Stone Cold Read Free Page B

right?”
    He either didn’t get her point or didn’t care. “I go to Harvard.”
    “Wow, I never would’ve guessed that.”
    “But I’m from Philly. The Main Line. My parents have an estate there.”
    “Wow again. It’s nice to have parents who have estates,” she said in a clearly uninterested tone.
    “It’s also nice to have parents who are out of the country half the time. I’m having a little party there tonight. It’s going to be a wild ride. You interested?”
    Annabelle could feel the guy’s gaze running down her.
Okay, here we go again.
She knew she shouldn’t, but with guys like this she just couldn’t seem to help herself.
    She closed the newspaper. “I don’t know. When you say wild, how wild do you mean?”
    “How wild do you want it to be?” She could see him forming the word “baby,” but he apparently thought better of using it, at least so soon in the conversation.
    “I hate being disappointed.”
    He touched her arm. “I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”
    She smiled and patted his hand. “So what are we talking about here? Booze and sex?”
    “A given.” He squeezed her arm. “Hey, I’m up in first class, why don’t you join me?”
    “You have anything other than booze and sex going on?”
    “You like to get into the details?”
    “It’s all in the details, uh . . .”
    “Steve. Steve Brinkman.” He gave a practiced little chuckle. “You know, one of
those
Brinkmans. My father’s the vice chairman of one of the biggest banks in the country.”
    “FYI, Steve, if you’ve just got coke at this party, and I’m not talking the soft drink, that would definitely disappoint me.”
    “What are you looking for? I’m sure I can get it. I’ve got connections.”
    “Goofballs, Dollies, Hog, with artillery to do it right, and no lemonade, lemonade always pisses me off,” she added, referring to crap-quality drugs.
    “Wow, you know your stuff,” Steve said, nervously looking around at the other people in the café car.
    “You ever chased the dragon, Steve?” she asked.
    “Uh, no.”
    “It’s a funky way to inhale heroin. It’ll give you the greatest pop in the world, if it doesn’t kill you.”
    He removed his hand from her arm. “Doesn’t sound very smart.”
    “How old are you?”
    “Twenty. Why?”
    “I like my men a little younger than that. I find that when a guy reaches eighteen he’s left his best ball-banging behind. So you gonna have any minors at this party?”
    He rose. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
    “Oh, I’m not picky. It can be guys or girls. I mean, when you’re shit-faced on meth, who cares?”
    “Okay, I’m leaving now,” Steve said hurriedly.
    “One more thing.” Annabelle took out her wallet and flashed a fake badge at him. She said in a low voice, “You recognize the DEA insignia, Steve? For Drug Enforcement Agency?”
    “Omigod!”
    “And now that you’ve told me about mommy and daddy Brinkman’s estate on the Main Line, I’m sure my strike team will have no problem finding the place. That is if you’re still intending on having a
wild
party.”
    “Please, I swear to God, I was just . . .” He put a hand out to steady himself. Annabelle seized it and gave his fingers a hard squeeze.
    “Go back to Harvard, Stevie, and when you graduate, you can screw up your life however you want to. But in the future just be careful what you say to strange women on trains.”
    She watched him hurry down the aisle and disappear safely back into first class.
    Annabelle finished her beer and idly read the last couple pages of the newspaper. Now it was her turn to have the blood drain from her face.
    An American tentatively identified as Anthony Wallace had been found nearly beaten to death at a Portugal seaside estate. Three other people had been found murdered at the home on a remote stretch of shoreline. Robbery was thought to be the motive. Although Wallace was still alive, he was in a coma after suffering extensive