Elementary, My Dear Watkins

Elementary, My Dear Watkins Read Free

Book: Elementary, My Dear Watkins Read Free
Author: Mindy Starns Clark
Tags: Romance, Mystery
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packs and anti-inflammatories. At this point, it just seems like overkill to consult one of the nation’s preeminent orthopedists for a mere sprained ankle.”
    “Darling, you’re only twenty-seven years old. A bad healing at this point in your young life could prove to be disastrous down the line. Trust me in this. It’s worth the risk of a little overkill if it saves you from foot problems when you’re older.”
    The woman had a point there. Jo didn’t even know why she was still arguing with her. She was here, wasn’t she, en route to the doctor’s office? Argument or not, her grandmother had already won this particular battle.
    Besides, Jo had something more important to discuss anyway. As they inched their way through heavy traffic, she opened her bag and pulled out the printouts of the e-mails and the report from Chief Cooper that she had brought to the police.
    “On a different matter,” Jo said, glancing down at the papers, “I was wondering if you might know anyone of influence in the Bronx.”
    “The Bronx? Yes, I suppose, but why?”
    “I need you to pull some strings in Kreston, if possible.”
    “Kreston?” her grandmother asked with a sneer. “Why on earth would you want to have anything to do with Kreston?”
    Jo didn’t share the sneer. She had thought the blue-collar town had been quaint, if a little rough around the edges, and certainly nothing at which to turn up her nose.
    “Don’t be a snob, Gran.”
    “Snob, schnob. What do you want me to do?”

    Danny sipped a hot cup of decaf as Luc and Chester enjoyed an after-dinner drink called a digestif . The meal had been delicious but slow, dragged out through nine courses, and Danny was ready to call it a night and take off. Unfortunately, Chester pulled out a cigar, which probably meant he was just settling in.
    Since coming to France, Danny had learned that the evening meal often continued late into the night, way past dessert. Sometimes that was fine, but tonight he was exhausted, having spent the day helping to prepare for an upcoming international photo shoot. There had been many details to handle, with no room for error, and because Danny had been in charge of packing up the film, equipment, and other supplies for the photographer, the pressure had been intense. Now, on top of his physical exhaustion, the heavy meal was making him sleepy. He decided to make a pitch for Luc as best he could and then hit the road.
    “So, Chester,” Danny said as the man lit a match, held it to the tip of the cigar, and puffed furiously. “You say you’re here tonight on a recruiting mission? I think that’s very exciting. Luc is a highly skilled photographer, and I know he would be an asset to your magazine.”
    Chester and Luc exchanged glances as Chester continued to puff his cigar. Once it caught, he flipped his hand to put out the flame and then pulled the stogie from his mouth.
    “It’s not Luc I’m here to recruit,” Chester replied, blinking from the smoke. “It’s you.”
    Danny hesitated, wondering if he had heard the man correctly.
    “Me?”
    “Yes. Your work has come to my attention, and I’m interested to see if you might consider a move to New York and the world of high fashion photography.”
    Danny was dumbfounded. He looked at Luc, who merely smiled and shrugged. Luc didn’t seem disappointed, so he must have known all along that this wasn’t about him.
    “Thank you, but that’s not the type of photography I do—or want to do,” Danny said. “I’m a Scene It kind of guy all the way.”
    “ Scene It , bah,” Chester scoffed with a flip of his cigar. “What’s the challenge there? Snap a few close-ups of some big cats in a zoo and call it an African safari?”
    “No, they—”
    “You want to see fangs and claws? Try putting three models in Prada bathing suits and tell them the best-looking one gets the cover shot.”
    Luc laughed, but Danny was deeply offended. There was nothing fake or engineered about the

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