Death Loved A Woman (Happy Holloway Mystery Book 2)
Page 14
“I was under no obligation to tell you the truth.”
“Hey,” Mark called out. Annie and Flynn looked over at him. “This conversation is fun and all, but I’ve got to wrap it up.”
“The police—” Flynn began.
Mark shook his head. “Don’t bother. I heard your conversation in the hall. The police have nothing on us, and even if they did, my dad will squash it fast. The cops aren’t coming.”
Annie clutched her hands together. She swallowed the lump in her throat, thinking they would be found dead in a ditch.
Mark waved the gun. “Come on. Let’s move nice and orderly. We’re going down the back stairs. I have a car waiting, and you two are going to behave yourself. Don’t think I won’t—”
Annie didn’t give herself time to think twice. When Mark waved her and Flynn forward and stepped aside from the door, she waited until she was close enough and launched herself at him.
The one time she thanked the heavens for her plump figure, she used her weight to bump him hard. Mark bounced off the wall and banged his elbow. The hand holding the gun wobbled, and his finger spasmed. The gun went off, and Annie screamed.
“Annie!” Flynn tore her backward.
A scuffle started between Flynn and Mark, and she wasn’t sure where the gun ended up or if she’d been shot. Her knees gave, and she fell on the floor. The next instant, the office filled with uniformed policemen and Sheriff Appleton.
Annie’s head busied itself spinning when she heard the click of handcuffs. She raised a hand to her face, and Flynn’s arms circled her.
“Are you crazy, woman?” he demanded. “Don’t you ever do that again.”
Annie forced her gaze up to meet his. “Was I shot?”
He frowned. “No.”
Her throat dried. “Were you?”
“Everything is fine, Annie. Easy.”
She wondered why he said easy until she realized her hands shook hard, and her teeth chattered. While panic stirred inside her from his embrace, she didn’t have the energy to pull away. On another level, Flynn’s arms felt just right.
Chapter Twenty
Annie stepped out the back door of her house and paused. She gazed around the yard, drenched with sunlight rather than shadows this time. A sense of peace washed over her that the case was closed. The police arrested Mark Witman and Percy Kelley.
In retrospect, she thought she had lost her mind jumping in front of a gun the way she did. Annie wasn’t a daredevil by any means, even if she did like to have adventures in her life. All she knew was when Flynn was in danger she wanted to protect him.
She stepped off the deck and started across the lawn. “It’s a miracle I’m alive.”
“You can say that again.”
She stopped and spun around. Flynn stood at the side of the house, obviously having walked around to the back. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m your boyfriend. Can’t I visit my girlfriend?”
She blushed. “Sounds like you get a kick out of saying it.”
“Nope, just making it plain.” He grinned, and she smirked at him.
Annie shook her head. She tried to play it cool, but Flynn’s attitude tickled her something fierce. She wished she were brave enough to toss the terms around of what they were to each other, but she wasn’t ready yet.
Baby steps.
“You said you had something to take care of when I called earlier,” she said. Annie recognized jealousy in her tone and didn’t like it. “Was it Barbara Jean?”
He appeared surprised. “No. If it was her, I would have told you. I got a call from her two days ago saying she was leaving.”
“Leaving?”
He shrugged. “Traveling or something. I got the feeling she found someone to fund the venture, but I didn’t ask. No, what I was doing was following up on something I heard on the scanner.”
“Flynn, you’re still listening to that police scanner? I think you like trouble. Here I was standing here loving the peace we have. I like adventures, but the less dangerous kind.”
“Are you sure?”
She squinted at him with suspicion as he walked over to her. Annie’s heartbeat kicked up a few notches when he neared. He brushed her cheek.
“What are you up to?”
“Nothing. I’ll talk to you another time about it. But as far as the scanner thing, Sheriff Appleton’s men found the minister’s body. He was murdered. I had hoped Kelley just bribed him to disappear or something, but no dice.”
“Oh no. Well, he confessed to the role he played in trying to help Mark get the inheritance. Do you think Mr. Witman will try to use his influence to get Mark off?”
“He might. Doesn’t look good for Kelley though. Never mind about that. What are you doing out here?”
Annie recalled and turned to continue across the yard. “Look at this. I stumbled across this wall that night when Kelvin put Shadow to sleep.”
“You didn’t know it was here?” He stooped and brushed his hand over the dirty bricks and pulled a few weeds so he could see better. Annie winced. “It looks like it’s leading into your neighbor’s yard.”
“Looks that way to me, too.” She strode across to the edge of her property and stopped. “I checked the old records. My family’s land used to be much bigger. We owned half that property there and a quarter on each side. In fact, we gave up some to make up Stacy’s street.”
He gaped at her. “Just how rich were you guys?”
“We weren’t. Not in my lifetime, but we did have the house. I never knew there was more to it previously. Remember the diary I told you about?”
He nodded. “You think the symbol you’re looking for is a part of your neighbor’s property?”
“If it is, and there’s buried treasure, I don’t suppose it’s mine anymore.”
He chuckled. “Annie, I doubt there’s buried treasure.”
“You don’t know, but half the fun is finding out.”
He stood. “So you’re going to go ring a few doorbells and ask to dig in the back yard?”
“I just might. So there.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.”
She raised her chin and marched back toward the house. “Well, whatever I do regarding the treasure can wait until another day. First, I have to head over to Stacy’s and solve her mystery.”
“What mystery is that?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.” She looked back at him. “Dinner later?”
His gaze warmed. “Yes, and maybe I’ll stay the night.”
About the Author
Coming soon: More Happy Holloway is coming! Keep up with what’s happening in my world by signing up for my newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/36Par. You can also find updates to my writing on my website at www.authoraudreyclaire.com.
I would like to thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it, please take a moment to review it and to let a friend know about me. A good review can help a new author, like me reach more people, and others will take a chance like you did. Thank you for your help, and happy reading.
- Audrey Claire
Also by Audrey Claire
Happy Holloway Mystery
Death Wore Brown Shorts
Death Loved A Woman
Death Wore A Scream (coming soon)
Margot and Odds Cozy Mystery
Odds and Ends
Odds Against
Odds Ball
A Libby Grace Mystery
How to Be a Ghost
How to Blackmail a Ghost
How to Kill a Ghost
A Makayla Rose Mystery
Depth of Field
Multiple Exposures
Distortion Control
www.authoraudreyclaire.com