Free Gunning For Angels (Fallen Angels Book 1) by C. Mack Lewis Page B

evaluation, as there might be a subtler problem at work in his heart.
    Truer words were never spoken.
    The door swung open.
    Eve Hargrove greeted him with a knowing smile. “Who did I murder this time?”
    “Since when do you open your own door? Fall on hard times?”
    Eve turned and strolled deeper into the cavernous entranceway, her voice echoing off the marble flooring and domed ceiling where an elaborate chandelier hung. “Don’t tell me you’ve found another clue? And it only took you two years.”
    Bud followed her into a luxurious sitting room with high ceilings and overstuffed furniture. The walls were hung with a series of rare tapestries that depicted medieval life. Bud stopped to gaze at a hunter with a strangely detached expression as he plunged a sword into a fallen stag.
    “Ancestor?” Bud said.
    Eve sat on a couch, gazed up at him with a pleasant smile. “Forgive me for not offering you refreshments, but I despise you.”
    “And I’m so fond of you,” Bud said as he sat in a nearby chair. He found himself staring at her flawless beauty. She had the kind of beauty that gems have: frozen.
    “Take a picture, it might last longer,” Eve said, eyes glittering with disdain.
    “We found your father.”
    “Step-father,” she corrected, eyes flickering. She rang a small silver bell that sat on the table. “Perhaps I will order some refreshment. This conversation may prove vaguely interesting.”
    “Don’t put yourself out.”
    A butler materialized. 
    “One iced tea,” Eve said.
    “What can I get for you, sir?” the butler asked Bud.
    “He’s not staying long.” Eve waved the butler away.
    “You don’t seem surprised,” Bud said. “Aren’t you curious as to how he met his end?”
    Eve tilted her head thoughtfully as if divining his thoughts. “You don’t have a positive identification on the body. You’re fishing.”
    Bud’s eyes narrowed. “It’s him.”
    Eve made a tsk-tsk sound, “Fishing.”
    “We’ve got the body. The rest will follow.”
    “I’m not guilty.”
    “You’re not innocent,” Bud snapped, surprised at his short temper and his new inability to control it. 
    Eve paled, her eyes dark with anger.
    “I know you did it and I’m going to prove it,” Bud said, voice tight with hate.
    “Your slip is showing,” Eve sneered.
    Bud stood up, strode to the door.
    “Bud?” 
    Bud turned, surprised to hear her call him by his first name. He was startled to find that she was within touching distance. He involuntarily stepped back.
    She asked in a softly menacing voice, “How’s the ticker, Detective?”
    Bud stared at her in astonishment.
    How did she know?
    Bud struggled to keep his cool. He turned and strode out, almost running down the butler.
    Her laughter echoed behind him.

CHAPTER NINETEEN
     
    “But I don’t want to go among mad people,”  said Alice. “Oh, you can’t help that” said the cat. “We’re all mad here.”
     
    –Lewis Carroll
     
     
     
    “What did you say?” The policeman asked, staring at Enid in astonishment at hearing such a familiar name. 
    Parked in front of Jeni’s apartment building, Enid sat in the back seat of the squad car. She was miserable and scared and trembling so hard that her teeth were chattering. The police had arrested Jeni’s stalker and, luckily, they hadn’t found the gun that Enid had hidden in Jeni’s freezer. A policeman with the nametag “Sam Waterstone” had put Enid in the back of a squad car while he filled out paperwork.
    “What?” Enid asked through chattering teeth.
    “ What did you just say?” he said in a voice edged with urgency. 
    “I – uh, I’m here to find my dad – my real dad…”
    “Jack Fox? The detective?”
    “D o – do you know him?” Enid said, fear curling in her stomach.
    “Let me get this straight. Your mother is dead and you came to Phoenix to find your biological father who doesn’t know you exist?”
    Enid gave a hesitant nod. 
    “How do you know he’s