The Good Die Twice Read Free Page A

days I find
her out back by the grave talking to her grandmother. She was all
the family Sara had left. But I think Einstein really fills a large
part of that void.” Dagger dug through stacks of papers and notes
on his desk, shoved them aside, and made room for today’s mail.
    “I see you’re still neat and orderly.” A
piece of mail slipped to the floor. Simon quickly retrieved it and
threw it back on the stack. “How are the living arrangements
working out?”
    “Place is big enough that we’re able to stay
out of each other’s way.” Dagger jabbed an index finger under the
flap of an envelope and tore open a bill from the phone company.
“And the rent I pay for Einstein and me gives Sara an income.”
    A twinkle crept into Simon’s eyes. “Seems to
me it would be kinda hard to keep your mind on business with that
gorgeous creature living under the same roof.”
    Dagger gave his broad shoulders a shrug.
“Never mix business with pleasure. Besides, Sara’s more like a
little sister to me.” Dagger couldn’t help but smile at Sara’s
transformation in just six short months. She had been so shy and
withdrawn when he had met her. He had looked over and there she
was, standing in the doorway of his office over a local bar,
looking like some native of a South Pacific island with her
almond-shaped eyes, olive complexion, and waist-length hair.
    Back then, Sara had been instrumental in
helping Dagger solve a case. They complemented each other well. She
had unusual talents that could benefit his firm, and he needed an
office and a place to live that didn’t frown on a rowdy macaw. And
Sara knew more about macaws than even the man in charge of the
Aviary House at Brookfield Zoo.
    Simon’s bushy eyebrows slowly crept up his
broad forehead. “Brother and sister? Right. You gonna tell me those
twenty steps up to that sweet thing’s bedroom doesn’t give you that
itch during some lonely nights? You gonna tell me living and
working in this close proximity doesn’t make things a little too
tempting?”
    Dagger gave a hopeless shake of his head.
“The only thing I’m tempted to do is turn her over my knee. It has
been a struggle getting her used to being around people after being
secluded here with her grandmother.”
    “She used to do the shopping for her
grandmother, didn’t she?”
    “Sure, early in the morning before the stores
were crowded. I made the mistake of taking her to the mall once,
after her grandmother died. I thought it would be good to expose
her to as much of the outside world as possible, as soon as
possible. Talk about an anxiety attack.” Dagger leaned closer. “I
ended up calling her a baby. Then those big, blue-green eyes
started to fill with tears and...”
    Simon smiled broadly. “Oh yeah, let me guess.
Those women get that bottom lip a-quivering and you feel like an
absolute jackass.”
    “Right. And then the tears hang on the bottom
lashes, just hanging, never falling. And the lashes are moving up
and down from the weight.” Dagger shook his head of thick hair and
laughed. “How on earth do women do that?”
    “You’ve got no patience, Chase Dagger. Women
need patience.” Simon winced as Einstein let out a diatribe of
screeches as he flew from the catwalk to the aviary.
    Dagger motioned Simon toward the couch while
sliding shut first the grated door and then the clear Plexiglas
door on the aviary. The Plexiglas door provided excellent
soundproofing. Dagger carried some papers in his hand and took a
seat next to Simon. He tossed a quick glance over his shoulder
toward the doorway, leaned in and whispered, “Well, those days that
I used to look at Sara sideways and reduce her to tears are gone.
Now that I taught her how to shoot, she has a backbone. Now that
she has learned some self-defense, she challenges me on everything
from taking care of Einstein to doing my job. She even had me throw
out all my coated fry pans because, little did I know, the coating
emits toxic fumes