Bubblegum Blonde Read Online Free Page A

they'll let you see the file?" Kelly raised her eyebrows.
    "If this were a simpler case, yeah, but with this one being high profile, no." I shook my head. "But it can't hurt to try. The worst they can do is tell me no, then I'm right back where we started."
    She nodded and continued to dial Mandy's number while I waited for the police station to pick up.
    On the third ring a perky dispatcher answered. "Police Department. This is Tiffany. How can I help you?"
    "This is Barb Jackson of Jackson Investigations. I need to speak with the detective in charge of the Lydia Hatchett case."
    "Sure. Let me see if he's in. Just one moment."
    The dispatcher put me on hold, and a second later, the worst elevator version of Billy Idol's "Rebel Yell" I'd ever heard filled my ears. I had the fleeting thought that whoever had the brilliant idea to destroy that song needed a swift kick in the rump.
    At least five minutes passed before a deep voice finally came over the line.
    "Detective Black. What can I do for you?"
    "I'm Barb Jackson of Jackson Investigations. I'd like to speak to you about the Lydia Hatchett case."
    "What about it?"
    He was quite brusque, but I brushed it off. He was a detective. He had a lot on his plate.
    "Well, for starters," I began, "I've been approached by someone concerning the case. I'd like to see the case file if possible to aid in my investigation."
    "No can do. Sorry."
    "I understand that this is an ongoing investigation, but I've been hired to look into this case as well. I'm sure you can understand and extend a little bit of professional courtesy."
    "Listen, lady, I get that you're a private investigator and all, but this is an ongoing murder investigation. At this point I'm not willing to show anyone this file." I heard the snap of what sounded like a heavy folder hitting the desk. "So I'm sorry, but no. There's no way you're getting your hands on the case file."
    His bluntness started to rub me the wrong way. I was doing my best to be polite, but he was making it rough.
    "I understand how important this case is," I said, "but my client—"
    "I can only imagine who your client is, seeing as how there's only one suspect in the case." He huffed out a breath. "Just in case you didn't hear me, this is an ongoing murder case. I can't tell you not to conduct your little investigation, but I can tell you to stay out of my way. Don't tamper with anything, and I mean anything, or I'll toss you in a cell. Understand?"
    "Yeah, I got it. Thanks for your consideration," I said with all the sarcasm I could muster and ended the call. It was times like this that I longed for an old phone. I just didn't get the same satisfaction pressing the end-call button as I did when I slammed down a receiver.
    "So, I'm guessing that was a no go?" Kelly asked.
    "He was an ass," I said. "It looks like we'll have to do this the old fashioned way." I smiled. The thought of digging in and really investigating sent a thrill through me that I hadn't felt since my days training to be a private investigator.
     Since some of the information we needed was private and could only be obtained with a warrant that we didn't have and couldn't get, and the cop who could share it with us was refusing to play nice and give me a peek at the goods, we needed a top-notch hacker to get us what we needed.
    "Mandy said she'll be here in twenty minutes."
    "Great," I said and grabbed my purse.
    Mandy Willow was the best computer hacker I'd ever seen. If anyone could get their hands on Hatchett's financial records, it was Mandy.
    Her brother, Ron, who—sad to say—was serving five to ten in the state pen for hacking into the wrong companies' files, taught her how to hack into just about anything.
    While Mandy could do anything with a computer, when it came to working in the field, she was our last resort. She froze up worse than a mobster at confession, which left stakeouts and face-to-face meetings to Kelly and me.
    "I'm going down to the station to see if I can