Her Mother's Killer Read Free

passion—men. Her natural blond hair and her baby blue eyes, not to mention the sweeter than cream skin, attracted all types of men. She’d been married and divorced three times before the age of thirty.
    Duncan had always been thankful they’d never dated. After she dumped each man, she spent the next few weeks disparaging everything from their lack of attention to their lack of cock size. Thanks to her, he knew more about the male population of Crocker and exactly what they did or didn’t do in bed than he wanted to.
    “Gina,” he said with a sigh, “could you at least pretend to have something to do?”
    “I do. I have to get ready for my date tonight. Oh, and…” she stopped her task and carefully lifted a fax between the palms avoiding her nails, “this came in. Seems they found a woman, murdered, no ID in a ditch off of I-20 west of Abilene.”
    Although he gave her a hard time about her work, Gina was the most efficient clerk they’d ever employed. In fact, the office would be lost without her. He knew Richard and Lou would never be able to work the fax machine.
    He glanced over the fax realizing the woman had been found less than an hour’s drive from Crocker. He made a mental note of the incident and set the fax on the counter. “Pin that up on the bulletin board if you can find the time. Who are you going out with tonight?”
    “Mike Newhouse.” She blew on her freshly painted nails.
    “The produce manager at Yardley’s?” He thought of Mike, with his horn-rimmed glasses and quiet ways. Not her usual type, but he wasn’t sure she had one. She’d probably demolish the guy.
    “Yeah.” She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing as she studied his face. “You met a woman.”
    Damn, he hated when she did that. It was kind of creepy the way she could know what was going on with him. He was pretty sure she paid for spies all over town.
    With what he hoped was a casual shrug, he said, “I’ve been on patrol.”
    She snorted. “That’s never stopped you before. Spill it, Perry.”
    “She’s not a woman, she’s Thea Johnson.”
    Gina cocked her head to one side. “I didn’t know she was back in town for a visit.”
    Duncan remembered Thea’s comment. “Didn’t say it was for a visit.”
    Her eyes alit with interest. “What do you think she’s doing here? What did she look like?”
    He should be used to the sick fascination that Crocker residents had with the Warren family. If he looked at it objectively, he could say he understood it to a degree. But the idea left a dirty taste in his mouth. He still considered Jed his best friend even if he did disappear for huge chunks of time thanks to his job.
    Realizing Gina was staring at him waiting for an answer, he said, “She looks a lot like her mother.”
    Gina’s chair squeaked as she leaned back. “I remember her. Margie was hot.”
    “Why I had no idea you swung that way, Gina.”
    She offered him a smile that was all teeth and no warmth. “I should, figuring I’ve reached the end of the line going out with Mike.”
    “If you don’t like him, why are you going out with him?”
    She shrugged. “He asked, and I have a feeling it probably took him three weeks to work up the nerve. I didn’t have the heart to turn him down. And don’t think I can’t tell you’re trying to change the subject.”
    He offered her an innocent smile. “Would I do that?”
    “Without a second thought. And that tells me you’re hiding something.”
    Nothing other than the momentary spurt of lust he’d felt for Thea. Granted, any heterosexual man with his head screwed on tight would be attracted to her, but it didn’t erase the fact he’d always felt like her brother. Until this afternoon.
    “I’m an open book.”
    She snorted and opened her mouth but the ringing telephone stopped her comment. Knowing he’d been given a reprieve, he ducked out of the reception area and into the safety of his office. After closing the door behind him, he settled in