Blind Faith Read Free

and her heartbeat erratic. The next twenty-four hours will be critical."
    By the second day she was out of danger, and by the third she was well enough to have visitors and give a statement to the police. She was told that a patrol car had been cruising the area when they heard the shots.   The two men she hadn't recognized were part of an organized ring the police had been trying to break for months. The third one.   Detective Matt Kolvic , had been doing undercover work for the department.
    He had been killed in the crossfire.
    The story had dominated the headlines for days, and while Kelly's editor had praised her openly for her courage, the Philadelphia Police Department hadn't felt the same way. In a press conference Kelly had watched from her hospital bed, the police commissioner had expressed his anger with the press, stating that because of an overzealous reporter, a good cop was dead.
    The phone rang, putting an end to Kelly's thoughts. In no mood to talk, she kept her head pressed against the sofa cushion and ignored it.
    At the fourth ring, the answering machine came on. Seconds after that, her friend Victoria's distraught voice filled the room. "Kelly, if you're there, please pick up. It's Jonathan. He ... he's missing."

Kelly pounced on the phone. "I'm here. What do you mean missing?"
    "He was supposed to meet me at Lafarge dance studio for Phoebe's dance recital this evening and he never showed up."
    Knowing how forgetful
Victoria
's husband could be when he was working,
    Kelly tried to sound reassuring. "He must have been detained at the
    office . You know how he is when he gets busy--"
    "He's not at the office!"
Victoria
's voice had turned shrill. "He left for
Miami
this morning and never came back!"
    The panic in
Victoria
's voice was enough to snap Kelly to attention. Her own problems momentarily forgotten, she glanced at her watch. "Where are you?"
    "At the shop."
    "Stay there. I'll be right over."
    Two.
    Kelly parked the VW in a small lot on
Manning Street
, took the ticket from the attendant and walked briskly toward
Rittenhouse Square
. Named after the president of the American Philosophical Society and designed more than a hundred years ago, the famous square at Eighteenth and Walnut had long been one of the city's swankiest addresses. Luxury condominiums, hotels and elegant boutiques surrounded a small park, creating an exclusive enclave that attracted thousands of sight-seers every year.
    Victoria
's antiques shop, aptly named All My Yesterdays, was on the west side of the square, nestled between a branch of the
Philadelphia
library and a tea salon. Although her wealthy aunt, Cecily Sanders, owned the shop, it was
Victoria
's exquisite taste and knowledge of art that had made All My Yesterdays the success it was today. The small space was crammed with unique, carefully chosen items, from antique clocks to delicate stemware and accessories
Victoria
brought back from all over the world.
    Victoria
sat at her desk, her hands clasped in front of her mouth, her eyes closed. Her long blond hair was coiled into an elegant knot at the back of her neck, a style that emphasized her great bone structure. She wore a cranberry pantsuit that accentuated her small frame and a white blouse with a hint of lace at the collar. Other than a modest diamond engagement ring, she wore no jewelry.
    At the tinkling sound of the bell,
Victoria
looked up, her beautiful green eyes heavy with worry. "Oh, Kelly." She sprang from her chair and waited for Kelly to close the door before coming forward to give her a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Jonathan hasn't called?"
    "No." Her friend's voice was tight and controlled and Kelly knew she was making a supreme effort to stay calm.
    Taking
Victoria
's cold hand in hers, Kelly drew her toward the twin Queen Anne chairs that faced the desk. "All right," she said when both had sat down. "First things first. What was Jonathan doing in
Miami
?"
    "I don't know. And neither does Syd