Soul Rest: A Knights of the Board Room Novel Read Online Free

secrets, Sergeant.” She gave him a bland smile. “Research. Networking. Vocabulary. Body language. That kind of thing.”
    He snorted at that, offered her the Dr Pepper before he took it to his own lips. “Want a sip?”
    “Yeah, sure.” Their fingers brushed, and she saw the flicker in his eyes as he registered the contact. His fingers had heat in them, and she bet his hands were impossibly strong. Gentle. She cleared her throat. She attributed the tingle under her breastbone to the fizz of the soda.
    “But if I could ask him something, I’d want to know if it was a crime of opportunity or personal. Do they think it was someone she knew or was she just a type he preferred? Do we have enough on the suspect to put out a description so we can help catch him?”
    “Are you asking me for that information?” He got that tight look again, as if he’d walked into a trap.
    “No. You asked me what I would ask. I’m just answering you. I figure we’ve both had a long enough day.” Handing the soda back to him after the quick swallow, she glanced at Jai. “How much?”
    “Nothing.” Jai tilted his head toward Leland. “He just paid for both of you.”
    Leland looked surprised at that, and Celeste suppressed a chuckle. “If your local Mini-Mart employee is matchmaking for you, you haven’t had a date in a long, long,
long
time, have you?”
    “One or two more ‘longs’ would be necessary,” Jai said.
    “I’m sure there are some code violations in here,” Leland muttered. “Those tomatoes haven’t been through a USDA inspection. Keep it up.”
    “Hey, I’m from Chicago. You don’t scare me, copper,” Jai said, beefing up the Windy City accent.
    Another knot of customers arrived. Celeste guessed them to be three men carpooling from the night shift at one of the petroleum plants. From the way Jai greeted them, they were regulars, so Celeste took her cue for departure. Jai had kindly packed her dinner up in a paper bag the same way he had for Leland. While they were talking, she’d seen the store owner add extra packets of Parmesan cheese and her preferred salad dressing, as well as some crunchy roasted bell peppers. He’d dropped packets of extra sauce into Leland’s bag.
    Leland gave Jai a nod and followed her out, holding the door for Celeste with one long arm. “I think he has every kind of condiment or topping you could ever want behind that counter,” she said as the door settled closed behind them.
    “He says he keeps them there to prevent sticky fingers from grabbing more than their share, but I think he likes adding them himself. That personal touch.”
    She stopped in front of her car. She hadn't had to furnish her car a disguise for her visit with Neil. The battered and ancient Honda in a faded-blue color like old jeans looked exactly like what someone going to a club with a low sanitation rating would drive.
    She shot Leland an amused look, though her radar was on alert. He’d stopped with her, rather than giving her a courteous
good night
and going on his way. “So you haven’t had a date in an exponentially long time?” she ventured. “What’s that about?”
    “I haven’t found what I’m looking for, and I got tired of fishing.” He shifted. “You like sports?”
    “That’s pretty general. Are we talking baseball or curling?”
    “The only sport that means anything.”
    “Ah. Football.”
    He had a breathtaking smile, especially when the golden-brown eyes warmed. She glanced around and only saw Jai’s car and the one belonging to the three men. “Are you on foot?”
    “I only live about a half mile that way,” he said. “Good to have police living in some of the rougher spots. Makes it a little safer for folks, and shows the kids we’re not the enemy.”
    “I did a story on that in New Orleans. It’s a good idea.” She hesitated, then admonished herself to get in her car. Now. “Well, I’ll see you around.”
    “Would you like to come back to my place and watch