Blast from the Past (A Mac Faraday Mystery) Read Online Free

work as an assistant for someone who—”
    “ She was famous, not me,” Archie said. “I was never anywhere around the cameras or PR people. When she made public appearances, I was elsewhere.”
    “But Robin knew so many people,” Mac said. “She would interview criminals or people who were connected to underworld types for book research.”
    “ Her ,” she said, “not me.” She sighed. “Listen, even the US Marshal’s office wasn’t keen on the idea, but before they placed me with Robin, Cruze’s people had gotten to two witnesses who had testified against him. Robin had figured out how it could all work. Her friends in high places told my handler and her boss to let me decide. I figured …” She shrugged. “What did I have to lose? Robin was offering to let me hide in the world I dreamed of living in: books, literature, travel—all from behind the scenes. I did my research online or in libraries. As for when we were meeting her sources who were connected to the underworld—I had a totally different background and identity.”
    She held her hands up to her face. “I lightened my hair and cut it short—that’s why I wear it like this. Robin paid for me to get cosmetic surgery on my face—” She smiled. “Did you really think all this beauty happened naturally?” She waited in silence to see if her attempt to lighten the mood had succeeded.
    Mac backed up a step and looked her up and down. Finally, he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    Tears came to her eyes. “I wanted to.”
    “Robin knew and protected you.” He turned to the police cruisers. The police chief and deputy chief were watching them. “David and Bogie knew. Everyone knew but me.”
    “When the US Marshal’s office places a witness in the area, they contact the local police to let them know. Pat O’Callaghan was chief of police then.  He told none of the officers working under him until he was dying. Then, he told David and Bogie.” She cried, “I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how. I’m sorry, Mac.”
    He shook his head. Fearing she would collapse from her grief, he took her into his arms. Gnarly pressed up against them as if to participate in a group hug.  “Don’t be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong.”
    “But I should have told you,” she sobbed into his ear.
    “I understand…” He kissed her cheek. Then, he pushed her away and kissed her mouth, which was salty with tears. “I think you’re the bravest woman I ever met, Archie Monday, or whatever your name is.”
    “I love you, Mac.” She collapsed back into his arms.
    The three of them, Mac, Archie, and Gnarly, stood together as a group while she sobbed against his bare chest. Mac sensed that the fear or reality of the attempt on her life had finally hit her.
    David came over to join them.  “Is everything okay?”
    Stroking Archie’s hair while she clung onto him, Mac nodded. “We’re as okay as we can be …”
    “If you’re not mad at her, I guess you’re not mad at me either.”
    Mac shook his head. “I don’t care about who knew what when. I’m more concerned with finding out how Cruze uncovered where she is.”
    As if to answer his question, a black sedan pulled up and around Mac’s car.
    “Oh, no!” Archie pushed Mac away and hurried toward the car.
    A woman with dark hair shortly cropped to her head, and dressed in a black pantsuit, jumped out of the driver’s seat. “O’Callaghan!” She advanced on David.
    The police chief lunged in her direction. “Finnegan!”
    Archie jumped between them. “Randi, you be nice to David.”
    “Oh, I’ll be nice to him,” she yelled. “All I want to do is help him—help him find my fist at the end of his nose!” She threw a fist in David’s direction while Archie pushed her back.
    “You want a piece of me, Finnegan! Come on!” David was ready to take her on, only to find Bogie blocking him with the deputy chief’s massive hand against his