The Secret Circle: The Cozy Cat Bookstore Mysteries Book 1 by Lisa-Anne Wooldridge

Author:Lisa-Anne Wooldridge
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Cozy Mysteries /Fiction
Publisher: Revelare Books
Published: 2021-07-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Mark didn’t come through the gate alone. Hattie and Police Captain Andy Harrison trailed him. He nodded to Sam, who moved aside quickly. Mark knelt beside Lucy, who still had her head down on the table.

“Lucy, hi, what’s going on?” He pulled her hair back from her face and tenderly stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

Lucy let a small sob escape from her throat as she turned in her seat and wrapped her arms around Mark, burying her head in his neck.

Sam spoke softly, “She’s had a really hard day. First, she was abused and manhandled by Officer Mooney, then we reviewed her grandparents’ estate, which can be upsetting under the best circumstances. She came outside for a minute and saw a man in the backyard, potentially listening at the window. He ran away as soon as she came outside. She thinks it may be the same man who has been sneaking around at her house. Then she just shut down—I think she might be in shock.”

“What do you mean, she was abused by Mooney?” Captain Andy Harrison demanded. He looked at Mark, whose face flushed bright red while his fist clenched at his side.

“I will play you the voicemail she left me,” Sam offered, “but look at her arm. I’ve been watching that bruise darken since she got here.” Sam nodded toward the arm Lucy had stretched across Mark’s back. There were defined bruises where someone had gripped her quite hard.

Mark gently patted Lucy on the back and disentangled himself from her tight embrace.

“Lucy, let me see.” Mark gingerly held her arm up for inspection. Lucy hadn’t realized there were bruises, even though her arm had been sore since the confrontation that morning. Andy Harrison and Hattie both leaned in to look more closely. Mark swore softly.

“Sam, would you and Hattie stay here with Lucy? I need to go. I’ll be right back.” Mark looked Lucy in the eyes. “He isn’t going to get away with this. Stay here.”

Lucy tried to protest, to tell Mark she wanted him to stay there with her, but Captain Harrison interrupted.

“Stand down, Captain Fellowes. He’s my officer. I’ll handle this.” The police captain squared up to the Coast Guard officer. It was apparent that neither man wanted to give ground. Hattie pushed her way between them, putting a hand on each man’s shoulder and gently nudging them apart.

“I think we’d better listen to the voicemail and ask Lucy what she’d like to do,” Hattie suggested.

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