Fresh Ice Read Free Page A

dead?”
    “Serena, I don’t know what you think I’m hiding from you. I went to talk to him, like I always do. He had nothing left to give me. You’ve drained him dry. So I went back to my other job, you know, scouting for the Preds? Couple days later, I’m at the Bradley center, one of the guys on the Admirals says that the guy that rebuilt his classic ‘Vette died in an explosion at the shop. Apparently Jason did a lot of work for the Admirals, because the whole team went to pay their respects. It was easy for me to go along. There was a picture of him next to the urn.” Quinn called to mind the image of Jason’s widow. Izzy, they called her now. Almost twenty years since he’d seen her, and Isabella Landry was every bit as lovely as she had been the last time he’d seen her skate. I’m not sharing that with Serena either.
    “Was that little bitch there?”
    Quinn shrugged, assumed an air of nonchalance. “There was a group of women standing there, and every one of them was mourning. I didn’t go up and ask, ‘Which one of you wrecked Serena Shipley’s dreams?’ There wasn’t anyone there that seemed more broken up than the rest of them. Maybe they weren’t even married anymore. Nineteen years is a long time for any marriage.” He kept his eyes steady with hers; hoping Serena’s sharp senses didn’t detect his lie.
    “A little sloppy with this, aren’t you?” Serena frowned at him. “Have you forgotten, my dear Quinn, exactly what I did for you? What you owe me? Think again.”
    How could I forget what I owe you? It’s something you bring up every other day.              “No,” his voice was chalky. “Of course I haven’t forgotten what I owe you. I was just thinking…Jason’s dead. If Isabella Landry did stay with him, she has nothing. And think of all the time we have, you and I, if I don’t have to run anymore of these errands.”
    The fury faded from her eyes and she sat back in her chair. “Always the charmer. Fine, I’ll do this your way for now. Let’s talk about more pleasant things. How did the show go today?”
    “Well, you know I always enjoy filling in.”
    “Yes, I do know that.”
    “I have some stuff I have to go do. You know, I’ve got that charity thing next month. And then I’m starting the plans for the big one I have in the early spring.”
    “Oh yes, Quinn Murray, the saint of a hockey player. The former bad boy loves to help the downtrodden.” Serena gave him a hint of a smile, her voice smooth with only the vaguest echo of a Minnesota accent, and not even a breath of a Tennessee accent, though she’d lived here nearly two decades. Her accent, or lack thereof, Quinn knew, was the result of years of vocal training.
    All part of a package. A very attractive, very lethal package.
    “Yeah, okay then.” He stood, attempting to put as much space between Serena and himself. “You know, you might want to come with me to the event. It might give the station some good publicity. The one in the spring is going to be huge. It would be great to get some official help from the station in return for major positive publicity. It’ll be for the Aubri Brown Club.”
    “Which charity is that? I can never keep all your good deeds straight.”
    “That’s the foundation that helps families who have lost children. Helps pay for counseling, funeral expenses, that sort of thing.”
    Serena took a deep breath in, as if trying to swallow something very bitter. She folded her hands on her desk and made direct eye contact with Quinn, the light in her green eyes ice cold. “I have no interest in helping you with that, Quinn.”
    Quinn couldn’t quite understand her reaction, but the look in her eyes unsettled him. “Okay.”
    She relaxed a little, the laser light softened in her eyes. “However, I’m not busy right now.”
    Her change of tone was all too familiar to Quinn.
    “Lock the door.”
    Quinn turned and faced the door as he locked it. He listened as she