Small Town Secrets by Sharon Mignerey

Author:Sharon Mignerey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2006-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

The following morning the doorbell rang just as Zach had finished putting his couple of breakfast dishes into the drainer next to the sink. He went to the front door and through the oval glass, he could see a police cruiser at the curb and Foley Blue in his police uniform on the porch.

Ever since Foley had caught Zach and Léa together the day they brought the dog home, he had been expecting the other shoe to drop. The surprise was that it had taken nearly two weeks, especially as Zach had seen the officer nearly every time he left the house.

Zach opened the door. No smile on Officer Blue’s face this morning—simply a flinty look in his eyes. Behind him stood the other cop who’d been with him that first morning at the café.

“Where were you between nine and midnight last night?” Foley asked as soon as Zach said hello.

“Right here,” Zach said. “I’ve got an eight-to-six house curfew.”

“There was a break-in last night, and we have reason to believe you were involved.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And the best way to eliminate you as a suspect is to search the premises.”

“Got a search warrant?” Zach asked, wondering What break-in?

“Said like a man with something to hide,” Foley said.

“I’m an open book. But you’re not searching my aunt’s house without a warrant.”

“Can we come in?”

Zach shook his head. “No, I think talking right here will do just fine.”

“Now listen, MacKenzie. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. It’s no skin off my back either way.”

“The hard way being?”

Foley smiled. “A trip to the county jail. But then, you’d be real used to those bars. What’s it been? Almost a month? Might even be more comfortable than being out here in the world.”

Zach shrugged as though the officer’s barb didn’t matter. “I’ve been right here, officer. You can check with my parole officer if you want, and he’ll tell you the same thing. I didn’t go anywhere last night.”

“Easy for you to say.”

“Easy to prove, too,” Zach said, “since I’m wearing an ankle bracelet.” He smiled, showing his teeth. “You know, the electronic leash that notifies Schober if I leave the house during curfew.”

The other officer tapped Foley on the shoulder. “We can check out his alibi and come back if we need to. Let’s go.”

“In a minute, Merle. You can wait for me in the car, if you want.”

Merle shrugged, then headed down the walk toward the car. Foley took a step closer to Zach.

“You’re a nobody, MacKenzie—by your own admission, a drunk who’s thrown away your life.”

Zach clamped his jaw shut to bite back the first five retorts that came to mind. Then he counted to ten and somehow managed, “Anything else, Officer Blue?”

“Stay away from my wife.” Foley’s mouth flattened, as did his tone. “You don’t want the kind of trouble I can cause you,”

Zach stared at him without replying. He had a real good hunch about the trouble Foley Blue could cause, naming him as a suspect for every crime in town being a good start.

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