The Perfect Witness by Katie Mettner

Author:Katie Mettner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-12-08T19:02:25+00:00

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WHEN SHE NOTICED her reflection in the post office door, she was glad her coat hid her bulletproof vest. At least she had that going for her. Her fingers played with her blond hair before she took a breath and pulled the door open. Being back in Red Rye hit her in a way she hadn’t expected. She’d expected the anxiety to hit hard and brutal. Admittedly, she was anxious to get the phones and get out of town, but that was the only anxiety filling her belly. She was pleasantly numb to any other emotion as she walked into the lobby of the place she had once considered a fortress for her secrets. Once she left here, they wouldn’t be secrets for long.

Cal had her back, but now that she was inside, she was on her own in retrieving the phones. They’d been watching the post office for an hour, and nothing seemed amiss, according to Cal, but then The Miss was never obvious. Subtle is your middle name when you’re running an illegal prostitution ring smack-dab in the middle of a small town.

With a glance behind her, she made eye contact with Cal. He was loitering outside the door, pretending to smoke a cigarette. His head was on a swivel though, as he “took in the town’s charm.”

After a deep breath, she approached the counter, grateful Roland was still the postmaster. He was always so kind to her when she lived here.

“Marlise!” he exclaimed the moment he laid eyes on her. “Well, I never thought I’d see you again! But here you are.”

“Hi, Roland,” she answered, though her voice wavered. She cleared her throat before she spoke again. “I wanted to pick up my mail before my box expired. Unfortunately, I no longer have the key. You know, after the fire and everything.”

“Oh, sure, sure,” he said, nodding as though he didn’t want to bring up the way the town had been tainted by The Madame either. “I’m happy to get it for you.”

She held a bag out to him. “You can use this. Thank you.”

The postmaster took the bag with a smile and walked back behind the bank of post office boxes. There would be no mail, only the cell phones. She prayed they’d still charge so they could access the information. Cal told her to act casual, as though it were any other day, and she was simply picking up her mail. She didn’t know how hard that would be until she stood there exposed. She forced herself to remain calm as she waited, but he needed to hurry.

There was a bounty out on her head, and if she didn’t find a way to stop The Miss, she wouldn’t have one. The thought sent a shiver down her spine. The Miss would love nothing more than to have her head, but Marlise had worked too hard and suffered too much to fall back into that woman’s grasp.

“Not much in there considering how long you were gone,” the postmaster said, jarring Marlise from her thoughts.

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