Dead Among Stars by Kat Bellemore

Author:Kat Bellemore [Bellemore, Kat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: KB Press

12

I hadn’t shared with the sheriff what Whitney had told me—about the astronauts not being chosen at random. So how had the sheriff come to the same conclusion? Unless Whitney had shared his theory with the sheriff when she’d called him out, but I had a difficult time believing he’d be so forthcoming. He didn’t seem the type.

“I need to go let the kids know what’s going on,” I said, reaching for my purse. Except, it wasn’t there. I must have left it, along with Jeffrey’s camera, in the cafeteria when Julie had pulled me out. I turned to my mom. “I forgot my stuff, but you need to stay put until I get back. You can’t go wandering around without a security badge.”

Her lips pulled down into a frown. “You don’t have to treat me like a child, you know. It’s insulting.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t go breaking into places, expecting me to bail you out.”

My mom’s frown deepened. I had hurt her feelings. Again.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I am. But this job is important to me, and you’ve put me in a very awkward position.”

She sighed and her forehead smoothed. “You’re right,” she conceded. “But I’m only here because I wanted to help.”

I kissed her on top of her head. “I know. Be back in a minute, and then we’ll see if we can convince the sheriff to let you guys sneak out so you can go back home.” I threw a glance at Sheriff Potts, but she didn’t give any indication of whether that would be possible. Instead, she followed me out of Julie’s office and shut the door.

“Is everything okay?” I asked. Other than her sealing off the entire spaceport and trapping my family here until further notice.

The sheriff stayed quiet for a moment, pursing her lips, as if trying to decide how much to tell me. “I need you to leave your purse where it is for now.”

I cocked one eyebrow. “You do know it has my phone in it, right?”

“I didn’t. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

Sheriff Potts wasn’t always forthright with me about her investigations, but she was never sneaky. If she didn’t want me nosing around—which had been one hundred percent of the time before today—she’d tell me. She didn’t play games, and I’d always appreciated that about her.

Until now.

She was being secretive, and it left me with the distinct feeling that I was being used as a pawn in a game that I didn’t understand.

“How did you come to the conclusion that this whole trip was orchestrated?” I asked. “You think these seven astronauts were chosen for a purpose and that one of them is working with an inside person. Why?”

Guilt flashed across the sheriff’s face. It was gone just as quickly as it had arrived, but it had been enough.

My purse.

“You’ve been spying,” I whispered, walking quickly past the sheriff. When she’d said she wanted me to be her eyes and ears, I’d thought she needed the skills I’d honed over many years of being a licensed therapist.

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