Running Pass and Death by Patti Larsen

Author:Patti Larsen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Patti Larsen Books

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Chapter Thirteen

Mom left me alone when I told her I had more work to do, Petunia snoozing contentedly at my feet. I made a call to Mallory and told him what I’d discovered, the detective’s quiet on the other end of the line leaving him open to a question.

“If it’s okay with you,” I said, “I’d like to keep digging.” He laughed. Not just a chuckle, an outright laugh that ended in a soft coughing fit while I scowled at the coffee machine until he was done. “Got that out of your system, did you?” He let out another soft guffaw at my sarcasm.

“I never thought I’d see the day Fee Fleming asked me permission to do anything,” Mallory said with great amusement still in his voice. “Granted. Keep me posted, Master Detective. Oh, and Fee.”

“Yes?” I was still annoyed and wanted him to know it.

“Research only,” he said. “No field work. Or the deal is off.”

I sighed. Loudly. “Fine, whatever, I’m hanging up now.” And did just that.

While he laughed all over again. The jerkface.

Mallory didn’t realize he’d created a monster, nor did he know how motivating his amusement was. I dove right into further research with a zest for the job I hadn’t felt since the first time I’d sat in this very chair on day one of my life as a private investigator and I would have been grateful to him for his contribution to my renewed love of my job if I wasn’t still irritated by his attitude.

I was always one to take the good with the bad.

Next up, after I reviewed my notes from before Mom’s arrival, was Miranda Murphy. Her husband, Larry, had passed from a heart attack several years ago and she’d raised her son, Shayle, on her own as a single mom ever since. I took note of her job as an online rep for a chemical manufacturing company, checking her professional social status on her favorite site and found her CV. She’d begun her career working in a lab, interesting. She got a solid checkmark from me when it turned out she graduated the same year as Donald, though what reason she had for murder, I still hadn’t uncovered.

I’d shunted the next in line down the roster despite my previous plan. Amanda Courtney was still on the list, however, because every good investigator looked at the spouse, right? Funny, but she wasn’t my lead suspect no matter what the statistics about murder said. As a researcher and investigator for an insurance agency, Co-Ordinated Care Incorporated, she worked mostly from home. The fact she came from money out of state, Atlanta her original hometown, meant she’d not just gone to college with Nelson, they were from the same city.

A quick check confirmed they went to high school together, Nelson’s face a prominent image at his old alma mater with Amanda right beside him. So, they’d been a couple. How had she ended up with Donald instead of the football star? An excellent question and one I’d be asking her.

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