Forbidden Read Free Page B

restrictive of her: her sister, Nancy.
    Nancy, the impetuous, rebellious, wild one. Two years younger than Liz, Nancy had eloped with a sailor at seventeen, divorced
     at eighteen, been kicked out of two colleges by nineteen, and been giving her family all manner of grief ever since. Nancy
     had tried drugs, been cited for DUIs, moved out of California and back several times. Sometimes no one heard from her for
     months; then, suddenly, she’d reappear, vowing she was truly sorry and forever changed. Liz loved her sister but considered
     her a case of arrested development.
    Passing Anthony’s Fish Grotto along the waterfront, Liz watched a gull dip low into a foaming wave, then quickly soar upward
     into a balmy blue sky. Nancy’s irresponsible ways were the main reason Liz had tried so hard not to displeasetheir parents. One disappointment in the family was difficult enough for them to handle. Two would be devastating. Still,
     at times she couldn’t help resenting the situation.
    Turning onto Laurel, she spotted the six-story beige structure known as Century Plaza Towers just ahead. Liz had looked at
     apartments in the Towers weeks ago but had decided they were a bit pricey for her budget. Volunteer work didn’t provide an
     income. Of course, she had the trust fund from her maternal grandmother, but she’d also inherited a propensity for careful
     money management. The three-story Miramar Apartments she’d finally chosen were just as nice, though they didn’t offer an ocean
     view as Adam’s building did.
    Since she wasn’t going to be long, she parked the Mercedes in the circular drive alongside a cluster of oleander bushes. In
     the small foyer she checked the list of names by the buzzer buttons and pressed 6-A.
    It was answered in moments by a deep, impatient voice. “Yes?”
    Liz leaned into the intercom. “Hello, Mr. McKenzie. I’m—”
    “Thank goodness you’re here. Hurry on up, will you? There’s blood everywhere?”
    “Blood? I don’t—” The buzzer releasing the lock on the outside door interrupted. Stunned, Liz stared at his nameplate for
     a long moment, then grabbed the handle and pulled open the heavy door. Undecided whether to ring him back, to go on up, or
     to get the hell out of there, she paused in the doorway. What on earth was she getting into?
    Feeling uneasy, she walked across the tiled floor to the elevator and stepped inside, then pushed the button for floor six.
     Whom was Adam McKenzie expecting? Whose blood was all over? Should she have called the police instead of riding up to Lord
     only knew what? The door slid open silently and she stepped out, wiping her suddenly damphands on the pant legs of her slacks. Cautiously she walked down the short hallway, checking the numbers on each door.
    The one to 6-A was ajar. She could see nothing through the small opening except pale gray carpeting in what was probably a
     vestibule. Swallowing around a nervous lump, she knocked twice.
    “In here,” the same deep voice called out. “Hurry!”
    Liz took a deep breath and walked in. There was no one in the large living room directly beyond the half wall divider. She
     turned toward the archway to her left that led into the kitchen and recognized Adam McKenzie from his campaign posters. He
     was wearing navy slacks and a white shirt streaked with blood as he leaned over the Formica counter. Cradled in what appeared
     to be his suit jacket was a calico kitten looking ragged and pitiful.
    “You must be Mitzi,” Adam said, his voice filled with relief. “Thanks for coming so quickly. I hope you can do something for
     her. I’m pretty sure her leg’s broken. Maybe there are internal injuries. She cried when I first picked her up, but she’s
     been quiet for so long now.”
    An injured kitten. Feeling foolish that she’d imagined a human massacre, Liz waked down one step into the kitchen.
    Adam’s brow furrowed into an angry frown as he went on. “I don’t know who hit her, but