Free Carol Higgins Clark Boxed Set - Volume 1: This eBook collection contains Zapped, Cursed, and Wrecked. by Carol Higgins Clark

“Not that I want to run into these people of course. Who are they? We definitely want to make sure they’re not home.”
    Lorraine pulled back from him, her body slumping ever so slightly. “What do you mean?”
    “What do I mean? Who are these people who own the apartment now?”
    “They’re just a young couple.”
    “What do you mean ‘just a young couple?’ Do they have kids? What do they do? What are their habits?”
    “They don’t have kids.”
    “What do they do, Lorraine? You’re being evasive and, I might add, not a very good actress.”
    Lorraine turned, walked back to the bar, poured herself another glass of wine, and forced a few tears to roll down her cheeks.
    “Lorraine, what’s wrong?” Clay asked as he hurried to her side.
    “It doesn’t matter anymore. I know you won’t want to help me.”
    “I do want to help you. Let’s face it, I need the cash, and the money I’ll make from selling the jewelry. With any luck that will carry me until I land a series.”
    “All right then. But you’re not going to like what I tell you.”
    “Try me.”
    “He’s the head of the NYPD Major Case Squad. She’s a private investigator. Regan and Jack Reilly are their names.”
    Clay blinked. “My mother reads her mother’s books.”
    “That’s nice.”
    “She was even hoping that I’d somehow meet Regan in New York and we’d hit it off.”
    Lorraine rolled her eyes. “Well, you missed out by a few months. She’s taken.”
    “I know. It’s hard to meet a nice girl. I’ve had the worst luck. All the girls I’m interested in are looking for somebody who’s rich. If I were a working actor—”
    “So our love lives aren’t the best right now,” Lorraine interrupted. “What’s in that safe will help us both with what’s most important to us at this moment—our careers. You’ll have the money to take classes and audition without having to stress out about other jobs. I’ll set those letters on fire and not have to worry about being banished from Hollywood forever.” She sipped her drink. “Then our lives will be on course. I know they will.”
    Clay nodded solemnly. “You’re right. This could be a major turning point for both of us. We need to get into that apartment as soon as possible. My rent is overdue.”
    “It’s the fourteenth of the month.”
    “Don’t remind me.” He snapped his fingers. “We’ve got to get moving. With this blackout, Jack Reilly is probably working. And with any luck Regan isn’t home, either. You don’t have their phone number by any chance, do you?”
    “I do!” Lorraine cried excitedly. “I ran into Regan in the hallway about six months ago. It was before she and Jack were married. I told her I’d been waiting for a package that hadn’t been delivered yet and I had to run to an appointment. She offered to accept it for me. We exchanged numbers and promised we’d help each other out with deliveries. I have her number in my cell phone.”
    “What is it? I’ll call and see if they’re home.”
    “What if they have caller ID?”
    “My phone number comes up as anonymous. Besides, you need electricity for caller ID.”
    Lorraine quickly grabbed her cell phone off the coffee table, looked up the Reillys’ number, then read it aloud to Clay. As he punched in the number he mumbled, “Hopefully they’re out rescuing people from the subway.”
    They both stood quietly as the connection was made and the Reillys’ phone began to ring. Lorraine held her breath as it rang several times. “No machine is picking up because there’s no electricity,” Clay whispered, then added victoriously, “they must not be home!” After several more rings, he snapped his phone shut. “Put on those high heels of yours, and let’s get out of here. It is time for us to seize the day!”
    Lorraine almost tripped as she jammed her feet into her shoes. “I am never in my life going to write another letter again,” she said excitedly, “not a letter, not a