Death Rides a Pony by Carol Miller

Author:Carol Miller [Miller, Carol]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2022-08-22T00:00:00+00:00

THIRTEEN

‘Maybe we should have stayed,’ Summer said, her voice uncertain.

‘No,’ Hope replied decisively. ‘Staying would have only made things worse.’

Less than a minute after Larkin’s arrival at their booth, they had made the decision to leave it. That was all the time they had needed to see Larkin in action. Smooth as silk, she had presented Nate with a sparkling white smile, draped herself on Dylan’s shoulder, and batted apologetic eyelashes at the uniformed policeman. It had taken only another minute for the sisters to secure the opportunity for a successful departure. Larkin had promptly launched into a dramatic explanation for her appearance at the booth. According to her, Morris had been gravely anxious to find Dylan and had eagerly sent her to look for him. Hope doubted the veracity of the tale. More likely, Morris had mentioned his son in passing, and Larkin had used it as an excuse to track Dylan down with the tenacity of a bloodhound. In any event, the men had been so engrossed in Larkin’s account that they hadn’t noticed Hope and Summer slip out of the back curtains.

‘Maybe we should have gotten permission,’ Summer suggested.

Hope raised an eyebrow at her.

‘Well, not permission exactly,’ she amended. ‘But maybe we should have told Nate where we were going.’

‘Why? You heard him earlier. He has no intention of either arresting or charging us, which means that we’re free to go wherever, whenever we please. And it’s not as though we’re racing up to the Canadian border or hopping on a transcontinental flight in a desperate attempt to evade the authorities. We’re simply taking a stroll through the festival grounds to visit our friend at her booth.’

Summer made a nervous mewing sound.

Hope nodded sympathetically. ‘I know. You’re worried about how much Larkin will flirt with Nate in your absence. If it’s any consolation, I think it’s quite clear that she has her sights set on Dylan.’

‘Even so, she might choose Nate as her fallback. Larkin seems like the type who always wants to keep a fallback – or two – on hand.’

‘No doubt,’ Hope agreed scornfully.

‘And why can’t she properly button her blouses? The one that she has on today is even worse than the one from yesterday. The way that she leaves them undone in such an obvious fashion is insulting to all womankind.’

That made Hope laugh.

‘I told you this would be a bad day, didn’t I?’ Summer groused.

‘You did. But keep in mind that the day isn’t over yet. It could still end very nicely. There’s the Green Goat this evening, remember?’

‘That’s too many hours away.’ Summer squinted unhappily at the height of the blazing sun. ‘And I can’t imagine that Nate will come tonight after we threatened to pelt him with cocktails.’

Hope smiled. ‘I wouldn’t be so sure. I have the feeling that dear Detective Nate will use any available opportunity to enjoy your company.’

Although her face was already flushed from the heat of the day, Summer’s cheeks grew a bit rosier. ‘You really think that?’

‘I do.

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