Shoot First by Patricia McLinn

Author:Patricia McLinn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: traditional western mystery series, female sleuth, mystery romance humor series, cozy mystery dog, western murder mystery series, TV journalist mystery series, mystery novels best sellers
ISBN: 9781939215345
Publisher: Craig Place Books
Published: 2020-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

DAY SIX

SATURDAY

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The drive to Avis’ house was short and tense.

Even Sally was silent. I heard Mildred’s hand drumming on the armrest in the back seat. Underneath a mid-thigh-length sweater, her clothes were rumpled. I supposed clothing had no importance at this moment.

Mildred clicked her tongue as we turned a corner and spotted pickups, vans, and SUVs cheek packed along the street. “Look at them. Think they’ll worm their way in. Not this time.”

I could have noted Mildred had said one of her strategies was arriving before anyone else, but tact won out.

Mike braked to a stop in front of a house that had probably been blue until sun, wind, and cold did away with it. I’d have considered the landscaping pitiful if I didn’t live in the Hovel.

“What is that fool woman doing?” Mildred demanded.

The fool woman was Paige Schmidt from Helen Rhodes’ office. She appeared to be trying to wrestle a sawhorse from the bed of a rust-riddled pickup parked half on the apron of the narrow driveway and half in the street. Another sawhorse marked off the lone unoccupied spot for two blocks ahead of us and two behind us. A paper attached to it flapped around. In brief breaks while the wind caught its breath, I read: Reserved for Mildred Katarese.

Now, if we could remove the sawhorse, we could park there.

Paige left off sawhorse-wrestling and bustled over. Reluctantly, I lowered the window, letting in the North Pole. The forecast had said high 70s. I should have checked the low.

“You can’t park here. It’s reserved. You’ll have to move on.”

“Hi, Paige, remember me? E.M. Danniher from KWMT-TV. We talked the other day at your office. We have Mildred and Sally here with us.” I gestured to the back seat.

“We need to park,” Mildred snapped.

Paige didn’t see my gesture or hear Mildred’s snap. She was staring at Mike.

When you’re dealt an ace, you’d be stupid not to play it. “Paige, this is Michael Paycik, my colleague at KWMT-TV. Mike, meet Paige Schmidt, Helen Rhodes’ associate.”

I needn’t have bothered. I could have turned into a Popsicle, and she wouldn’t have noticed. I opened the SUV’s door, having to nudge Paige out of the way as she gabbled a response to Mike’s hello.

“Paige, let’s move the sawhorse so Mike can park, and Mildred and Sally can get out. So Mike can get out,” I amended.

I think she would have moved the sawhorse with her teeth after that.

Mike parked, then opened the door for Sally while I did the same for Mildred.

“Where do you want those sawhorses, Paige?” Mike headed for the back of the pickup with his new adorer right behind.

“Helen tells me where to put them. But she’s not here yet.”

“Not here yet?” Mildred’s voice rose. “She should be here. Making sure nobody gets in before I do. That’s her job.”

As far as I could tell, none of Mildred’s purported rivals had awakened, much less tried to storm the house. Certainly none had emerged from their nice, warm vehicles to help move sawhorses.

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