Lethal Instincts Read Online Free Page A

mean?” Lexi asked.
    “It was her eyes. You know, they say the eyes are the windows to the soul. It seemed like her soul had been eaten away by something dark. She was just going through the motions.”
    “Did she ever say anything? Talk to anyone?”
    “Other than pleasantries to be polite, she was not a social butterfly. Tatiana was kind and thoughtful but she didn’t go out of her way to make friends. There was one girl she spoke with. Grace. But I doubt she would know any more than I have already told you. She finishes her shift in ten minutes if you want to talk to her.”
    She wasn’t convinced how much Grace might help but girls chatted, gossiped, let go of frustrations by spilling their hearts. Maybe Tatiana had confided in someone? And what better way than to the person you worked with, especially since Tatiana’s schedule was sporadic.
    Grace was short and petite, with a gaunt face, and short spiky hair. She could have been in her twenties or pass for a teenager. Lexi didn’t waste any time on pleasantries but as she had expected, Grace couldn’t tell her much at all.
    “Tatiana was nice. Quiet. She helped out a lot when she was here. I asked her once if she wanted a few of my extra shifts, you know I sometimes like to spend time with my boyfriend and if I can’t get someone to work my shift… well, taking a day off is not an option. But she said she didn’t need the money and wasn’t interested. Which is weird, because she only worked a few days a month. And whilst she always looked well put together, you could tell that the clothes on her back had come from a charity shop.”  
    “Thank you, Grace, you’ve been most helpful,” Lexi said.
    “She’s dead, isn’t she?” Grace said, her gaze shifting towards Lexi’s feet.
    “I hope not,” Lexi said and moved towards the door, wondering why Grace would have automatically drawn such a conclusion.  
    “Wait,” Grace said, grabbing hold of Lexi’s arm with her delicate hands. “I need to tell you something.”  
    “What is it?”
    “I didn’t think anything of it at the time. It seemed innocent and normal but now that Tatiana is gone, well, I think someone needs to know.”
    “Yes?” Lexi said, feeling hopeful that maybe a piece of useless information could be the clue she needed to find out what happened to Tatiana.
    “A man and a woman came looking for her. They came into the shop when I was on a shift and wanted to know if Tatiana worked here and when.”  
    “Who were they?”
    Grace shrugged. “They said they were family from Ukraine and they were worried about her. They wanted to get in contact and take her back home because of a sick relative.”
    “Did you tell them anything?”
    “I told them that I saw her heading towards UCL once. There’s one more thing. I swear I saw one of them parked in a car across the road several times last week. Just sitting there, watching the shop and the people walking by. It sort of creeped me out.”  
    Interesting, Lexi thought. Maybe visiting the bakery hadn’t been a waste of time after all. The information may have meant nothing but Lexi saw its significance. If someone was making the effort to search for Tatiana, they may have gone to the trouble to take her too.  
    “Can you think of anything else? Even if it seem insignificant? Did she talk about family? Friends? Anyone she was close to?”
    “I don’t know. She never talked about herself. It was weird everyone talks about themselves.”  
    “If you think of anything, give me a call,” Lexi said, handing her a card. “Anything at all.”  
    Lexi sat down in one of the parks and contemplated the information she already had as she enjoyed the freshness of the fruit tart she had picked up at the bakery. The couple Grace had mentioned could be significant. What purpose did keeping an eye on Tatiana serve?
    They could have been Tatiana’s family but something in her gut told Lexi that they were definitely not. The vague