The Red Chameleon by Erica Wright

Author:Erica Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Published: 2014-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

I was drinking coffee at the nearest precinct when Ellis careered through the door. “Are you hurt?”

He leaned down so close that I could see a tiny scratch on his glasses. I was wondering how he got it when he grabbed me by the shoulders and I winced. His apology was mumbled, and I’m not sure I accepted it. He stepped back and turned around, running his hands over his head in a ritual that I assumed helped to calm him down. I thought it best not to say anything until the ritual was completed, so I took another sip of my coffee. When he stuck his hands in his pockets and sighed heavily, I decided it was my turn to speak.

“The guy called me this morning and arranged a meeting, said he had information that might help me with my investigation.”

“My investigation.”

I shrugged, but that stung and made me wince again. I mouthed “ow” and closed my eyes for a beat.

“Do you need to see a doctor?”

“No. Maybe a trainer. I nearly hurled up some excellent Indian food trying to get up those stairs.”

Ellis sat my coffee down and turned me around to examine my back. He lowered the collar of my dress gently and let out a small whistle. It was hard to concentrate on my story with his breath on my neck, but after a few seconds he took a step back.

“I think you’re going to have some nasty bruises. A few scrapes and cuts, but you’re right, you don’t need a doctor. Well, not an M.D. You should really think about seeing a shrink.”

I knew better than to shrug again, so I just ignored this comment and continued. “Anyway, the bar was empty, so I decided to do a little spelunking downstairs. There’s a passageway that leads from the supply closet directly to Colt Hamilton’s office.”

“Also, directly to the alley, as you know firsthand.”

I wanted to throw a first-class tantrum, but I opted to tap my foot instead.

“Are you going to let me finish?”

Ellis raised his eyebrows and gestured that I had the floor.

“He was surprised to find me in the closet—”

“I bet.”

“Hey!”

“Keep going.”

“I’m just saying, why make an appointment with someone and then attempt to knock her senseless?”

“Because you startled him?”

“But why wasn’t he upstairs in the first place? It was after ten.”

Ellis went back to the head-rubbing thing, but this time I decided it meant he was considering my unspoken speculation that the bartender was in cahoots with his boss.

“Have you run the financials for the bar?”

“In the red.”

My little celebration dance didn’t last long because of the stinging. I was still elated, though, knowing we were getting closer. There was something fishy about a bar that operated in the red and sent its embezzling waitresses to rehab.

“You look ridiculous in that wig.”

This deflated my glee some, especially since Ellis couldn’t have looked any better in his dark jeans and baseball tee. His hair was young Robert Redford-tussled like he had been lying down, and I hoped he had been alone.

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