Trespass Read Online Free Page A

ropes. Carter. How the hell had he gotten here so fast?
    The detective joined me in the foyer. “I take it you know who that is?”
    “Yes.” I sighed. “Carter Roche. My ex-husband. He’s the director of Norman’s ad agency, Cityscapes. He lives in Singapore. I have no idea how he got here so quickly.”
    I watched as Carter opened the car door for Leong Tuan, Norman’s ex-wife. She had dressed the part of a grieving widow, petite and elegant in a black designer suit, and stepped out of the car to stand beside Carter. I couldn’t believe it; the vultures were circling before poor Norman’s remains could even be identified.

Chapter 5
    B ack at the station after talking to Gemma, Detective Brian Haymaker typed the rest of his thoughts into his iPad, his constant companion. His only companion. It had taken him years to get into a PD larger than the one in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, but since landing the detective spot in Wauwatosa, his career had stagnated and his social life had become nonexistent. His girlfriend had refused to leave Beaver Dam and their attempts at a long distance relationship had fizzled out long ago. The other detectives called him “hayseed” when they thought he couldn’t hear them and sometimes “beav” when he could; he knew they didn’t give a damn.
    They partnered him with the only person in the squad lower in the pecking order—an African American, newbie detective with two kids and one on the way. Tasha Wade was on maternity leave, and when she left, Brian couldn’t help but feel relieved for a break from her ongoing commentary on kids, the cost of groceries, and her husband’s shortcomings. He had assumed the feeling was mutual but had heard from her nearly every day since she left. Whether she called him out of boredom, or the fear of being out of the loop, he wasn’t sure.
    Only minutes later, she waddled into the room, her hair in skinny, beaded braids and wearing a bright orange sundress whose hem hiked up eight inches higher in the front under her huge baby bump. Luckily, she had good legs.
    He said, “I don’t think you can get more pregnant. What’s the matter, the baby afraid to come out?”
    “I’m sick of feeling like I’m ready to pop. James won’t get a vasectomy, so I’m getting my tubes tied before I’m off the delivery table.” She plunked down in the chair next to his desk.
    Definitely more detail than he wanted to hear. “How come you’re out and about?”
    “I just came from a doctor appointment. He said any day now, but he’s been telling me that since I went on leave. What’s new here?”
    “I actually got a new assignment. You must have heard about the house that exploded.”
    “Really? We got that one?”
    He noticed her use of “we.” The rest of the detectives had a pool going on how many days after her delivery it would be before she called to give notice she wasn’t coming back; he’d been the only one taking odds on her return. “I’m not sure it’s anything to get excited about. The remains of a body haven’t been officially identified, but it’s probably the owner of the house, Norman Teschler. The fire investigators haven’t said whether it was suspicious yet, so we have to cover all bases.”
    “Huh. Could be something there. Did you talk to the relatives?”
    “No relatives, but Teschler has an ex-wife. She came in from New York with the head of his advertising agency, a Carter Roche. Teschler was seventy and owns a large advertising company in downtown Milwaukee, Cityscapes. They have sister offices in Minneapolis and Singapore. Roche lives in Singapore and happened to be in New York for a meeting. The ex has an apartment in New York and was in town when she heard what happened. Apparently they got in touch after hearing the news and flew in on her company’s jet this morning.
    “Here’s where it gets interesting. Roche’s ex-wife still works as an ad hoc for the agency, and she lives across the street from the