Without Any Warning (A Samantha Jamison Mystery Volume 2) Read Online Free Page B

Answer, you morons. This is an emergency! I’m desperate!” She stopped short at my desk, panting and out of breath from her rant. “Thank God you’re all right Sam. Let me try again!” She dialed furiously as water dripped everywhere.
    I grabbed her phone and promptly terminated the call.
    She looked at me like I was crazy. “Hey, why are you so calm? I mean, after last night, I’d think you would be more on guard! I think you made a big mistake renting in this area. We’re being attacked night and day, for God’s sake! Give me back my phone.” She tried unsuccessfully to yank it out of my hand. “Give that back!”
    I quickly tried to explain. “Mona, take it easy. They’re not intruders. It’s the cleaning crew. They come once a week and have their own key. It’s included in the lease. Relax.”
    “Relax? Are you crazy?” She had worked herself into a frenzy and wasn’t listening to me. “I’m naked, trying to dry off from my shower, and this guy comes in carrying a ninja stick!”
    I could just picture it. “Ninja stick?” I asked, trying not to crack up. “What are you talking about? You mean his mop?”
    She stood still. “Oh!” Then she sat on the edge of my bed. “Is that what that was? I ran out, and then saw there was one more in my bedroom and another in the hall. I thought we were goners for sure! After last night, I envisioned all sorts of nightmarish scenarios. I figured the beach mugger came back with his whole gang.”
    By that time, I could barely talk, I was laughing so hard. “They’re… the… cleaning… crew,” I repeated, doubling over.
    “Hey, it’s not that funny,” complained Mona, and then finally looked down, noticing her drippy towel. “Well, I guess I sort of panicked, okay? How was I to know?”
    “I’m sorry,” I said, trying to get it together. “I should have warned you beforehand. Please forgive me.”
    “Oh, I’ll live, I guess,” she replied with a shrug. “I’m completely embarrassed, but I think I’ll survive.”
    “Mona, didn’t you notice that all their shirts said ‘Crystal Cleaners’ on them?”
    “You know, I thought it was sort of strange they were all wearing the same shirt, now that you mention it.” She began to laugh. “I thought it was a gang thing. I was so beside myself, I didn’t bother reading it.”
    I tried not to, but burst out laughing once again. “I’m sorry, but it was a sight to see… you chasing some guys down the hall, wearing nothing but a towel, carrying that umbrella of yours.”
    Mona bit her lip, and then she started laughing, too. “Don’t you dare tell anyone about this, or I will get even, I swear!” She was at the point of tears. “You know, I haven’t had a good laugh in so long,” she said, choking on her last words. “You are exactly what I needed at this time in my life.”
    “Well, thank you. I’m glad I could be of service.”
    Mona sobered. “No, I really mean it. I’ve been going through a rough patch. You’ve been a real life-saver, taking me in like this. I guess I’m a little tense, that’s all.”
    I smiled. “You know, you are always welcome here. We go way back. Don’t ever hesitate to ask me for help or a place to stay.”
    Why was she so tense and on edge? There had to be something more.
    The house had been unusually quiet. Then a male, heavily accented voice called out: “Sam? Is the coast clear? Is it safe to clean? We have work to do.”
    “Oh, my God. I am so embarrassed,” Mona said, and started to giggle again.
    “ Ella está un poco loca! ” I yelled. She is a little crazy!
    I turned back to Mona. “Don’t worry. It’s all crystal clear to them now.”

 
     
     
    Chapter 10
    A Sixth Sense And Common Sense
     
     
    I kept trying to concentrate on my writing, instead of looking for another excuse to become distracted. Once focused though, there was no stopping me. That was when I tended to start tuning out everything, including the phone, which was