Danica Winters

Smoke And Ashes


Скачать книгу

I help you, sonny?” she asked in the raspy voice of a lifelong smoker.

      “I’m looking for an Elke Goldstein. She work here?”

      The woman frowned. “Waddya want with her?”

      “I’m just here to talk with her. I’ll sit down and wait, if that’s okay.”

      She grabbed a menu and led him to a table close to the kitchen door. “She’ll be right out. Coffee?”

      He mostly wanted answers, but coffee would do for now. “Sure. Thanks.”

      “Take it black?”

      “Unless you can pour some of your sweetness in,” he joked.

      “Oh, we got a charmer, do we?” The woman strode into the kitchen with a wide smile on her lips.

      A minute later a mousy, brunette woman walked out and stopped beside his table. She had a nice face, but her eyes told him she was a woman who worked long hours and dreamed of something more.

      “I’m Elke.” She scowled at him as she poured his coffee. “I know you?”

      “The name’s Kevin Jensen. I’m a fire inspector for the city of Missoula.” He took a long drink of the ashy tasting coffee. “I was called to your house last night. Nice to meet you.”

      She took a step back from the table and looked over her shoulder. “How’d you find me? I thought y’all weren’t going to bother me,” she said, her voice tinged with a slight Southern drawl.

      “Battalion Chief Hiller told me you worked here.”

      She nodded, but her body tensed and the pot in her hand shook slightly, sloshing the coffee. “He had no business tellin’ you. I didn’t have nothin’ to do with that fire.”

      In the fire academy, one lesson had been drilled into him over and over: It didn’t matter what words came out of a person’s mouth, body language and demeanor were a much better indicator of someone’s guilt or innocence. Right now, Ms. Goldstein looked guilty. All he needed to figure out was whether she was guilty of setting the fire or guilty of something else.

      “I’m sure you didn’t have anything to do with it,” he lied. “I just need to ask you a few questions so we can make sure you get the money you are entitled to from your insurance company.” He paused as he let the bait sink in. “You do have insurance, don’t you?”

      “Yeah, I think so...” She looked away as though she was trying to catch a memory that had drifted out of reach.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEAYABgAAD/4RSyRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAcAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAjodp AAQAAAABAAAApAAAANAADqYAAAAnEAAOpgAAACcQQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTMiBXaW5kb3dz ADIwMTY6MDM6MTIgMDk6NTU6MjAAAAAAA6ABAAMAAAABAAEAAKACAAQAAAABAAAB9KADAAQAAAAB AAADGwAAAAAAAAAGAQMAAwAAAAEABgAAARoABQAAAAEAAAEeARsABQAAAAEAAAEmASgAAwAAAAEA AgAAAgEABAAAAAEAAAEuAgIABAAAAAEAABN8AAAAAAAAAEgAAAABAAAASAAAAAH/2P/gABBKRklG AAECAABIAEgAAP/tAAxBZG9iZV9DTQAB/+4ADkFkb2JlAGSAAAAAAf/bAIQADAgICAkIDAkJDBEL CgsRFQ8MDA8VGBMTFRMTGBEMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAENCwsN Dg0QDg4QFA4ODhQUDg4ODhQRDAwMDAwREQwMDAwMDBEMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwM DAwM/8AAEQgAoABlAwEiAAIRAQMRAf/dAAQAB//EAT8AAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAMAAQIEBQYH CAkKCwEAAQUBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAQACAwQFBgcICQoLEAABBAEDAgQCBQcGCAUDDDMBAAIRAwQh EjEFQVFhEyJxgTIGFJGhsUIjJBVSwWIzNHKC0UMHJZJT8OHxY3M1FqKygyZEk1RkRcKjdDYX0lXi ZfKzhMPTdePzRieUpIW0lcTU5PSltcXV5fVWZnaGlqa2xtbm9jdHV2d3h5ent8fX5/cRAAICAQIE BAMEBQYHBwYFNQEAAhEDITESBEFRYXEiEwUygZEUobFCI8FS0fAzJGLhcoKSQ1MVY3M08SUGFqKy gwcmNcLSRJNUoxdkRVU2dGXi8rOEw9N14/NGlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vYnN0dX Z3eHl6e3x//aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Axk6SSzHv1JJJJKUkkkklZJOmSUpJJJJSkkkklKSSSSU//9Ad mPU/pGXkZWOzCyse+urF2MdX6h3PZl4rq3Oc1/2Rvv8AW/nf9LastbFljvrWxtlNjKvrJVXtfjvI FeZWwfzuKX/zORW332Y/0P8Arf6dgvrBgdMw8eqzAyJuBbTdSXNc4vYyct1tRPrY91dmz1WOrZ77 fT9FijPw3MZCPFAHbXjv+9L0fpPR4vj3LRieOGYmR4uGIhKGP0x9EJSy/K5ZV6jpwtdbX75qra91 4j0w+xnq0U7NhdZ6383/ADvqf4Wv/Q2ZJus7O176D8kblap6rmUUuoxiWV2gC0OO8kt1rez6Hoeh b+sUen/N2v8A5yz+bTx8Jz9ZY/tn/wB4rJ/xh5Yj0QzA+Mcff5v5391sDpmeSf0bRtEl3qV7Yh5d ts9TY/0/Qv8AV2fzXo2eol+zc7vVtAc9ji57Ghrq93q+o5z9te307Pp/uKnd1bPe1xddI2mWhtbR BbYx8MraxjPUbkXb/Z/hd/01o5FXWnudUMpt1L7hjvsIY14NjWuFmSAzdXi+p1B1FdrPX2W2el+i 9ShI/Cso3nD/ABpf+q1v/KHH+5L/ABR/6uRnpmYIBa0O5c0vaNgm5jvXe4tqp2Oxbd/qPT4mC26t 1j9xa2z0rPTLSapAFV9jff6tdtzvRZs/R72fz36WlTx3dXyjW6nMrtN1X2jb6D3zW66zHd61P2Vz r/1nIyNzdmyuv9L/AKJBY3Kop9f1KaZFjH5bS5xO+27G9FldAfXY9/2PJfS6hnpfY/0v0/SQ/wBF 5b+eHjrP/wBVp/5QYiDcMg/d4Yw/9WrMwM17GuFJh7m1t9zRL3udU2tku9zvUY9qcdOziC5tJc0Q Q5rmuDgRM1OY5zbdu79L6X8z/hVKrN6oLq7mX1P3UnKG1jWMdVTdY70/ZTU9jLr6bLtjPT/4RCzc vqeJfZh25DXOocA5rawxrH1mB6NdtFPo7tjH7qq/0zP9Ij/onLtxwvzl/wCq1f8AKHH/AJuVf3R/ 6tZnp2cP8Fulza27XMdue87WV17Hu9R+5u32fQQrqbaH+na3a6A4aggtcNzHsc3c17H/ALzUNnVe oVCaryw6DcGsDgA/7RtD9m/b636TYg25N9lhe93uMTta1o0EfRY1rWpH4Rm6Sh9TL/1WmP8AxiwW eLHk4f6sYcX/ADsydJVfWujnWfAJIf6I5j9/H9s//Va//lFyn+bzf4uP/wBXP//R4V31s60JOO+n Ec7mzFx6aLP7F9FTL6v+tWMU8766fWXqFfp5mW20Hbvd6NLXv2T6XrW11Nstazd9Gx//AAn01iFJ SccrviOnihu/tnqXe0f5jP8AyKX7Z6j/AKRv+Yz/AMiqSSPvZf35f4xQ3XdY6i4FptEGQfY3v/ZV sfW76wDJZlsyW