Angels in Disguise Read Online Free Page A

I'm looking for a Ms. Delia Ryan. Am I at the right address?"
    "You sure are,” she said, smiling and holding out her hand. “You're Mr. Tom Casey, aren't you?"
    "Yep, that's me."
    Paul told me I could expect you within the next couple of days. Please come in. I just went for a swim. Give me a few minutes to change and I'll be right with you.” She led him into the living room and motioned for him to have a seat. “Can I get you a cup of coffee? I have some made."
    "Sure, that'll be great."
    "Cream or sugar?"
    "No, black's fine, thanks."
    She set a mug of the steaming brew on the coffee table. “Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back."
    Hawkman picked up the cup and strolled over to the picture window overlooking a huge glistening pool in the back yard. Then his gaze traveled to the sides. Strange, he thought. This is not your typical grandmother. No flower pots or fancy little chairs, but grotesque statues of dragons and demons. Then he observed the interior of the living room more closely. Sipping on the hot coffee, he walked over to the tall bookcase on the far wall and noticed her taste in reading consisted of fantasy, science fiction and the horror genre. Why did he expect to meet a round grand motherly type with a taste for romance? Because she didn't want her granddaughter wearing sexy clothes at ten years of age? Hawkman, you need to adjust your thinking.
    He observed oriental statues of dragons stashed in the darkened corners, along with pictures on the walls of space ships and well endowed alien women. Horror books lay scattered across the end tables and coffee table. This is going to prove to be a very interesting interview, he thought.
    Delia Ryan entered the room. “Sorry it took me so long. Had a time fixing my hair."
    Hawkman spun around to face a sexy woman with long dyed blond hair, dressed in designer jeans, silk white shirt, and demonstrating the figure of a thirty year old. She'd obviously had a face lift or else she wasn't Paul's biological mother. “No problem, you have a very interesting hobby. Looks like you're a real science fiction fan."
    "Oh, yes,” she said, waving a hand toward the bookcase. “I love this stuff. Takes me into another world."
    He nodded. “Yep, it sure would."
    "Sit down, let me get a cup of java and we can talk,” she said, pointing toward the sofa.
    She soon returned and took a chair opposite him. “I'm anxious to know if you've learned anything about where Carlotta might be."
    "No, so far I have no leads. I was hoping you'd have information that might help."
    She placed her mug on the coffee table. “I wish I could. That woman is such an air head and is not responsible. Can you imagine leaving a ten year old child to fend for herself when all this horrible stuff is going on in the world?” She slapped her hands against her thighs. “Oh, it just makes me crazy. She doesn't let Tiffany be a little girl who would like to play with dolls. No, she has her dressed in hip huggers and has her wearing make-up like a whore.” She jumped up and paced the floor. “Making her grow up way too fast without encouraging the child to have any kind of an imagination."
    "What does Tiffany think of the demons and dragons you have displayed?"
    Delia laughed. “I wouldn't approve of her reading any of my books. I tell her they're something she can look forward to when she grows up. We go to the library and check out literature for her age level. Then we sit around the pool and read together. Sometimes, I'll even read to her. She loves it."
    "How does Carlotta take your hobby?"
    Delia twisted her mouth into a scowl. “I don't really care. That woman doesn't appear to have a brain cell working. I'd like to adopt Tiffany and keep her away from her mother, but I have to think about my son. After all, he is her father."
    "I must admit you don't look old enough to be Paul's mother. But wouldn't a young child be difficult to raise?"
    Her eyes lit up as she sat back down on the chair.