Harlequin Intrigue April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 Carol Ericson (short books to read TXT) 📖

He leaned in close to her. “I just don’t want you stealing another car.”

She smiled. “I’ll get a rideshare.”

“I didn’t get a chance to tell you earlier. I called the hospital and Matt’s still in a coma. Doesn’t look good.”

Her bottom lip quivered. “I’m not going to pretend I didn’t have problems with him, but he was the closest thing I had to a brother.”

“No more cards, though?”

“No.”

“He was probably lying about getting paid.” Jake rapped his knuckles on her desk. “Thanks for coming out with me today to talk to Sunny. I think it helped having you there. The working girls are always suspicious of cops.”

“Happy to help, although you did all the talking.”

“Have a good night...and be careful.”

“I always am.” She was lying, and he knew it.

Kyra worked for another hour, but it was still light when Rachel Blackburn called her.

“I hate to bother you, Kyra, but can you meet me before I head home?”

“Of course. Where?”

“You can just come by the shop. I’m closing at eight.”

“That’s perfect. I have to pick up my car first. I’ll see you around eight.”

Kyra gathered her belongings and ordered an app car from her phone. She slung her bag over her shoulder and hurried out to the curb in front of the station.

When her ride pulled behind her car near Marissa’s apartment, the sun was beginning to set. The strident oranges and reds produced by the haze from the wildfire had subsided to a creamy vanilla orange Popsicle marking the end of the Indian summer. It felt like the closing of a chapter. Maybe that meant the task force would close in on The Copycat Player.

Kyra paused before she got in her car and gazed at the building across the street. Those young women had probably been full of excitement and big dreams when they moved into that place. Now that chapter had ended, too.

She made it to West Hollywood just about ten minutes past eight and lucked out with a metered parking spot on the street. The Closed sign hung in the window of the shop where Rachel worked, so Kyra cupped her hand over her eyes and peered through the glass.

Rachel, behind the counter, waved and held up a finger.

Kyra waited on the sidewalk like a buoy, interrupting the flow of the pedestrian wave that surged around her.

Rachel stepped outside and locked the door. Turning toward Kyra, she dropped her keys in her purse. “Thanks for coming out. I’m doing okay, but locking up at night always got to me, even before my phone was stolen by a serial killer.”

“I can understand that. Do you want to sit somewhere?”

“Uncommon Grounds? They’re open until ten.”

As they walked through the door of the coffeehouse, Kyra said, “You know, we think your phone was lifted here, maybe when you were waiting for your coffee.”

“That could be, and it makes me feel a little better. It means I probably wasn’t targeted specifically, just a crime of opportunity.”

Kyra’s lips twitched.

“What?” Rachel nudged her arm. “Why are you laughing?”

“I’m not laughing. Jake... Detective McAllister was right about you. You’ve got good instincts.” Kyra pulled out her wallet. “It’s on me.”

When they got to the counter, the clean-cut guy from the other day took their order. Kyra glanced at his name tag. “Still here, huh?”

“Ma’am?” Jordy tilted his head, his dark, rather close-set eyes making him look like a bird.

“Oh, I’m sorry. You probably see hundreds of people all day. I was in the other afternoon and you mentioned you don’t always work at this store because you don’t look the part. It’s the hair.”

“Did I?” His brow furrowed. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember.”

“That’s all right. I’d like a peach iced tea and...”

Rachel ordered her frothy concoction and they stepped to the side after Kyra paid for their drinks.

Kyra tapped the counter that lined up against the window. “There are charging stations here and everything. We figured you may have set down your phone or plugged it in and forgotten it.”

“I don’t know about charging it, but I do have a habit of carrying it in my hand and then putting it down, so it’s possible.” She sighed. “Anybody could’ve picked it up in here.”

Rachel already knew about Kelsey’s connection to Melrose, as she’d had her nose piercing done by Gustavo in the shop, but she didn’t know about the Uncommon Grounds coffee cup in Marissa’s car. Of course, that cup could’ve come from a number of Uncommon Grounds sprinkled around the city.

Rachel tugged on Kyra’s purse strap. “Can you get the coffees? A table by the window just opened up. I’m going to grab it for us.”

Kyra nodded as Rachel spun around to nab the prime table. There seemed to be just as many people using this place as their office during the night as there were during the day.

When her name was called, Kyra picked up both drinks and carried them to the table where Rachel was texting. “New phone?”

“I gave up on ever finding my other phone, and I don’t know if I’d want to use it if I did.” Rachel hunched her shoulders. “Everything was backed up on the cloud, so I was able to restore all my stuff.”

“The wonders of technology.” Kyra reached into her bag and pulled out the composite drawing of Sunny’s john. She flattened it on the table. “We have a sketch of someone of interest to the case. Have you seen this guy around here?”

Rachel smoothed her hand across the face. “He kind of looks familiar, facially, but I’d remember someone with that hair...even here on Melrose.” She picked it up and held it close to her face. “Can I keep this?”

“Of course. I have others. Ask Gustavo.” Kyra stirred some sweetener into her tea. “Tell me what’s worrying you.”

Rachel recited some of her fears and tried to brush them off. But this hadn’t been her first encounter with the seedy side of LA and she’d been feeling rattled.

They