Read Online If You Hear Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense by Shiloh Walker - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shiloh Walker
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“My nearest neighbor is a half mile down the road.”
“You are pretty isolated. Perhaps … well, I realize it could be pretty unnerving, living out there all by yourself. Especially at night. Have you ever considered getting a live-in companion?”
Oh, you son of a bitch
.
Lena realized she was clenching her hands, her nails biting into the palms of her hands so hard it hurt.
A live-in companion.
“Why in the hell would I be unnerved to live by myself?” She just barely managed to keep her voice level. Barely.
“It is rather isolated. Big old houses like that, they can be spooky.”
“Spooky.” Lena spat the word out like it tasted bad. “I lived in that house until I was eight. I moved back into it nine years ago and I know it pretty damn well. Why in the hell would I have moved back to it if I found it spooky? Do I look like a damn middle-school kid?”
“There’s no reason to be so upset, Ms. Riddle. I’m just trying to cover plausible scenarios here.”
“And you think it’s more plausible that I’m imagining things? That’s more believable than something really happening? And you think it’s plausible that I should be unnerved to live alone, or that I’d need assistance. Because I’m blind.” She paused and then asked pointedly, “Am I understanding you correctly?”
“It stands to reason.”
“Actually, no. It doesn’t. I’m blind, Deputy. I’m not helpless, nor am I an idiot. I’ve been living on my own for quite some time now and that doesn’t have one damn thing to do with what happened last night.” She paused and took a deep, slow breath. It didn’t do anything to ease the rage inside, the insult. She was so deeply insulted, so furious, she wanted to hit something. Wanted to scream.
But it wouldn’t do a bit of good and if she knew a damn thing about Prather’s type, he’d just use that as more of an excuse to write her off.
In his mind, he already had plenty of justification to do just that. She’d be damned if she gave him any more.
In a stiff voice, she said, “I’d like to speak with somebody else.”
“Ms. Riddle—”
“Somebody else,” she snapped.
Lena couldn’t fucking believe this. Couldn’t believe him.
“Ms. Riddle, you’re the one who came wanting to talk to me, remember. I’m sorry if you don’t like what I have to say.”
“You’re sorry?” she demanded. “You stand there and insult me, imply I don’t know what in the hell I’m talking about, that I’m some helpless, useless, handicapped female, but you’re sorry I don’t like what you have to say?”
By her side, Puck shifted, his big body tensing as he reacted to her distress. Forcing herself to relax, she rested a hand on his head.
“Ms. Riddle, I don’t know what exactly you want me to do. You say you heard screams, but Sergeant Jennings didn’t find anything, didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Nobody else has reported hearing anything unusual. So what exactly do you want me to do?”
Lena smiled sweetly. “I already told you. I want you to find me somebody else to talk to.” She had brushed up against a chair when she came into the office and now, she turned, took a couple of small, slow steps forward. When her toe bumped against the chair, she slid a hand down the arm and then settled down. Crossing her legs, she lifted her face to the deputy.
“I’d be more than happy to wait. Right here.”
For as long as it takes
.
“It’s Sunday, Ms. Riddle. We don’t have a slew of people around right now.”
“Are you telling me there’s nobody else to speak with?”
“What I’m telling you is that there’s not much else we can do at this point. There is only so much we can do when one woman claims to hear screaming, but nobody reports it, and our searches turn up nothing unusual.”
Puck rested his chin on her knee and she reached down, stroked his head. “As I said, I’m more than happy to wait right here, Deputy.”
The heels of his shoes
“You are pretty isolated. Perhaps … well, I realize it could be pretty unnerving, living out there all by yourself. Especially at night. Have you ever considered getting a live-in companion?”
Oh, you son of a bitch
.
Lena realized she was clenching her hands, her nails biting into the palms of her hands so hard it hurt.
A live-in companion.
“Why in the hell would I be unnerved to live by myself?” She just barely managed to keep her voice level. Barely.
“It is rather isolated. Big old houses like that, they can be spooky.”
“Spooky.” Lena spat the word out like it tasted bad. “I lived in that house until I was eight. I moved back into it nine years ago and I know it pretty damn well. Why in the hell would I have moved back to it if I found it spooky? Do I look like a damn middle-school kid?”
“There’s no reason to be so upset, Ms. Riddle. I’m just trying to cover plausible scenarios here.”
“And you think it’s more plausible that I’m imagining things? That’s more believable than something really happening? And you think it’s plausible that I should be unnerved to live alone, or that I’d need assistance. Because I’m blind.” She paused and then asked pointedly, “Am I understanding you correctly?”
“It stands to reason.”
“Actually, no. It doesn’t. I’m blind, Deputy. I’m not helpless, nor am I an idiot. I’ve been living on my own for quite some time now and that doesn’t have one damn thing to do with what happened last night.” She paused and took a deep, slow breath. It didn’t do anything to ease the rage inside, the insult. She was so deeply insulted, so furious, she wanted to hit something. Wanted to scream.
But it wouldn’t do a bit of good and if she knew a damn thing about Prather’s type, he’d just use that as more of an excuse to write her off.
In his mind, he already had plenty of justification to do just that. She’d be damned if she gave him any more.
In a stiff voice, she said, “I’d like to speak with somebody else.”
“Ms. Riddle—”
“Somebody else,” she snapped.
Lena couldn’t fucking believe this. Couldn’t believe him.
“Ms. Riddle, you’re the one who came wanting to talk to me, remember. I’m sorry if you don’t like what I have to say.”
“You’re sorry?” she demanded. “You stand there and insult me, imply I don’t know what in the hell I’m talking about, that I’m some helpless, useless, handicapped female, but you’re sorry I don’t like what you have to say?”
By her side, Puck shifted, his big body tensing as he reacted to her distress. Forcing herself to relax, she rested a hand on his head.
“Ms. Riddle, I don’t know what exactly you want me to do. You say you heard screams, but Sergeant Jennings didn’t find anything, didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Nobody else has reported hearing anything unusual. So what exactly do you want me to do?”
Lena smiled sweetly. “I already told you. I want you to find me somebody else to talk to.” She had brushed up against a chair when she came into the office and now, she turned, took a couple of small, slow steps forward. When her toe bumped against the chair, she slid a hand down the arm and then settled down. Crossing her legs, she lifted her face to the deputy.
“I’d be more than happy to wait. Right here.”
For as long as it takes
.
“It’s Sunday, Ms. Riddle. We don’t have a slew of people around right now.”
“Are you telling me there’s nobody else to speak with?”
“What I’m telling you is that there’s not much else we can do at this point. There is only so much we can do when one woman claims to hear screaming, but nobody reports it, and our searches turn up nothing unusual.”
Puck rested his chin on her knee and she reached down, stroked his head. “As I said, I’m more than happy to wait right here, Deputy.”
The heels of his shoes
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