Death hits the fan Read Online Free Page B

halfway between Shayla and Yvette? Yvette herself, and Lou Cassell, standing side by side at the end of a set of shelves containing apocalypse fiction and horror, now seemingly completely fused into couplehood despite their differences? Winona Eads, her oval eyes still wide with fright? Ted Brown, morose and unmoving in his author's seat? Dean Frazier and Zoe Ingersoll, clearly not a couple but still somehow allied at the end of another set of shelves? Vince Quadrini, senior super-fan? Phyllis Oberman, voluptuous acupuncturist? Ivan, Wayne's old friend? Or maybe the one who wasn't visible, Marcia Armeson, Ivan's second in command, now missing in action?
    And Wayne. My Wayne. I grabbed his hand and willed the strength of his body to seep into mine. And mine into his.
    Then I looked back at the smiling policeman. He looked familiar to me. Something about his dark eyes reminded me of our unwanted houseguest's boyfriend, Bob Xavier.
    I shook the thought out of my head. Now I was seeing doubles.
    The policeman cleared his throat.
    "Now people, I want all of you here tonight to think positively," he declared. "I'll be here to help you through this difficult situation. Let me introduce myself. I'm Captain Cal Xavier of the Verduras Police Department."

    qtlpff
    v^aptain Cal Xavier?
    Damn. No wonder his eyes reminded me of Bob Xavier's, the man Ingrid had been living with before she moved in with us. The man she was afraid of. The man Wayne and I had repeatedly escorted from our living room. The man whose last words to us had been, Til get you guys for this."
    How many Xaviers could there be in Marin? Especially Xaviers who looked alike. Captain Cal Xavier was older, but he had the same dark flashing eyes as Bob, the same neatly shaped nose with a rounded tip, even the same springy hair, mustache, and brows, except that his were graying.
    Was he Bob Xavier's cousin? Brother? Father? My heart beat harder with each guess. And he was here to investigate S.X. Greenfree's death. The woman who had called out my name before dying.
    I felt Wayne's hand return my squeeze sharply. Had he noticed the resemblance, too? I kept my face forward, but let my eyes travel for a quick look at my sweetie's face. Wayne

    scrutinized the police captain, then flashed me a return look, with one brow raised high enough to expose a glint of panic. He'd noticed.
    "Now I hope you'll all help me out here," Captain Xavier was continuing, smile unabated, his booming voice filled with enthusiasm. "We have a job to do and with everyone pitching in, we'll get it done."
    No one said "amen," though his words seemed to cry out for some kind of affirmation.
    It didn't really matter if Bob Xavier was related to the captain, I told myself, nodding all the time, hoping I looked like someone who was ready to pitch in and help. Hopefully, Bob Xavier hadn't bothered to mention his troubles with In-grid to his relatives. Or to mention where she'd sought sanctuary. Or who'd given her sanctuary. Even if he had, he probably wouldn't have mentioned our actual names. I swallowed. Hopefully. Somehow, my self-lecture wasn't helping to slow my pulse any.
    "Well, all right, then," Captain Xavier concluded. "Let's all start in by introducing ourselves—"
    "Hey," one of the uniformed officers cut in. He was a small round man with what looked like a permanent sneer on his clean-shaven face. He put one hand on his hip. "Shouldn't we at least establish death, cordon off the body, that kinda stuff?"
    Captain Xavier's smile faltered for a moment, but returned in full force.
    "Very helpful, Officer Dupree," he commented, his voice booming as if in commendation, though I would have bet that his tone was just about as sincere as my helpful nods were. "Why don't you and Officer Gilstrap just do that?"
    They did. Officer Gilstrap was female, about four inches taller than Dupree, well-built with a face that showed all the emotion of a marble paperweight under her fringe of blond hair. Blue eyes