Dressed To Kill Read Free

wasn’t going well, even with the relaxing massage and wine. “Look, Josh. Let’s not start a fight over a little thing like trash. We’re all in the same lifeboat and we can’t be having people punching holes in the bottom of it.”
    “He started it.” Josh pointed at Conner.
    The young man popped up out of his chair. “I can finish it.”
    A hand gently pushed him back in his seat. “So can I.”
    Greg King, South Cove police detective and my hunky boy toy, stood behind Conner. He caught my eye and winked. Then he went back to saving Josh’s life.
    “Man, I wasn’t going to hurt the dude. I’m not that type of guy.” Conner glowered at Josh. “He needs to stop putting his nose into things where it doesn’t belong.”
    “If you can’t calm down, you’ll have to leave.” Greg’s voice was calm, but his words hard.
    Conner’s hands flew up in mock surrender. “Like I wanted to be at this stupid meeting in the first place. I just came for the paycheck, man.”
    Greg stood back and let the tall, skinny artist stand up and step away from the table. Conner glanced at Sherry, who nodded some answer to an unspoken question.
    This was curious. I didn’t think Conner even knew Sherry. And what did he mean by a paycheck? Maybe Conner didn’t own the gallery and his silent partner sent him to the Business-to-Business meeting this month.
    Greg watched him leave the store, then slipped into Conner’s chair. He picked up the photocopied picture of the inside of the artist’s car, frowned, then folded the paper and slipped it in his front shirt pocket.
    Leaning over the table, I whispered, “What are you doing here?”
    Confusion clouded his face, but he leaned toward me and tapped my hand with his. “I’m on the agenda, remember?”
    I shook my head. “No, you’re not.” I’d typed up the agenda last weekend. Bill, as chair of the business group, ran the meetings, but I set up the agenda and did the paperwork for the council. Nowhere on the agenda did it list Greg King to speak on anything.
    “If we could continue?” Bill visibly shook off the stress the altercation had caused. “Maybe we should table the trash discussion to next month and let our invited guest talk about the viability of a city position for dog catcher.”
    I narrowed my eyes at Bill, but he turned his head away. This subject had definitely not been on the agenda I’d sent him. The lack of a central number for pet control was one of Josh’s pet peeves about South Cove. He wanted to round up the homeless cat or two that hung around the shops. Aunt Jackie, on the other hand, couldn’t help feeding the strays.
    Sherry stood and took over the meeting. My eyes were almost slits now. What was going on?
    “I know Josh has been trying to shine light on the problem of stray cats and dogs roaming the streets of South Cove for months. With Bill’s approval”—now she paused to shoot a look at me, making sure the table knew I’d been pushing off Josh’s request for meeting time—“I invited Greg to come and talk to us.”
    Wait, what? It was then I realized my aunt had been wrong. There was no way I was going to survive two hours without killing someone.
    As Greg stood, Josh folded his arms and fake-whispered to everyone within earshot. “Finally, someone who can get things done around here. Maybe we need a new business liaison?”
    It took all my willpower not to stand up and resign on the spot. I consulted my watch. Less than an hour left then I’d be home free. As long as I didn’t open my mouth.

CHAPTER 2
    I threw Emma’s ball into the backyard, not looking at Greg. “I can’t believe you let Sherry bamboozle you that way.”
    Greg closed the grill. Dinner consisted of steak, corn on the cob, and a cheesecake I’d brought home from the shop. He sat next to me. “Look, I’m sorry. I thought you knew about my visit to the meeting. Sherry said . . .”
    I held up my hand. “I’m so tired of hearing what Sherry said. Look, do