Killer in the Shadows! Read Online Free Page A

She suddenly realized she was wearing just a skimpy hospital gown and felt a little embarrassed.
    “Think, Naina. You might have seen something that could help us. Did he say anything?”
    Naina shook her head, realizing how little she had really seen. Instead, she noticed the inspector’s strong, carved jaw and the red scarf around his neck. She forced herself to try to remember details about the other man. “He had a mask or something on his face. And he wasn’t quite as tall as you.”
    Shukla scribbled in his small notepad.
    Abhay smiled at her. “If you remember anything else, just let me know.” He dug around in his pocket until he found a dog-eared card, which he handed to Naina.
    “I will,” Naina said, tightening her fingers around the bed sheet as she held the card.
    Shukla snorted with a glare on his face. “Madam, are you sure you weren’t entertaining some guy and things just…well, got a little out of hand?” Shukla asked Naina, his eyebrows raised suggestively.
    Anger stirred through Naina. “How dare you imply such a thing! I thought you were supposed to help and protect citizens.” She squared her shoulders and tried to sit up.
    “You have to believe me,” she said, panic lacing her voice. “There was someone there. He tried to kill me.” She covered her face with her hands as the memory flashed through her mind.
    Inspector Pandey patted her shoulder in a comforting gesture. “Relax, it’s over now.”
    Shukla wasn’t so kind. “Ms Sinha, were you drinking last night? Because we found a glass that had alcohol in it and an open vodka bottle.”
    Naina hesitated. She knew where this line of questioning was headed, and she didn’t like it. Not one bit. “I had a glass of vodka,” Naina said through clenched teeth.
    Shukla then pulled up a bottle of Alprax pills and held it up in front of her. “And these? Did you take some before you went to sleep?”
    “I…I’ve had trouble sleeping. The doctor prescribed them. But I didn’t take one last night.”
    “We’re checking for fingerprints. You said you fought him. Do you think you injured him?”
    “I…I thought I stabbed him in his arm, but I’m not sure.”
    Abhay looked at Naina, his thoughts running crazy. He wanted to get inside the hospital bed right next to Naina. Even after last night’s ordeal, junior was nearly becoming senior on seeing Naina lying on the bed. To divert his mind, he lit a cigarette.
    “We’ll have the blood sample from the knife analyzed. It could have been a robbery attempt.”
    Shukla cleared his throat. “Umm Sirji, there’s something you ought to know…”
    Abhay shot Shukla a look of warning. “Later Shukla. Right now, we have a crime scene to investigate.”
    Shukla sighed and left the room.
    “I’ve been getting blank calls,” Naina said, hoping to tell her side of things before Shukla took his chance again. “And I’ve been hearing noises as if someone’s been hanging around outside my house. I told the police about it, but they haven’t done anything.”
    “I’ll look into it,” Abhay said as he kept staring into her beautiful eyes. Even in a hospital gown, she looked so sexy to him.
    “Thank you, inspector,” said Naina twisting her fingers together as she forced herself to meet his intense gaze.
    Abhay’s grey eyes grew a shade darker. Naina’s entire body tingled with awareness. He could help her. She had to make him believe her. She wasn’t crazy. The reporters and people who knew of her background would disagree, but she knew otherwise.
    She’d actually lived an active, professional life for the past few years in Mumbai as a successful divorce lawyer. Then she’d moved back to Allahabad, and strange things had started to happen. She’d been a frightened and withdrawn little girl when she’d left Allahabad. But she wasn’t a little girl anymore. And she was tired of running away from things.
    “Do you want me to call someone from your family to take care of you? Or