The Cold Blue Blood
Page 32
Her eyes shied away from his now. “It’s close to the art academy, like I said.”
“And that’s the only reason you’re interested in this place?”
“Man, what do you want me to tell you?”
“What you’re thinking.”
She went back over to the windows and stared out at the view, her posture rigid. She didn’t say anything.
Mitch flicked off the two lamps that were on and crossed the room toward her. He put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her around to face him. She did not resist. They stood very close, gazing deep into each other’s eyes.
“Why did you turn out the lights?” she asked him softly. She was trembling, just as she had been that day in the Black Pearl when she reached for her coffee cup.
“Force of habit. I do all of my best work in the dark. Can I ask you another personal question?”
She gazed back at him steadily. “Go ahead.”
“What’s in the gym bag?”
“My sketch pad and charcoals.”
“What else?”
“My jogging clothes.”
“What else?”
“My nightshirt,” she said huskily. “Would you like to see my tattoo?”
“Desperately.”
“How desperately?”
“What, there’s a condition?”
“There is.”
“Name it.”
“We don’t worry about what other people are thinking. We don’t ask ourselves whether it’ll ever work. We don’t—”
“Freeze frame. I’ll go you one better—we don’t think about it at all. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“Shall we shake hands on it?”
Her lips gently grazed his, sending a jolt of electricity through his entire body. “Oh, I think we can do way better than that.”
Later, much later, as they lay in each other’s arms in the moonlight, Mitch said, “Desiree … ?”
“Hmmm-mmm?” she murmured, running her fingers lazily over his bare chest.
“Your tattoo …”
“What about it?”
“I had a feeling that’s where it was.”
To which Desiree Mitry smiled and said, “Boyfriend, I had a feeling that you had a feeling.”
ALSO BY DAVID HANDLER
KIDDO
Boss
THE MAN WHO DIED LAUGHING
THE MAN WHO LIVED BY NIGHT
THE MAN WHO WOULD BE F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
THE WOMAN WHO FELL FROM GRACE
THE BOY WHO NEVER GREW UP
THE MAN WHO CANCELLED HIMSELF
THE GIRL WHO RAN OFF WITH DADDY
THE MAN WHO LOVED WOMEN TO DEATH
THE COLD BLUE BLOOD. Copyright © 2001 by David Handler. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.
www.minotaurbooks.com
eISBN 9781429974851
First eBook Edition : March 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Handler, David, date
The cold blue blood : a Berger & Mitry mystery / David Handler.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-312-28003-3
1. Film Critics—Fiction. 2. African American police—Fiction. 3. Connecticut—Fiction. 4. Policewomen—Fiction. 5. Widowers—Fiction. 6. Islands—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.A4637 C35 2001
813’.54—dc21
2001041804
First Edition: October 2001