Paper Bullets Read Free

doesn’t realize how sick some of those bastards can be. I have friends who left left criminal law because they couldn’t stand dealing with the clients.”
    I’d come face to face with two killers myself not that long ago, and they’d both been sick bastards.
    “You do realize you’re asking me to find someone you’re afraid could be dangerous.”
    “You’re smart, Abby. You know how to handle yourself. Melody?” He shook his head. “She always gotten attention from men. She thinks if she ignores this guy, he’ll go away. I know better, but I can’t convince her.”
    It was the first time he’d ever compared me favorably to his fiancé. Or at least that’s how I decided to take it, since an argument could also be made that he was saying I was more expendable than the new woman in his life. Look at me, trying not to be bitchy.
    “All I want is a picture of the guy, a license plate number if he’s driving a car,” Ryan said. “Something that will help me identify him.”
    “How about a name? An address?”
    Ryan shook his head. “A name would be great, but I don’t want you tailing this guy back to wherever he lives. If he’s got a car, I can track him down through DMV.”
    I could do that too, but I didn’t mention it. If I spotted the guy driving a car, I figured I’d just use my own resources to get a name and address. Thanks to the work I was doing Norton Greenburger, one of Reno’s best criminal defense attorneys, I’d gotten pretty good at surveillance. The guy would never know I was around.
    “Melody’s got a morning shift at the gym tomorrow,” Ryan said. “You can pick her up there.”
    It was my turn to shake my head. “Can’t tomorrow morning. Jonathan and his mom are driving over from Nevada City so he can spend the day with Samantha.”
    A look of confusion passed over Ryan’s face. “Jonathan?”
    I realized Samantha had never told Ryan about her long-distance boyfriend. Ouch.
    “A friend of hers,” I said. “We’ve been to Nevada City to visit a few times. This is the second time they’ve been here.”
    “Jonathan,” he said again, like he was trying the name on for size. “Is it serious?”
    “She’s sixteen. Everything’s serious.”
    He nodded. “Think I should meet this kid?”
    Jonathan was shy and kind of a nerd. I could just see how well that meeting would turn out. “She’s more focused on getting ready for school than on this boy,” I said. “If you want to meet him, I’ll set it up, but I don’t think you need to. Not right now. You’ve got enough on your plate.”
    He finished off his coffee, and this time when he spoke, he didn’t look at me. “I haven’t been a very good dad, have I?”
    What could I say to something like that? Good was a relative term. Ryan was getting married again—and not to me—which made him the worst dad in the world according to Samantha. But he still saw her two weekends a month, called her every so often just to talk, and never missed a birthday or holiday. That made him a better dad than a lot of dads out there.
    “I’ll start on Monday,” I said instead. “Text me the address of Melody’s gym and her schedule. I’ll clear my calendar.”
    I’d actually said “text me.” Samantha would be proud. I’d said “clear my calendar,” too. I didn’t know who’d be proud of me for that one. Even my mother hadn’t spoken corporate.
    “Thank you,” he said, and I knew he meant it.
    He stood up, so I did, too. He tossed his empty coffee container in the trash. I held onto mine. I still had half my latte left. I wasn’t about to throw it out.
    Ryan gave me a quick smile—good old frugal Abby—but I’d had a lot of practice lately trying to make ends meet. He held the door open for me as we left, both to our separate cars. I won’t lie. I still felt a twinge of regret at that. We’d been married a long time.
    As I left, I caught one last glimpse of the old couple sitting at the little table near the back.