Death by Diamonds by Annette Blair

Author:Annette Blair [Blair, Annette]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction > Mystery
ISBN: 9780425233139
Publisher: Berkley Pub Group
Published: 2010-09-14T22:00:00+00:00

--COCO CHANEL

"I'm a sleuth," I admitted. "So arrest me."

Werner sighed. "Cute. Did you get the phone call before or after you found Dom's ghoulish stash?"

"I found the stash first, and it scared the bejeebers out of me."

Werner squeezed my arm. "You were already skittish when your life was threatened then. No wonder you panicked."

"So you forgive me for Tasering you? Because I remember now that I did."

"I don't suppose I have a choice."

"Good, then see if you can forgive me for this." I opened my purse, took out the note I got from Dom with the dress, and handed it to Werner. "Here. It was taped between the tissue around Dom's dress the other morning."

He scanned it, then tapped it against the palm of his hand for a long minute. "In a way, your friend practically asked you to sleuth. Why didn't you tell me?"

"It wasn't your jurisdiction?"

His nod held a grudging respect. "The caliber of your pretexts are improving. Good one."

I smiled for the first time that day. "Thank you."

"What does she mean by special talents?" he asked. "Are you supposed to design an answer?"

"Mad's intuitive," Eve said. "Dominique knew that." I mentally thanked Eve for her great answer.

"So intuitive," Werner said, "that you don't know whether you cheated on Jaconetti last night or not?"

"That's low," I said, "even for you."

"Yes," Werner agreed. "It was low. I'm feeling the sting of you keeping that note from me. I apologize. If anything happened last night, it would have to have happened under the influence of our double concussive head traumas. I mean, we'd both be smarter than that in our right minds."

"Right." Why didn't I like his tone? "What?" I snapped. "Am I not good enough for you?"

Eve's laughter bubbled forth. "Mad, quit while you're ahead and all that?"

"Right. Listen, Lytton. I did Taser you after, but first I saw the torture devices, heard steps above me, got a death threat, smacked my head, then somebody turns my doorknob and comes in. Of course my instinct was to zap. I'm just sorry it was you."

"If it had been anybody else, I'd applaud your instincts." He sounded resigned.

"Kind of makes my previous unintentional attacks pale in comparison, doesn't it?" I said.

"Pale yes. A pale blue, because that's the color this bruise is gonna be, blue like my old friend, the mace you carry." He smiled at the reference to one of my past accidental attacks on him.

"Wait till Nick sees your matching bruises," Eve said, "and hears about last night. Where is Nick, by the way?"

"Off on assignment chasing the Pierpont diamonds halfway across the world," I said. "Where's Kyle?"

"Kyle's calling for the limo. The wake starts in--" She looked at her watch. "Oops, half an hour."

"Ack!" I jumped from the bed. I'd been so busy searching for clues in Dom's room last night that I forgot to unpack. "I need to get my dress steamed."

When I put my bag on the bed and opened it, however, I found Nick's clothes, instead of my own.

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