Anonymously Yours by Shirley McCann Read Free Book Online Page B

and stepped inside. I leaned against the stall, luxuriating in the pelt of the cool water against my skin.
    At the bathroom sink, I brushed my teeth and fingered mousse into my wet hair before getting dressed.
    I stepped into the dark kitchen just as the icemaker dropped a cycle of ice. I clutched my chest and screamed.
    It’s that darned thing with Michael Black and his wallet, I realized. I wish I’d never laid eyes on that man. But thank goodness I had turned it over to the cashier on duty before I left the diner yesterday. As far as I was concerned, that concluded my involvement in the Michael Black mystery.
    Outside, patchy morning light sparkled against the morning dew. A warm breeze tickled against my arms, the promise of another hot day in Clayfield. The next two days were work-free for me. Justin and I had made plans to spend the day together to try and work through some problems. I hoped we could. His arrival at the diner the other night made me realize how much I’d missed him.
    Near the shrubbery at the edge of the lawn, I caught a glimpse of the morning newspaper. I had just knelt down to retrieve it, when I noticed a slow-moving car approaching. Its headlights were off, making it difficult to get a good look at it in the dark. I scooped up the paper and stood watching as it moved closer.
    Something similar to fear caught in my throat. I shuddered, backing away. Squinting, I strained for a better view, but in the dark early morning, it was almost impossible to make out.
    I continued backing away until my heel brushed against the edge of the front step. The car’s engine revved, but the vehicle remained still. My heart pounded. One foot, then another backed onto the front porch. Behind me, my hand fumbled for the doorknob.
    The engine revved again, then the car suddenly sped past my front yard. A flash of red caught my eye.
    My knees buckled from the weight of my fear. I yanked the door open and dashed inside, bolting the locks. I turned my back to the door then slid my body slowly to the floor.
    “Why is this happening?” I said out loud. “What did I do to deserve this?”
    I put my hands over my face and shook my head. When my hands slid down to my chin, my gaze settled on my purse on the coffee table by the sofa. My gun! I thought. I could protect myself if the need arose.
    I stood up and crossed the room and removed the gun from my purse. The small weapon felt heavy in my hand. I’d learned to shoot when I’d purchased the gun several years ago. I’d taken several safety classes. I’d attended a conceal and carry seminar. I knew how to handle a weapon in the face of danger.
    But I’d never expected to need it.
    I carried the gun into the kitchen and placed it on the table along with the morning newspaper. I was just turning on the coffee pot, when the shrill ring of the house telephone made me jump. I raced for the phone on the counter and picked it up.
    “What’s going on, Denise?” My mother’s concerned voice greeted me from the other end of the line.
    Her question caught me off guard. There was no way she could know what had happened at Michael Black’s house yesterday. She and Dad were miles away in Florida.
    “What do you mean?” I asked, hoping the guilt in my voice didn’t reach her end of the line. “Everything is fine here.”
    I heard a sigh of relief. “Your uncle Bob called this morning,” she said. “He’s been trying to call your cell since yesterday, but he says he can’t get an answer.”
    It was my turn to sigh with relief. I’d been so worried that, somehow, word of yesterday’s events had reached her, although I couldn’t imagine how that could have happened. The only people that knew about it were Justin and me. And whoever had set it up in the first place.
    “Oh that,” I responded. “I lost my cell phone yesterday. I’ll call Uncle Bob later and tell him what happened. I hope to have a new one very soon.”
    “Please do,” Mom said. “He worries about