t had a chance to check out this baroness character yet, but when I get back to the office—” He hesitated as someone in the background called his name. Claudia thought she recognized Alex’s voice. “Gotta go,” he said. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
    She clicked end on her cell phone and went back to her laptop with her stomach churning. Why is Alex with