Cursed Read Online Free

his chair and sat down. After removing a small notepad
from his front pocket, he flipped a page. “You’ve already given my officers a
description of the stolen items but I have a few more questions.”
    Abel nodded and rubbed his
throbbing temples.
    “When was the last time you
opened the safe?”
    “A couple of weeks ago.”
    “Was anyone in the room with
you?”
    “My sister-in-law, Tess.”
    “When was the last time you did
an inventory of the contents?”
    “I don’t know exactly, it’s been
a while.”
    “The reason I’m asking is because
sometimes people forget what they’ve locked up.”
    Abel laid his hands on top of the
desk and looked at Frank. “I have some bonds, stock certificates, the deed to
this house and my--well, just some personal items.”  He didn’t want to
tell Frank that he kept the original copy of his marriage certificate to Leann,
as if it could ever bring her back. He had a reputation for being extremely
tough and unbending when it came to the law and putting criminals behind bars.
Revealing that bit of information to the chief might make him think he’d gone
soft.
    Frank nodded. “Okay.”
    “All of those things are still in
the safe. Obviously, the Dove wanted items he could liquidate in a hurry.”
    “Anyone have the combination to
the safe besides you?”
    Abel took another sip of scotch.
“My lawyer, just in case.”  He heard the sound of his sister-in-law’s
voice drift in from the hallway.
    Tess .
    He rose from his desk as she
walked into the room. Abel’s heart skipped a beat when he saw her. As always,
he found himself drawn to Tess. Why was she able to come so close to affecting
him like Leann?  His wife had been the only woman who truly understood
him. His heartache over his wife, Leann’s death in a car accident four years
ago had consumed him to the point that he had lost all interest in women. He
had thought he and Leann would have a lifetime together. He pushed away the
surge of old grief nudging his heart.
    Then one chilly October day his
brother introduced him to Tess, the woman he planned to marry. Abel had never
envied anything his brother had…until then.
    Tess wore a long, dark gray coat
and had a matching shawl wrapped around her head. Snowflakes sprinkled both.
    “Tess, thank you for coming. How
was the theater?”
    Her misty green gaze surveyed the
damaged safe for a moment before she removed her coat and shawl. “It was great,
thanks.” She looked at Abel. “I’m sorry I had to miss your party but I’d had
the tickets for a while.”
    Her soft apology touched him. She
wore an ivory suit with matching shoes. By the neat appearance of her dark brown
hair twisted into a knot at the base of her neck, no one would ever guess she’d
been running about in inclement weather.
    “Tess, this is Frank Palmera, the
chief of police. Frank, my sister-in-law, Tess O’Brien. It was her pendant that
was stolen.”
    Tess turned to Frank with a warm
smile and shook his hand.
    “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. O’Brien.” Frank
said.
    She was Ms. O’Brien now that his
brother was dead, but Abel didn’t bother to correct him. His comment might
embarrass Tess and hurt her.
    “Can I fix you a drink?” Abel
asked, moving toward the bar caddy.
    Tess raised a hand. “I’ll do it.”
She walked past him to the bar. The light scent of her perfume drifted smoothly
through the air, reminding him how much he enjoyed having her in his house.
    She picked up the silver tongs
beside the ice bucket and placed two small cubes into a glass barely making a
sound. Tess had flawless taste right down to the perfect strand of pearls
clasped about her neck. Her pale, porcelain skin was nearly the same color as
the pearls. Exquisite. She poured a discreet amount of vodka into her glass
then speared two olives sitting in a small dish by the liquor decanter. She
tucked them between the cubes of ice then looked over at Frank and took a small
sip. “Chief Palmera, I’d