Pushover (Iris Thorne Mysteries Book 5)
Page 26
“Hello,” she said. “I didn’t expect you until later.”
“I caught an earlier flight. I rang the doorbell and when you didn’t answer, I let myself in with the key you gave me. I hope it’s all right.”
“I wouldn’t have given you a key if I didn’t expect you to use it.”
He brushed strands of hair from her face. “She turns down a job promotion, gives a smelly, sweaty man the key to her inner sanctum. Where’s the Iris Thorne I knew?”
“She’s still here. She just stopped running. It was a good, long run but now it’s nice to relax and take a deep breath.”
He rubbed his thumb across her fingers. “I brought in your mail. Mostly bills and junk, but you got a postcard.”
Iris propped herself up on an elbow and looked at a picture postcard of Istanbul. The message was written in blue ink with a fountain pen in small precise handwriting:
Miss Thorne,
I mail you this card from Istanbul, but do not attempt to contact me here as I am simply passing through. I considered that you might appreciate news of the Czarina’s fox since you have been so intimately involved with this notorious and, some would say, cursed statuette. After I left Death Valley, I did not return to the employ of Nikolai Kosyakov but made my way to the home of a wealthy individual who had contacted me in Moscow regarding possible purchase of the fox. The fox was delivered to this individual who was very happy to obtain it and paid me handsomely. I now start a new life. I want to express to you again my sorrow for how things turned out with your friend Mr. Fillinger, but I acted for your safety.
I wish you well, Miss Thorne. You are a woman of bravery and integrity, qualities which are dear to my heart.
Konstantin Markov
“How about that?” Iris said.
“That’s information your Roger Weems might like to have.”
“I bet he would.” Iris sat up and tore the postcard in half and then continued to tear it until it was in small pieces. “But it’s all over.”
He sat next to her. “Except for us.”
“That’s only just beginning.”
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to Headline editor Anne Williams and editorial assistant Victoria Routledge. I am grateful f or your continued enthusiasm and support.
To Ann Escue and Mary Goss, good friends who are brave enough to tell me what they really think.
To Gerald Petievich, fellow sojourner, for giving me a different point of view.
To my family, for all the large and small things.
And to Charles Emley for love and other immeasurable feats.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dianne Emley is a Los Angeles Times bestselling author and has received critical acclaim for her books which include the Detective Nan Vining thrillers: The First Cut, Cut to the Quick, The Deepest Cut, and Love Kills and the Iris Thorne mysteries: Cold Call, Slow Squeeze, Fast Friends, Foolproof and Pushover. Her books have been translated into six languages. A Los Angeles native, she lives in California with her husband.
www.DianneEmley.com