Framed Read Free Page A

mats because she knew if she didn’t come back, sooner or later we’d open up the job to reframe it.”
    After she finished, nothing moved, least of all Detective Llewellyn’s face. But then, still with the same intent look, he stirred and spoke. “So she wanted you to find her body? How’d she know he’d put her there?”
    “She didn’t. No, not the body. That’s what messed everything up. We were supposed to find whatever else he stored there.”
    “Such as?”
    “How should I know? That’s your job.” Ronnie stood up. “You’re welcome,” she added, hinting.
    “Huh?”
    Oh, what was the use. Men—hopeless. “Can I go now? I oughta get back.”
    “Back where?”
    He was just being obnoxious. Ronnie allowed some edge in her tone. “Back to normal ?”
    He dismissed her without a sign of a smile
    * * *
    The next week Ronnie was puzzling over an asymmetrical multi-opening mat—the lines on the back had to show the openings in mirror image—when Detective Llewellyn walked into the frame shop. He pushed open the door with his elbow because in each hand he carried a large hot fudge sundae. Without a twitch of greeting or facial expression he handed one to Ronnie and one to Lois.
    “Huh?” Ronnie said.
    “You got him!” yelled Lois.
    Llewellyn nodded. “Met him at the airport with the customs officers. Found an interesting selection of contraband in his so-called artwork.”
    “So he’s under arrest.”
    “Better. He’s confessed.”
    “Whoa!”
    “Some people don’t hold up well after murder,” said Llewellyn, “and he’s one of them. He told us all about it.” The detective looked at Ronnie. “You pretty much nailed it except he didn’t need or want a framer as a partner. Melinda became involved by accident. What happened was, somebody actually bought one of Gorog’s pictures—”
    “How unfortunate,” Lois said.
    Llewellyn gave her a blank look. “There was a mix-up, and they got one with packets of cocaine in it. And they brought it in here to get different mats put in, and Melinda found the stuff.”
    “Whoa.” Ronnie whispered it this time. She still felt a bit sick, remembering the photo of Melinda’s dead face.
    “She figured it out the same way you did, and she followed Gorog to his stash at Groat’s, and she wanted a cut of the take. For a while he went along with her, treated her like a partner, gave her a key, etc. But of course she kept wanting more.”
    Which sounded just like Melinda.
    “So he killed her, and now she’s killing him. End of story. Eat your sundaes.”
    “Oooh!” cooed the all-too-attractive Tiffany from across the shop. “Detective, are you going to be on the news tonight?”
    Detective Llewellyn swiveled his handsome head to look at Tiffany, and for the first time Ronnie saw him smile.
    He had a sexy smile. And a sexy butt. For a moment Ronnie spooned ice cream and studied his butt as he bantered with Tiffany. Then she sighed, smiled, put her sundae aside and penciled the next line on her multi-opening mat. Things were definitely back to normal.

Edgar Award-winning author Nancy Springer,
    well known for her science fiction, fantasy, and young adult novels,
    has written a gripping psychological thriller—smart, chilling, and unrelenting...
DARK LIE
    available in paperback and e-book in November 2012
    from New American Library
    Dorrie and Sam White are not the ordinary Midwestern couple they seem. For plain, hard-working Sam hides a deep passion for his wife. And Dorrie is secretly following the sixteen-year-old daughter, Juliet, she gave up for adoption long ago. Then one day at the mall, Dorrie watches horror-stricken as Juliet is forced into a van that drives away. Instinctively, Dorrie sends her own car speeding after it—an act of reckless courage that puts her on a collision course with a depraved killer...and draws Sam into a desperate search to save his wife. And as mother and daughter unite in a terrifying struggle to survive, Dorrie