Read Suspicious (On the Run) for Free Online Page B

At least that way they wouldn’t start out in a jail cell.
    Her gaze darted around, looking for a hiding place, but the bathroom didn’t have cabinets or drawers, just a freestanding counter with a sink, a shower, a towel rack, a toilet, and a bidet. She scrambled to look under the counter, but there were no gaps or ridges where she could place the bracelet. The toilet tank was an old stand-by hiding place that she’d seen used in movies. Surely that was too common and it would be searched. What was left? The shower drain and an air vent were both screwed into place and she wouldn’t be able to get them loose without considerable time and lots of work with a nail file, so those were out.
    “Zoe, you okay?” Jack asked.
    “Yes, fine. I’ll be out in a minute.”
    Her shorts had pockets, but their clothes might be searched as well. She might not have a choice. She might have to turn it over right now. She felt herself breaking out in a cold sweat. She’d been in the position of being under suspicion before, and it wasn’t something she wanted to repeat.
    She scanned the ceiling, saw the light fixture, and was up on the toilet lid before she’d had time to think it through. She couldn’t reach it. She hopped back down, frantically scanning the room. There had to be something—her gaze landed on the travel-size bottle of lotion.
    The bracelet was still on the bathmat. She hesitated a second before picking it up. Touching it seemed like a commitment, a commitment to a path that put them in opposition to the police.
    “Mrs. Andrews,” the tenor voice said, “we request you join us.”
    “Yes. Of course. Sorry.” She quickly unscrewed the cap on the opaque bottle of lotion then used a tissue to pick up the bracelet. She didn’t want even the faintest trace of a fingerprint on the bracelet. It was much heavier than she’d expected. She transferred it to the lotion bottle and was relieved when all the stones slipped easily through the opening. A little lotion oozed over the side as the last diamond went in. Zoe wiped it off, capped the bottle, gave it a few shakes to make sure it was at the bottom and covered by lotion, and then tossed the tissue in the trash. The bottle felt a little heavy, but she couldn’t do anything about that. She tightened her grip around it for a second, wanting to put it in her pocket, but that would draw attention to it, especially if the police searched her pockets. No, better to leave it in plain sight. She shoved it into the line along the back of the counter with her makeup.
    She massaged the rest of the lotion into her hands then opened the door, and a man nearly fell into the bathroom. He was about Zoe’s height, had a slight build, and his thick eyebrows were drawn together in a scowl that created wrinkles at the bridge of his nose. “Ah, Signora Andrews. Good of you to join us. I am Colonel Alessi.”
    He didn’t extend his hand for Zoe to shake it, so she nodded and moved across the room to join Jack where he stood near the balcony. For someone who didn’t know him, his casual posture of crossed arms as he leaned against the balcony door might have looked relaxed, but Zoe could tell from the glowering look in his eyes that he was furious. “Did you hear what was said?” Jack asked, his voice tight.
    “Enough.”
    A second, younger man accompanied Alessi. He stood up from where he’d been peering under the bed and dusted off his pants. Alessi jerked his head toward the bath, and the young man disappeared through the door.
    “It’s best to let them have their look around,” Jack said. “Then they’ll see we have nothing to hide.”
    “Yes, I suppose so,” Zoe said and sent him a warning glance.
    Jack’s didn’t move, but his gaze sharpened on her. He pushed away from the wall. “Since you’ve already searched the balcony, you don’t have any objection to my wife sitting there, do you?” The sentence wasn’t phrased as a question, and Jack was already moving so