Find Me Read Online Free

read his mind when he visually sized her up, she tugged off the ski cap, finger-combed her hair, then pulled the cap back into place before settling her full attention on him once more. She sighed as if she had to trawl long and deep for patience before responding. "Let's be completely frank here, Mr. Conner. I—"
    "Kale," he interrupted.
    Her eyes tapered with more blatant suspicion. "Kale," she acquiesced. "I know who you are and why you're here."
    He resisted the impulse to brace his arms over his chest. Keep it relaxed. No telltale body language. He should have anticipated that she would look into who's who in Youngstown before showing up. As much as she clearly wanted to give that impression, people like her didn't dive into a situation blind. To the contrary, they calculated every move.
    "You're a fifth-generation fisherman with a good-sized operation," she said. "Like so many other small Maine fishing companies, you turned the greater part of your attention to lobsters when the fish stocks became largely depleted. Last year you got yourself elected to the Youngstown Village Council. I imagine your family's very proud. But I also know that you're the youngest and newest member of Youngstown's esteemed council, so you get the menial jobs no one else wants to deal with. Like the potentially unpleasant task of handling me."
    He opened his mouth to regain control of the situation but she held up a hand to stop him. "In the past ten years, I've been down this road more times than I care to recall. I'm well aware of what people, like you and your fellow council members, think of me."
    She sent a pointed look across the street at Cappy's Chowder House where most of the patrons had their noses plastered to the windows. "I know what the citizens in your town think of me when they haven't even met me. And that's okay." Another of those half-smiles slanted one corner of her mouth. "I didn't come here to make friends. I didn't even come here to make nice. I'm here to clarify the facts in an unsolved case swaddled in naive myths. Nothing more." She made one of those facial expressions that said
whatever
. "It's quite simple. You don't get in my way and I won't get in yours. Capiche?"
    Don't say anything you'll regret.
    Though he'd passed impatient and was barreling toward ticked off, he took a breath. Kept it contained, as challenging as that proved. He inclined his head and countered her lengthy discourse with a somewhat shorter one of his own. "I know a little something about you, too, Sarah Newton. But I won't trouble you with the details. Whether you believe me or not, we're on the same side. If you can figure out what our chief of police, a fourth-generation lawman, and all his deputies can't, then by all means, let's get to it."
    She searched his eyes one long, pulse-pounding moment. "All right. We'll play this your way. Since," she qualified, "we're on the same side."
    The muscle in his jaw throbbed from the hard set of his teeth. Stay cool.
Don't let her get to you
. He gestured to his Jeep. "Why don't we take my vehicle?" He patently scrutinized her mid-size sedan. "I think you'll find that four-wheel drive comes in handy around here." Although the temperature was fairly mild, they still had upward of two feet of snow on the ground. Last night's misforecast storm had dropped six inches instead of two. The snowplows had been out in earnest this morning, ensuring the roads were cleared. "Good point." She gifted him with one of those looks that said he'd earned a measly point, then she did an about-face and hustled back to her rental car.
    She grabbed the keys from the ignition and a black shoulder bag before locking the doors. The bag was nearly as big as she was. With her back still turned, she draped it over her head, allowing the strap to fall onto one shoulder while the bulky bag settled against the opposite hip. A good stiff breeze and she'd surely topple over.
    No question the lady was from New York. Black coat, bag,