Ask Anyone by Sherryl Woods Read Free Book Online Page B

him off to disappear. How much is that horse worth, anyway?”
    Jenna named a staggering amount, her voice barely above a whisper. “The carousel is very rare,” she added.
    â€œNo kidding,” Bobby said dryly. “What the devil were you thinking?” Jenna’s face crumpled, and tears slid down her pale cheeks. He felt like he’d just kicked a kitten. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
    â€œOf course you did,” she said, her expression bleak. “Why shouldn’t you say it? My father certainly will.”
    â€œWhich is precisely why I shouldn’t have,” Bobby said. “Believe me, I’ve been in your shoes more times than I care to count.”
    â€œHe has,” Tucker confirmed. “When it comes to sensitivity, King Spencer missed the classes.”
    Jenna heaved a sigh. “My father didn’t even know there were classes.”
    Ignoring his better judgment, Bobby gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze. “Don’t worry. Tucker will track down that security guard and figure out what’s going on.”
    â€œI don’t have time to wait for that,” Jenna said. “I have to get home. I have a daughter who wants to dye her hair purple.”
    Bobby held up his hands. “I don’t even want to know about that one. You go on home. Keep the dye away from your daughter. Tucker will be in touch.”
    She shook her head. “This is my mess.”
    â€œMs. Kennedy, I appreciate your willingness to take responsibility for your actions, but this is not your mess,” Tucker assured her. “That horse was stolen here in Trinity Harbor. Now it’s my mess.”
    For the first time all day, Bobby managed a grin. “It is, isn’t it? Daddy’s going to love hearing about a majortheft taking place in broad daylight on the supposedly safe streets of Trinity Harbor.” He held out his hand to Jenna. “Come on. Let’s go to lunch. Maybe by the time we’ve had dessert, Tucker here will have figured out who the bad guy is.”
    Tucker frowned at him. “You’re giving me an hour to solve this?”
    Bobby nodded. “And then I’m going to King and put him in charge. You know how Daddy likes to show you up. I’m pretty sure there was a time in his life when he wanted to be Wyatt Earp.”
    Jenna laughed, exactly as Bobby had intended. He gave her hand a squeeze. “We don’t have a lot of crime here. A big-time thief won’t get far without some nosy person asking a lot of questions. Everything will be all right.”
    It had to be, because with her hand tucked into his, he was just starting to realize that he was in very deep water.

4
    H arvey Needham was a bona fide, first-class idiot. He’d been the mayor of Trinity Harbor for two terms now, and he still knew next to nothing about managing a town. Oh, he kept the garbage pickups running on schedule and managed to keep the budget in the black, but he was not exactly a visionary, which made him a major thorn in Bobby’s side.
    If it had been up to Harvey, there would have been condominiums slapped up on every square inch of waterfront property and the public wouldn’t set foot in the Potomac River ever again.
    His arrival in Bobby’s office just as the chaos over the stolen carousel horse was settling down couldn’t have been worse timing. He took in Tucker’s presence, and a gleam of satisfaction lit his beady little eyes.
    â€œTrouble?” he inquired in a deceptively pleasant tone.
    â€œAlready handled,” Tucker assured him.
    â€œGood to know the sheriff’s office has things under control,” Harvey said. “Mind telling me what it’s all about?”
    â€œYes,” Bobby said curtly, dragging Jenna toward thedoor in the faint hope of making an escape before the mayor went off on some tirade.
    Harvey blocked his path. “I am the mayor