Gingerbread Man Read Online Free Page A

wasn't sitting as
she'd told him to. In fact, he was standing only a foot or two
behind her. "My name is not Red. It's Holly. Holly Newman."
    "And you make the coffee."
    "Among other things."
    "And you take your job very seriously."
    Her glare heated. She felt it heat. It should
have wilted him by now. He should have smoke curling from the ends
of his dark hair. "Excuse me?"
    He smiled, but it never reached his eyes.
There was something dark about the man, and his eyes seemed hidden
among shadows. They were blue, but not vivid. Dull, though she felt
that was not their natural state.
    "It's not like the coffee being five minutes
late is going to bring about the ruin of Dilmun, is it?"
    He didn't look sarcastic or teasing. He just
looked... tired. She felt her lips narrow. "Just what is it you're
doing here, Detective? I know it's not anything official, so—"
    He held up a stop-sign hand. "Wait a minute.
How do you know that?"
    She shrugged. "We don't have any real crime
in Dilmun. Much less anything important enough to bring you all the
way down here from Syracuse. Nothing bad ever happens here. And
besides, I know everything that goes on in this office. The chief
hasn't had any official communications from... um... S.P.D." She smirked when she said it. "So what are you doing here?"
    "You're sharp, Red. You oughtta be a
cop."
    "You're changing the subject."
    He held up both hands. "You going to arrest
me?"
    She rolled her eyes and turned to head back
into her office. He stopped her at the doorway by speaking.
"Actually, you're right. I'm not here on business. At least, not
officially. The truth is, I'm on vacation."
    She battled a shiver. "And what is your
unofficial business?"
    "I can't tell you that."
    "And if I should call S.P.D. and ask
them?"
    "You'd probably get me fired."
    He wasn't kidding. His manner was completely
matter-of-fact. Something weighed on the man. Something big.
    The bell jangled as the front door opened,
and Chief Mallory walked in, making the room seem immediately
smaller. He stopped where he was, his brows drawing together, his
gaze moving from Holly standing nose to chest with the big,
full-of-himself detective, to the coffee cart, with puddles of
water, a dusting of grounds, and a pot that was only half filled.
His frown grew deeper.
    "Holly?" he asked, one hand inching toward
the gun at his side.
    "Whoa, wait a minute, now ..." O'Mally backed
away from her, holding both his hands up to about shoulder height
and looking from Chief Mallory to her and back again. "I'm a cop,
okay? For a town with no crime in it, the residents are sure as
hell nervous."
    "It's okay, Chief," Holly said. "This is
Detective O'Mally, down from Syracuse. He's been waiting to see
you, and irritating me." She shook her head in disgust. "Sorry
about the coffee."
    "Honey, I can wait five minutes for my
coffee." The chief relaxed, and walked forward, extending a hand.
"Sorry about the reaction, Detective. I'm not used to seeing Holly
flustered."
    "I was not flustered," Holly called as she
headed into her office. "Just distracted!" She returned with a roll
of paper towels, and proceeded to clean up the coffee cart.
    The two men shook hands and the chief said,
"We can talk in my office. Holly, will you bring us back some
coffee when it's ready?"
    She nodded, smiling easily at the chief, then
gritted her teeth and held the smile in place with effort as she
asked, "How do you like it, O'Mally?'
    He pierced her eyes with his. He just said,
"Black." And for some reason the word sent a chill right up her
spine.
    There was something dark living inside that
man. It had peeked out at her just now. Holly recognized it at
once, because she had seen it many times before.
    In the mirror.

 
THREE
    DILMUN WAS ONE strange little town, nestled
at the southern tip of the Finger Lake named Cayuga. Part of it was
quaint to the point of "tacky tourist trap" status, and seemed
designed to fool you into thinking you were on the New England
coast.