Murder in Paradise (Paradise Series) Read Online Free

turned. “You won’t shoot me.” He spoke to me like a mere irritation.
    “Yes, she will.” Fab walked to the front door and held it open. “Leave here and don’t come back. If I even see you in the neighborhood, I may have to shoot you.”
    Gabriel pinned Fab to the front door with his body. “Meet me in one hour at that dreadful café the two of you frequent. We’ll catch up on how I did prison time and you’re living in this dreadful hole.” Gabriel shot hate sparks in my direction. He ran his finger down Fab’s cheek, kissed her, and then disappeared down the driveway.
    I exhaled when the door slammed shut. “Wow, we have terrible taste in ex-husbands.”
    “Jax would never shoot you. Gabriel wears vengeance like an honor badge.” Fab rushed over. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
    “You have options. I know people who could make him disappear.” I mentally ran down the list of my friends and knew two who could expedite him to a mere memory in twenty-four hours.
    Fab wagged her finger at me. “I’m going to take care of this and you’re going to stay out of it.”
    A bad feeling settled over me. “You know where the painting is, don’t you?”
    Fab shook her head. “I hate it when you just seem to know stuff.”
    “Give it back to him with the understanding he leaves town tomorrow.” My hand shook when I pulled a coffee mug off the shelf.
     “I’d have to steal it again.” Fab covered her face with her hands.
    My phone rang. Mac’s name popped up on the screen. “More bad news?” I asked.
    Mac Lane managed The Cottages and, for the most part, stayed one step ahead of the crazies.
    “Koozie got arrested,” Mac blurted. “He set cottage ten on fire using his cooking-meth-for-dummies manual. When one of his cooking pots exploded, he freaked and ran out the door. He didn’t bother to call the fire department or anyone else, for that matter. Kevin’s partner, Johnson, stopped by on an official visit and to chat it up with you.”
    “Blow Johnson off until later. Can you start with estimates for cleanup, et cetera? Once I get the okay from the insurance company, I’m going to have the rubble hauled away.” One problem at a time today, I thought.
    Officer Johnson and I had an avid dislike for one another. “He started it,” I told his partner Kevin when asked to be nicer. Johnson liked to snap his fingers and didn’t like that I wasn’t a jumper.
    “On it already,” Mac smacked her gum. “Several folks have stopped by offering services. I have business cards in two piles: second look and no way.”
    I hung up the phone. “Start from the beginning,” I told Fab. “Try not to minimize the pertinent details.” My heart pounded hard. I hoped Gabriel wouldn’t be the end of our friendship.
    “Gabriel and I made headlines as sexy cat burglars. Lucky for me, a security camera caught only the back of me in skintight black pants and a long-sleeve top. We were selective, had high thieving standards. We stole from rich people. Let’s face it, they have the coolest stuff. My job was to gain entry. Rich people leave their windows open a lot, so I’d cut the screen and crawl right in. Most times we were invited guests—my parent’s friends and those of their social ilk.”
    I couldn’t imagine stealing from my parents’ friends. I’m sure I embarrassed Mother plenty of times, but this took it to a whole new level.
    “The Evards, tennis partners of my parents, bragged about their newest ‘little getaway’ to Monte Carlo. What a perfect time to loot their mansion! The entire alarm system appeared to be as old as the house; dismantling it was child’s play. Unbeknownst to us, behind every painting was a back-up system that sounded an alarm if moved. While Gabriel ransacked the downstairs, I swept the master bedroom, pawing through Madame’s jewels, helping myself. Gabriel had the painting off the wall, admiring it, when the guards burst in. He managed to hang on to the painting, jump