Read Can't Keep a Brunette Down for Free Online Page B

good option. Maybe even Florida, if she found a way to save on airfare. Anywhere she could sit and read and pretend she'd never discovered a dead body or worked for Mick Williams.
    "Excuse me, Miss." A dark car pulled up to the curb, and a man in his midfifities peered out the window. Scars marred his face, and his eyes hid behind dark sunglasses.
    Her gurgling stomach and common sense made her take a wary step back out of his reach. "Yeah. Can I help you?"
    "You're Gilda Wright," he said. "I'm Gary. I knew your dad quite well. I'm sorry for your loss. He was a good man."
    She winced. "I know who you are. My dad arrested you a few times, didn't he?"
    Gary del Garda, local bookie and gangster as well as Chloe's father, flashed a wide smile and waved a hand. "Bygones. I earned every moment he had me handcuffed, and I had a lot of respect for the man behind the badge."
    Gilda stood her ground. "What can I do for you, Mr. del Garda?"
    "Gary. Please." He put the car in park. "I hear you work for Mick Williams."
    "Yoshida's. Yes, why?" She glanced up and down the street, hoping to have a witness in case he tried anything. Kidnapping topped her list. He could hardly do a drive-by shooting now that he'd parked in front of her, could he?
    "Relax," he said. "All I want is a little information."
    "Like what?" she asked.
    "I'm looking for Mr. Williams so we can settle a little business matter." He pushed up his sunglasses. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find him, do you?"
    "No, I don't." Her breath stuck in her chest.
    "I've seen you with him in Café Beanz."
    Gilda tensed, ready to run. "Like you said, I work for him. That doesn't mean I know where he goes when I'm not with him. It's not like I'm his wife or anything."
    "Considering he's dating my daughter, Chloe, that's a good thing." He winked and lowered his sunglasses. His eyes were the same murky blue as Lake Erie. "When you see him, let him know I'm looking for him. We have some business to discuss."
    "I'll do that." She wiped her sweaty palms on her shorts. Had Mick hired Gary del Garda to kill Walter? Nah, too obvious.
    He drove away so slowly she didn't dare turn away until the dark car turned the corner and disappeared. Only then did she breathe and turn her face toward the sun, still able to taste bitter almonds in the back of her mouth. Couldn't hurt to check the coffee out.
    A day ago, she would have savored the flavors, unaware of any malice. There was only one person who'd believe her suspicions—Doc Graham—but there was probably little he could do to help.
    Armed with the three-quarters-full paper coffee cup, she headed for the police station six blocks over. Since Fabio was on the phone, she set the plastic bag on Thayer's desk. "I think Xavier Wyndham just tried to poison me with cyanide. I need you to get this tested."
    "Cyanide?" Thayer didn't bother to hide his amusement. "Honey, if someone slipped you cyanide, you'd have stomach cramps and be hallucinating a lot more than you already are."
    When Gilda slammed her palms on his desk, the coffee sloshed in the bag. She'd already had stomach cramps for the past week. She wouldn't have noticed. "Don't be such a jerk. There's already been one murder at the school. What's to say there won't be more? Just send the coffee for testing. It's probably nothing, and I'll be out a good cup of coffee, but…"
    Thayer rolled his eyes. "Gilda, you're such a drama queen. Rather than accuse him, I think you should stay away from him and let me take care of things. I'm the cop, not you."
    "Then get off your butt and do something cop-like."
    A few feet away, Fabio sat at his desk with the phone pressed to his ear. He glanced up and nodded. Whoever he was talking to irritated him to the point his jaw whitened, and he lowered his voice. He met her gaze and held up his index finger like he wanted to have a word.
    Thayer ran a hand through his thick, blond hair then studied the paper cup. "Fine. Xavier got this from