The Devil She Knew Read Free

teen years when he was obsessed with cars, girls, and sports. One day he saw them kiss. It was brief but tender.
    And as everyone grew older, they grew closer. Seeing them now, in their golden years, outsiders would never know they were once a signature away from splitting up. But he knew. He still had the papers to remind him. Ironically, he had believed his own marital woes would resolve the same way. He’d believed that right up to the second she signed the divorce documents.
    When his parents decided to relocate to the retirement community, they turned their apartment buildings over to their kids. Together, Clay and Maggie managed Cestra Chalets I and II, which were actually luxury apartments in an upscale part of the city. Clay lived in Chalet II, which sat directly behind Chalet I, where Maggie, Dan, and six-month-old Jack lived. They each had taken over a major portion of the first floor of their buildings, demolished walls and gutted the insides, and converted the new, enlarged space to their own sprawling apartments with two bedrooms, two baths, an office, formal dining room, and eat-in kitchen. Maggie transformed a portion of her office into a nursery after Jack was born. Clay swore he’d never need to do that. One divorce was enough for him.
    He threw himself into being a cop. There had been several fascinating women in his life, but nothing serious. Unlike Maggie, who wore her heart on her sleeve and embraced passion, love, and commitment, he put the brakes on whenever a woman’s expectations got too high. Funny. He always broke up with them at their kitchen table.
    Happiness now centered on his role in a uniform helping people and the electrical, plumbing, painting, and other maintenance chores that came with operating two large apartment buildings. All service oriented, he often said. He enjoyed working with his hands, fixing things, and thought after several years of learning on the job he was pretty good at it. Dan also helped with building maintenance; the two of them swore there was no repair or maintenance problem they could not solve with a six-pack of beer and their combined talents.
    “Call Mrs. B and tell her I’ll be there this afternoon to change her faucet,” he told his sister. “I’ve got one more midnight shift and then I have a day off. I’ll clean the Osborne apartment then. We weren’t planning to show it before that were we?”
    “No. That’s fine. But wouldn’t you like to do something fun on your day off?”
    He laughed. “Fun? Ah, I think I had some of that in tenth grade.”
    “I keep telling you there’s more to life than work, big brother.”
    “Put it on my to-do list one of these days,” he told her. “I’m pulling into The Packing Place to drop off some samples. I’ll talk to you later.”
    He gathered the two evidence packets on the front seat and stepped out of his truck. As he approached the store, he saw Amber and the new girl through the storefront windows. He liked Amber, despite her over-the-top attempts to flirt with him and her criminal record. She made him laugh and there was nothing phony about her. She put it all out there for anyone to see, like it or not.
    The new girl had seemed a little edgy yesterday. He chalked it up to first-day jitters.
    “Good morning, ladies.”
    Cassidy stood beside Amber watching her process a shipment. Amber smiled and winked at Clay, then turned to Cassidy.
    “You should be able to handle that. Remember to get him to initial the label.”
    Cassidy moved uncertainly to the first shipping register and punched the keyboard. She looked at Clay and swallowed hard. He tried to ease her nervousness.
    “Don’t worry. By next week you’ll be able to do this blindfolded.” He pointed to a shelf on the back wall. “Take a form from that second slot, punch in the codes on these samples, and then process it. I’ll initial it after your label prints.” He smiled but watched her hand shake when she reached for the shipment