Auctions and Alibis (The Hemlock Inn Mysteries Book 1) by Josephine Smith

Author:Josephine Smith [Smith, Josephine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Western Coast Press
Published: 2021-04-15T16:00:00+00:00

18

The police department was in a large, redbrick building on the edge of town. Two stories tall, it was both squat and imposing. I sat in my car across the street, debating the merits of what I was about to do.

I’d wanted to call Detective Patel directly, but I’d left her card at the inn and didn’t want to go all the way back. Might as well get it over with.

The station’s entrance opened onto a front desk with a glass window running its length, presumably to protect the person on the other side. Benches sat on either side of the front door, and I tried to ignore the handcuffs hanging from the ends of the benches, where a man currently slouched. His afternoon scotch radiated off him, and I held my breath as I walked past.

A man sat behind the glass window, looking like he’d jumped straight out of high school and right into law enforcement. He was pale, with dark brown hair cut close to his scalp, and he stared at his computer monitor, fingers moving lazily across the keys. He had a tiny red dot where he’d nicked himself shaving. A name badge identified him as Officer Collins.

I smiled as I approached the front desk, wondering how best to play this. I remembered Detective Patel then—maybe I should ask for her directly?

“Bail bondsman is located around the corner, next building over,” he said before I could open my mouth. I frowned, wondering what about me made him think I was looking for a bondsman, but moved past it.

“I have some information about the Bethany Stevens case,” I said, using my most commanding voice. “I was hoping to speak with Detective Patel about it.”

“Detective Patel is out on assignment,” he said. “You can leave a message and she’ll get back to you once she has time.”

I knew a brushoff when I saw one. I wasn’t interested in waiting around for this twerp to give Patel my message if he ever did.

“Maybe you could give me her number,” I said instead. “That way, you don’t have to write anything down.”

“Collins!” someone yelled. A loud bang sounded as a side door swung open, smacking against the wall. I jumped, and so did Officer Collins. Guess we were all a little jumpy today. Collins hopped out of his seat, coming to attention.

A man walked through the open door, his eyes roaming the front sitting area. He sneered as his eyes landed on the drunk in the corner, and the sneer deepened when he saw me standing at the front desk. I got the briefest of looks before he turned his attention to Officer Collins.

He was wearing a full uniform, with blonde hair beginning to thin and a gut that extended out past his toes. His name tag identified him as Chief Tate.

“Where are those notes on the Harrison burglary?” he asked Collins.

I took a step back, not wanting to give him any reason to turn his gaze on me. Clearly he was in some kind of mood, and I thought it best to stay out of his way.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.