Books and a Body by Emmie Lyn

Author:Emmie Lyn [Lyn, Emmie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Whiskered Mysteries
Published: 2023-06-20T16:00:00+00:00

15

Dash jogged along next to me as I followed Paine to her SUV.

Then, as though she’d come upon an unexpected roadblock, she halted abruptly. “He stays here.” She pointed at Dash and used a voice uncharacteristically stern, at least when it came to her normal friendly relationship with Dash.

His ears sagged. “No way, Nikki. If you go to jail, I go to jail,” he yipped.

I scooped my sweet dog into my arms, loving him more at this moment than ever before.

“What is jail anyway?” He sounded concerned now that he’d committed himself to the unknown. “They’ll feed us, right?”

I kissed the top of his head and whispered, “I still have treats in my pocket.”

“Detective Paine? Are you arresting me?” I needed this detail clarified and out of the way.

“No, just a routine interview.”

Nothing sounded routine about this to me, but at least routine meant there was wiggle room. I relaxed a little. “Okay then,” I said. “Dash comes with me.”

“You told her, Nikki!” he said and licked my face. “You know, I’m not sure I like her anymore. She’s using her mean voice. But the two of us? We’re the amazing, the unbeatable, the dazzling duo. The…”

“Dash, shush,” I said before Paine charged him with relentless yapping and banned him from her vehicle.

Paine paused, looked at Dash, calm now in my arms, then opened the back door without another word. I couldn’t help but notice all the dings and dents in her almost-new black Ford Explorer. Sure, her job was tough, but was she a careless driver? Was our life in danger by driving with her?

“Get in. Both of you,” she said. “Before I change my mind.”

I slid in with Dash still in my arms. This one small victory made me feel like I’d won the lottery.

When she slammed the door, though, I realized there was no way out. No door handles on the inside. Bars between the back and front seat. It was definitely a sobering moment.

“Let me out. I forgot to pee,” Dash whined.

“I can’t. We’re locked in. You’ll have to wait.” I fought the claustrophobic feeling building in my chest.

“That’s just rude. I definitely don’t like her anymore, Nikki. She’s not Cuddly Detective, she’s Mean Detective now.” Surprisingly, he settled on my lap without further complaints.

Paine opened the driver’s door, but before she slid behind the wheel, a uniformed cop hurried over and called out, “Detective Paine? You need to see something before you leave.”

The detective huffed out a sigh of frustration as she slammed the door and walked away.

Just then, a cool breeze blew across my face, and Audrey glimmered low on the seat next to me.

“I don’t have much time, Niks, so just listen. I’ve been eavesdropping at the Frogmore House. They found a library receipt in your canvas bag with the missing journals. It wasn’t a well-thought-out plan on Birdie’s part, but here we are.”

I did a double-take. “Birdie’s part? What are you talking about?”

“She stole the journals the morning before book club,” Audrey said, clearly upset.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.