Q a Caine Mysteries by K R Eckert

Author:K R Eckert [Eckert, K R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2020-02-14T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 37

“Wait. I have to do what?”

A half an hour after his conversation with his brother, Q.A. Caine was in his rental car speeding down the interstate at seventy miles an hour toward Manhattan Island, with Linda Caine in the passenger seat.

He hadn’t been able to get a whole sentence out of his mouth before she’d agreed to join the game. She hadn’t even bothered to pack. She said goodbye to her father, climbed into the car and they were gone.

“I said you have to dye your hair,” Caine said.

“I thought that’s what you said.”

“You can back out if you want to.” Caine didn’t tell her how much of a disaster that would be for him. That was the one concession he made to his morals, such as they were. He knew it wasn’t right to involve her at all and he knew he should’ve given her the details before she agreed to join, but she’d been eager, and he’d taken advantage. Still, he wouldn’t and couldn’t force her to do what she didn’t want to do.

“It’s OK,” she said. “I’ll do what you want. I should try out a new style anyway. What color does it have to be?”

“Brown.”

“A dull old brown, huh? I guess I can live with that.”

“If you can’t, tell me now. I’ll need to make other arrangements. Time is running out quickly.”

“When do we do whatever it is we’re doing?”

“Thursday night.”

She nodded. She didn’t seem surprised or worried.

“Thursday,” she repeated. “Halloween.”

“Yes.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Not for you.”

“But it is for you,” she said. It was not a question.

“It might be. I’m doing all I can to mitigate the danger.”

“Good. I’d hate to lose you.”

“Why? Don’t you want your own bookstore?”

She shook her head.

“Not that way.”

He shot a glance at her.

“Sorry, that was meant to be a joke.”

“Not a good one,” she said.

“I’ve never been very funny.”

“I know. You’re like father that way.”

“Oh, my dear girl, call me anything you want, but in god’s name don’t tell me I’m like your father.”

“In some ways you’re a lot like him.”

“Then how is it you’ve gotten yourself so attached to me, and not him?”

“Maybe because you like me, and he doesn’t.”

“Your father loves you.”

“Oh, I know. He loves me but he doesn’t like me. You like me. But, well, I don’t know if you love me or not.”

Caine sighed.

“I’m not very comfortable with the concept of love.”

“I know.”

“I do care for you.”

“I know that too. You don’t have to say it.”’

“I know.”

Linda smiled.

“Maybe I should try to give father more of a chance. I think we’re doing better. He didn’t even seem to be bothered by my going with you.”

“He was bothered.”

“Oh, I know that. But he didn’t seem to be. That’s progress.”

“If you say so.”

Linda laughed. Then she tried to hide her smile behind an expression of mock seriousness.

“OK,” she said, “enough of this foolishness. What else can you tell me about these fun and games?”

“Not much.”

“Well, you’re stealing something, right?”

“In a way.”

“What?”

“A book.”

“I figured that.”

“Well, that’s all I’m going to tell you for the moment.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.