Wild Within (Wild at Heart #1) by Christine Hartmann

Author:Christine Hartmann [Hartmann, Christine]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781680584196
Amazon: 1680584197
Publisher: Limitless Publishing, LLC
Published: 2015-12-14T00:00:00+00:00

***

The next day Ed asked Officer Turangeo to wait while he closed the shop. He told the wide-eyed mechanics to go home early and pulled two swivel stools together in the back.

Arnie didn’t leave, straightening tools and folding rags.

“Arnie, get out of here. Now.”

Arnie picked up an insulated lunch bag. He shuffled out the back door and closed it carefully behind him.

“Have a seat.” Ed rolled a stool toward the officer. “And before you get started, I’m not under arrest or anything, right?”

“I have some questions for you, Mr. Galeano, about the accident on Mount Tamalpais with that little girl. Where were you at around eight yesterday morning?”

“Yesterday? I was out mountain biking.”

“And where was that, exactly?” The officer removed a small paper pad and pen from his jacket pocket.

Ed’s throat dried up. He coughed to clear it. “Around Mount Tam.”

The officer’s eye twitched. “Can you be more specific?”

Ed rose and retrieved a bike trail map from the front of the store. He spread it on the workshop counter, took a pen, and traced a route. “I parked here, at the lot across from the Mountain Home Inn.”

“Uh huh.” Officer Turangeo jotted notes. “About what time did you get to the parking lot?”

“Around seven thirty, I guess.”

“Okay. What did you do next?”

“I rode up here.” Ed pointed to a trail to the north. “Then around here, and here, and then down there and, after this, back to the car.” He traced a long loop on the map. The winding path crossed Mount Tam, circled two lakes, snaked down to Stinson Beach, and climbed the mountain west of Muir Woods. “It’s about thirty-five miles.”

“How long did that take you?”

“About six hours. I stopped for a bit at Stinson Beach.” Ed poked the map.

“Did anyone see you on this ride?”

“Yes.” He looked the officer in the eyes. “Someone saw me. Actually, it’s kind of funny. See, I met this woman in the parking lot.”

“In the parking lot across from the Mountain Home Inn?”

“Yeah. She parked near me and had trouble getting her bike off one of those trunk racks, you know? They’re kind of tricky. I helped her. We got talking. She was wearing one of those lycra body suits, the kind where you can see everything although you can’t see anything…” The officer drummed his fingers on the counter. “Anyway, I invited her to join me.”

“Then what happened?”

“We did what I said. We followed this route.” He pushed the map closer to the officer. “I split my lunch with her when we got to the beach. We ended up back at the parking lot.” Ed’s voice petered out.

“And then?”

“Well, she came back to my place.”

“In your car?”

“No, she followed me in hers.”

“Did she spend the night?”

“No. She left around nine.”

“So you’re saying you have an alibi from seven thirty in the morning until nine at night? I’m sure you won’t mind if we check that out with her?”

“Uh, no. I guess not.”

“I hope not. What’s her name?” Officer Turangeo poised pen over pad.

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