Framed: A Psychological Thriller (Boston's Crimes of Passion Book 2) Read Online Free

to depend on the extra money each month.
    Something told Riley that Freddy had been fed the information. The question became why. She wasn’t stupid. Walter was not in fear of losing the lawsuit. Why then offer her a compromise when he had been so adamant about not giving her a penny?
    Her mind swirled with troubling thoughts. She realized there had to be a catch. She looked straight into her cousin’s eyes. “What does Walter want from me?”
    “That’s the thing.” Freddy’s normal cocky attitude returned. “Old Mrs. Barlow took some papers by mistake when she retired. She’s refusing to take Dad’s call. All we have to do is convince her to give them back.”
    That made her smile. Walter was many things, but being subtle wasn’t one of them. She didn’t have to ask. She assumed her uncle had accused Mrs. Barlow of stealing them.
    “I fail to see what I can do.”
    “Oh, come on, Riley. Mrs. Barlow’s got all bent out of shape over nothing. She liked you. We’ll just go by this morning and ask. That’s it.”
    “We can’t just drop by without calling.”
    “I called her before we left. She knows we are coming. I think she will do it for you because she feels you guys have a bond.”
    A bond? An intense dislike for the man her uncle had become? Riley considered the request for a moment. It would be nice to have her uncle off her back for a few months…if she could trust him.
    She shrugged. “Okay.”
    “Great.” Relief was evident in his tone. “It won’t take long and then I’ll treat you to breakfast down at the Pleasant.”
    Riley pulled back out into the flow of traffic. She knew the way to Mrs. Barlow’s home. At times, she had driven the older woman home after Riley visited Nana. It had been on her way.
    The weather had finally turned warm enough to take the top off the Jeep. It was one of Riley’s secret pleasures, riding with the wind blowing through her hair in the vehicle that had been her father’s.
    Turning off Bellevue Street, Riley wove the Jeep down the side streets of the quiet neighborhood. She slowed down and parked in front of a lovely brick gambrel. She killed the engine.
    She turned to Freddy. “So what exactly are we going to say?”
    “Just ask if we can go through the papers she brought home when she retired.”
    Riley climbed out and walked around to the sidewalk. Pushing her bargain sunglasses back on her head, she looked at the door, and then back at Freddy.
    “What exactly are we looking for if she agrees?”
    “Marked envelopes. Dad said it would be obvious. Don’t worry, I know.”
    She drew in a breath and knocked lightly on the door. She was sure that Freddy had been prepped to do precisely what Walter wanted. Strange, though, it had taken so long to realize it was missing…
    Freddy stepped in front of her. “I like your hair. It flatters you.”
    “Figured it would be easy to take care of for the summer.”
    Instinctively, Riley ran her fingers through it. She had gotten her dark-auburn hair cut last week after school let out for the summer. Wavy and fine-textured, it was unruly at best, making the shorter look a must for the warmer months.
    Most days when she wasn’t teaching, she wouldn’t make much of an effort with her appearance. This morning had been different. Having carefully applied her makeup, she chose to wear a Chambray shirt tucked loosely in her white shorts with a double long necklace with an antique pendant dangling at the end.
    She had taken the look from last month’s Glamour magazine and then went out and put the outfit together at T.J. Maxx. When Freddy had woken her this morning, she had mistakenly thought she was going to see her uncle.
    The last thing in the world she wanted was for Walter to believe the last months had worn on her. She had had enough of feeling small and needy.
    Freddy rang the doorbell and stepped back. There was no answer. He moved up again and this time, he knocked twice.
    “I thought you said Mrs. Barlow was