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Back Fleeced Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. FLEECED
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. About the Author

Sleep didn’t come as quickly as it had in Nat’s guest room. And when it did, it was in fits and starts, accompanied by strange dreams that she could barely remember. It was only when light started coming through the window that she finally fell into a deeper sleep.

At ten after nine her cell phone rang. Regan opened her eyes and looked around, momentarily confused. Then, like a boomerang, the memories of the last twenty-four hours all came back to her. She reached for her phone on the nightstand next to the bed. The Caller ID showed her parents’ number.

“Hi,” she answered and realized she sounded pretty tired.

“Regan, are you all right?” Nora asked with concern.

“Yes. I’m just not fully awake.”

“So you haven’t seen the paper yet?”

“No, but now it’s safe to say I’m wide awake. How bad is it?”

“Pretty bad.”

“What page?”

“The front page.” Nora read the headline.

“That’ll make Thomas’s day.”

“The article makes it sound like all hell is breaking loose at the Settlers’ Club.”

“It is, Mom.” Regan admitted, knowing she had to tell her mother what happened.

“What do you mean?”

“Last night, when I was sleeping, Nat Pemrod’s apartment was broken into.”

“Regan, oh my God! Are you all right?”

“Yes.” Regan gave Nora a full explanation of the nocturnal excitement, concluding, “I slept in the maid’s room in the apartment across the hall.”

“The apartment with all those butlers and singles parties?”

“How’d you guess?”

“It’s in the article.” Nora relayed the conversation to Luke, who was next to her.

Regan sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I can’t wait to read it. I’m surprised Thomas hasn’t come running up here already this morning. Wait till that reporter gets her hands on the crime blotter with the latest incident. By the way, she made it seem like you were her buddy.”

“She’s covering the crime convention, but I think she found what’s going on at the Settlers’ Club more interesting. Listen to this:

“‘While Nora Regan Reilly is uptown running a crime convention for writers of fiction, daughter Regan is investigating the real thing in toney Gramercy Park. And boy does she have her hands full.’”

Regan sat up. “That I do.”

Nora continued. “‘When the senior Reilly was asked about her daughter’s whereabouts, she said Regan was working on a case in New York but refused to get specific …”

“So much for classified information.”

“Why must they refer to me as the ‘senior’ Reilly? I hate that.”

“At least she didn’t call me junior.”

“Yes she did.”