Danger in a Red Dress Read Free Page B

shoved his glass back at the bartender, who refilled and returned it.
    Carrick played dumb. “What damn girl, sir?”
    “Miss Hannah Grey, RN. Dad’s nurse.” Dresser tipped the drink down his throat. “He gave that bitch fifty thousand for a blow job.”
    “Must have been a good blow job.” Carrick spun his icy glass on the bar.
    “Wide blue eyes, hair so blond it’s platinum, an innocent face, and a body that will not quit. Yeah, I imagine it was a hell of a blow job.” Dresser smiled a nasty smile. “Burkhart claimed she was an upright character. You should have seen the look on his face when she admitted she’d done it!”
    “She admitted to a blow job? In front of the lawyer?”
    “She didn’t say a blow job. She said she and Dad were . . . friends , in just that tone of voice. Sexy, but not bright.” Dresser smirked. “The family brought suit to stop the execution of the will.”
    “How did that go?” Obviously not well, but Carrick liked making the patronizing bastard admit it.
    “The will is clean. That damn Burkhart made sure of that. But I got revenge on Hannah Grey. I filed a suit with the state of New Hampshire. Her nursing certificate is suspended pending investigation, and her placement agency dropped her.”
    An idea brewed in Carrick’s mind. “So Hannah Grey can’t work in the state of New Hampshire, and she’s living off the inheritance from your father. That won’t keep her for long.”
    “Even better, she has no other resources, and it’s been five months since she’s held a job.” The open malice in Dresser’s face made Carrick almost sorry for Miss Hannah Grey. “I may be broke, I may be working for my living, but by God, she knows now she can’t play games with me and get away with it.”
    There was nothing more to be learned from Jeff Dresser, so Carrick stood. “Give Ryan my regards, and tell him if I need insurance, I’ll definitely keep him in mind.”
    Dresser rocked back on his stool as if Carrick had struck him—which he had, in a cunning show of gamesmanship.
    Carrick took a few steps away, then turned back. “About this Hannah Grey. I imagine you see her occasionally.”
    “Occasionally.” Hostility etched Dresser’s voice. “Why?”
    “I’ll bet she’s too embarrassed to look you in the eyes.”
    “Embarrassed? Are you kidding? That little witch smiles at me and lifts her chin.”
    So Hannah Grey was Carrick’s kind of woman; she kept her eyes on the purse, and wasn’t squeamish about doing what had to be done to get it.
    “Good,” Carrick said. “Good. That’s all I needed to know.”

THREE
    Hannah sat in the small shop, Buzz Beans, her hands wrapped around her warm cup of French roast, stared at the screen of her laptop, and moaned softly.
    Behind her, Sophia was cleaning the tables in the quiet neighborhood coffee shop. “Another rejection?” It wasn’t so much a question as a statement.
    “If I don’t get a job pretty soon, I’m going to have to change my name, hitchhike to New York, and become a musical star.”
    “You can’t sing or dance.” Sophia was the kid sister of Hannah’s best high school friend, and she knew all too well how Hannah sounded with a karaoke machine.
    “Stop crushing my dreams.”
    Sophia glanced toward the counter and lowered her voice. “How about a cheese pierogi? We made extras this morning and—”
    “I’m fine. Thank you.” Hannah smiled at the young barista, trying to convey her appreciation while holding onto her pride.
    “Yeah, but . . . Mr. Nowak has been bitching because you’re here every morning, buy one cup of coffee without any add-ins, and use his free Internet for two hours. Then you do it again in the afternoon. You know what a grump he is when he shouts.”
    “So he’s been listening to Jeff Dresser.” Who, for all that he’d lost a lot of influence in this town, hadn’t yet been counted out as a mover and shaker.
    “Yeah.” Sophia was squirming. “But I thought if you