Sex, Murder and a Double Latte, page 28
“No.”
I laughed. “Okay, fair enough, how about on a professional level? You remember my mentioning to you that my sister thought her husband was having an affair?”
“Vaguely.”
“Well, she’s decided to hire a private investigator and, considering your experience, I was hoping you could recommend somebody.”
Anatoly snorted and shook his head.
“Kidding. Really, I’d like to hire you. How much would it cost me to find out if my brother-in-law is a conniving rat?”
“For you? Six thousand for the first month’s work.”
“Six thousand? Is that how much P.I.’s make?”
“No, for the job you’re describing I usually charge less than half that, but considering all you’ve done for me, I decided to give you a special.”
“Gee, thanks.” I tried unsuccessfully to push my hair behind my ears, and took in a deep breath of the crisp clear air. “Well, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than a civil suit. You’re hired.”
Anatoly took a step back. “For six thousand dollars?”
“You thought you priced yourself out, didn’t you.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Guess you calculated wrong, huh? Can I introduce you to my sister tomorrow?”
“I…” Anatoly seemed to be at a rare loss for words. Finally he stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared up at the sky. “One o’clock at your place?”
“Sounds good.” I started to leave, but Anatoly took hold of my arm.
“I have a condition.”
“Okay.”
“If either one of you threatens me with a sharp object, I quit. No refunds.” Then he turned around and returned to his apartment.
I crossed my arms in front of me and watched until the door came to a complete close. “Oh yeah, he wants me.”
SEX, MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE
A Red Dress Ink novel
ISBN 1-55254-469-9
© 2005 by Kyra Davis
All rights reserved. The reproduction, transmission or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without written permission. For permission please contact Red Dress Ink, Editorial Office, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
® and TM are trademarks. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and/or other countries.
www.RedDressInk.com
About the Author
Kyra Davis was born in the San Francisco Bay Area where, with the exception of a brief stint in New York, she has spent her entire life. Like her protagonist, Kyra has a Jewish mother of Eastern European descent and her father was African-American. She often considers herself to be something of a one-woman Benetton ad. She majored in business and humanities at Golden Gate University and, after graduating with her bachelor’s degree, began a career in fashion merchandising and marketing.
At age 27 Kyra gave birth to a wonderful son and stayed home with him for the first 18 months of his life. During her hiatus from work she managed to spend just enough quality time with her husband to motivate her to file for divorce. As a single mother on the verge of bankruptcy, Kyra felt it was irresponsible to drown her sorrows in Cosmopolitans so she drowned them in Frappucinos and writing instead. The Frappucinos (complimented by a healthy dose of anxiety) lead to insomnia, which lead to more writing time and it wasn’t long before she realized that she had found her calling. Two years later Kyra had an agent, a finished manuscript and bids from two New York publishing houses. She joyfully signed with Red Dress Ink for two contracts and a total of four books. She feels the secret to living a happy life is to pursue your passions and learn from your mistakes, which is why she has quit her day job to become a full-time writer and will only spend quality time with her son, her friends…and Juan Valdez.
For more information on Kyra Davis, log on to her web site at www.kyradavis.com.
Coming Next Month
AVAILABLE NOW
PASSION, BETRAYAL AND KILLER HIGHLIGHTS by Kyra Davis, Red Dress Ink
SEX, MURDER AND A DOUBLE LATTE by Kyra Davis, Red Dress Ink
LOOKING FOR MR. GOODFROG by Laurie Graff, Red Dress Ink
YOU HAVE TO KISS A LOT OF FROGS by Laurie Graff, Red Dress Ink
THE MATZO BALL HEIRESS by Laurie Gwen Shapiro, Red Dress Ink
WITH OR WITHOUT YOU by Carole Matthews, Red Dress Ink
KILLER SUMMER by Lynda Curnyn, Red Dress Ink
DO THEY WEAR HIGH HEELS IN HEAVEN? By Erica Orloff, Red Dress Ink
THE NIGHT I GOT LUCKY by Laura Caldwell, Red Dress Ink
SCENES FROM A HOLIDAY by Laurie Graff, Caren Lissner, Melanie Murray, Red Dress Ink
THE JINX by Jennifer Sturman, Red Dress Ink
THE BREAKUP CLUB by Melissa Senate, Red Dress Ink
HATING VALENTINE’S DAY by Allison Rushby, Red Dress Ink
THE MATZO BALL HEIRESS by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
THE FUNERAL PLANNER by Lynn Isenberg
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COMING NEXT MONTH
Kyra Davis, Sex, Murder and a Double Latte
