Read To Have and to Kill for Free Online

rolled his eyes. “Hand it over,” he said with resignation.
    “Great,” said Piper as she sprang up to get her purse. She pulled out the envelope and gave it to him.
    Jack glanced at the white, business-size envelope. Glenna Brooks’s address was printed on the front.
    “I bet just about anyone could get her address if they really tried,” said Piper. “You can find everything on the Internet if you look hard enough.”
    “Really, Sherlock? I didn’t know that.” Without commenting further, Jack took the letter from the envelope, unfolded it, and began to read. There was no salutation. Just a few lines of type on standard computer paper.
    “ ‘Stay clear when it’s Casey at the bat,’ ” Jack repeated the last line. “I remember memorizing ‘Casey at the Bat’ when I was in fourth grade.”
    He handed the letter back to Piper. “This could be from anybody,” he said, “but first I’d look at Glenna’s ex-husband or find out if the groom-to-be has an old flame who doesn’t want this wedding to go forward. But, if you want my opinion, I don’t think whoever wrote this is really someone to worry about. My gut tells me this is just an amateurish, sour-grapes attempt to intimidate Glenna.”
    “That’s it? Shouldn’t you take it to a lab or something?”
    “Come on, Pipe. Believe it or not, we’ve got a war on terrorism going on. You can’t really expect me to have this dusted for prints or checked for DNA, can you?”
    “No, I guess not,” answered Piper, though that was exactly what she had been hoping he’d do.
    Jack read the disappointment on Piper’s face. “Look, if she wants to make it official and file a police report, she can. But there are lots of nut jobs out there who talk a good game but are harmless in the end. It’s going to be hard to get the cops to devote any manpower or lab power to this based on that kooky letter. Want some sambuca with the espresso?”
    Piper let the matter drop, knowing she wasn’t going to get any further with Jack. They drank and laughed and drank some more. When Piper stood up to leave, she wobbled, grabbing hold of the edge of the table. Jack reached over to steady her. For a moment, he held her and pulled her close.
    “I wish you’d stay,” he said.
    “Let’s not get into that again. I’m leaving for my parents’ in the morning and that’s it.”
    “That’s not what I meant,” Jack whispered. “I wish you’d stay here tonight . . . with me.” He reached out and put his arms around her, enveloping her in an embrace.
    Piper closed her eyes, welcoming the warmth and strength of Jack’s body. It would be easy to just let things progress. But Piper was scared. She and Jack had a good thing going, a tight friendship that she deeply valued. Bringing romance into it was taking a big risk. It would change things and, if it didn’t work out, it could ruin what she really treasured.
    “Whoa there, mister,” Piper said as she forced herself to pull back. “Let’s not do something we’ll regret.”

Chapter 8
    P otassium cyanide seemed to make the most sense. It was available and could be mixed to contaminate common drinking water. Internet reports were conflicted about what the taste would be like, primarily because the people who could be trusted to know were dead.
    The scent of almonds had been detected on the breath of some who had ingested cyanide, and there was a faint, bitter-almond odor to both cyanide gas and crystals. So there was speculation that there might be a bitter taste to a drink laced with it. But, if enough of it was used, by the time the drinker realized anything, it would be too late.
    A lethal dose would require 200–300 milligrams. Taking into account that the crystals would be dissolved in the water, and the victim probably wouldn’t ingest the entire drink, it stood to reason that it would be best to mix in more. The Web helped with that too, suggesting the use of a scale, available for purchase for $5, to weigh