Finding Harmony (Katie & Annalise Book 3) Read Online Free Page A

be.”
    This was a lot to take in. Alarm bells rang in my head, far away but getting louder. “Why?”
    “He just got married. No one believes he was the type to kill himself, and especially not now. Supposedly his co-workers think he was stupid happy.”
    “Why does Petro-Mex even care? I mean, isn’t this a family matter?” I had started the process of drying and putting away the dishes now, and realized that in my consternation, I had dried the same plate three times.
    “They don’t make much of a distinction between family and company, really.”
    Ah, right. The cult. I held out my hand for his dishes, but Nick stood up and took them to the sink himself. And washed them. It was nice of him to help, finally. When he was done, he pulled a chain attached to his belt loop and flipped out the gold pocket watch we found hidden in the walls of Annalise. I’d had it repaired for him as a “Congrats, Dad” present when I learned I was carrying the twins. It still read “My Treasures” on the front as it had when we first discovered it, but now it held pictures of the three kids and me, instead of the family of Annalise’s previous owner.
    “Ten o’clock,” he said.
    I was beat. “Wanna finish this conversation in bed?”
    “Sure.” He followed me to our bedroom, saying, “I think this is going to be a big one for us. It would be nice to have more on-island clients.”
    Nick worked almost exclusively for stateside clients. But he also primarily did computer-forensics-type investigator jobs. Not potential murders.
    “I don’t know, Nick. I’ve got a bad vibe about this one. You’re the only you I’ve got. I’d like to keep you safe and sound.”
    “Worrywart.”
    But that was the funny thing—I wasn’t. I rarely worried about Nick. Now, I felt uneasy. It felt like this investigation would make every day a Day of the Dead until it was over. We were so isolated out here. We relied on each other. I couldn’t lose Nick, and I hated this foreboding.
    The words blurted out of my mouth. “Nick, don’t take this job. Please. My sixth sense is talking to me.” I held out my hand and he took it. “I can’t explain it, but I’m scared.”
    He sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, I have to take it. I need you to support me on this. If it goes sideways, I’ll drop it. OK?”
    I stared off into the distance, fighting the dread inside me. It seemed I had no choice. But I knew. I knew something was off with this investigation. Or did I? I could be making something out of nothing. My sixth sense wasn’t always right. But why take the chance? I didn’t want another dead man at our house. Especially not this one.
    I realized what needed to happen. I would have to be the one who kept him safe, that’s all, and I knew how to do that.
    “When do we start?” I asked.
    Once upon a time, Nick and I had worked together at the Dallas law firm of Hailey & Hart. Later, and up until the twins were born, we had partnered at his private investigation company, Stingray, when I wasn’t working for peanuts as the twangy Texas-born half of a singing duo with Ava, my exotic local partner. It made sense for me to volunteer for this case.
    “Whoa, cowgirl. There is no ‘we’ on this one. This is a death case—way too dangerous. And you have a lot going on up here, with the babies and all. I’ll get Rashidi to help me if I need it.”
    I’d met my friend Rashidi around the time I met Ava, when I first moved to St. Marcos. He was the one who had introduced me to Annalise. Nick had since co-opted him from me, however. I felt heat creep from my collarbone up my neck and ears and over my head until my scalp flamed. I knew I didn’t technically push my brain out when I was in labor with the girls, but some days it felt like Nick treated me that way.
    Nick whistled something tuneless as he sat down at the small writing table in our bedroom and jotted notes into a spiral notebook.
    “Nick—” I started to say.
    His head swiveled