Death at the Summit by Nikki Haverstock Read Free Book Online

sent Indy, Mouse and Tiger around to pass out a metric ton of Christmas cookies. Indy followed Mouse from booth to booth defeating the purpose of giving them both a tray of cookies. Tiger only visited the booths where woman were and stayed too long at each booth. Minx hid in the bathroom for quite a while. When she returned she slid behind our table and sulked.
    The snow continued to fall and the decision was made to call the buses back early for fear that everyone would be stranded over night at the center. Moo had been antsy for the past hour; he was used to a busy day of following me around the center. I tried to entertain him with a rousing game of tug-of-war but he didn’t even attempt to win.
    M.C. came over to the table from the MacSight booth where Kandi was hovering. “We need to get packed up. Where’s my dad?”
    I had forgotten about him. “I’ll grab him.”
    I snagged Moo, and we jogged to the doorway. I held the leash loosely and once we were in the hallway, he started pulling hard on the leash. “Hey, Moo, ease up a little.”
    He barked and sniffed the air. The little hairs on his scruff raised and I was uneasy. Mac had been taking a nap for an awfully long time.
    We rounded the corner. Moo strained hard to reach the closed door, sniffing all along the perimeter of the door before he started pawing at it, scratching off flakes of paint.
    Tentatively, I turned the handle and wedged myself between Moo and the door. I was overwhelmed with the metallic smell of blood. It reminded me of every nosebleed and bit cheek I’d had ever had. I slammed the door shut. My heart pounded in my chest. My stomach clenched and twisted.
    “Not again.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    I didn’t know what to do. What if Mac was just hurt and I needed to get in there and help him? I reached for the door but couldn’t bring myself to touch the handle. Moo whined and wedged his nose into the crack at the bottom of the door. I messaged Mary to grab Brian and come to the bathrooms and not to say anything to anyone. She typed back a simple K immediately.
    I checked that the bathrooms were empty, then Moo and I moved to the long hallways to wait. I tried to convince myself that I was overreacting, that everything was okay, and we would have a good laugh over the whole thing. Jess would tell me that I was trying to ruin her event but would say it with good humor, Mary would tell me that it could happen to anyone, and Liam would shake his head at my reaction.
    Brian came trotting down the hallway with Mary in tow. “What’s up?”
    I should have thought of what to say. I wanted to blurt out that I smelled blood and Mac was dead, but if I was wrong I would be an idiot since I hadn’t turned on the light to even look. I should have just looked myself. I pointed at the door and didn’t say anything. He could figure it out on his own.
    He opened the door and flipped on the light. I could hear him gasp and race into the room.
    Mary took step to follow him, and I grabbed her arm and shook my head. From where we stood, I couldn’t see the interior of the room and thought it should stay that way.
    Brian came back. “Did you touch anything?”
    I shook my head. “I opened the door just an inch and could smell the blood. I didn’t turn on the light. Is he…?”
    He nodded his head, looking more serious than I had seen him since the last murder. “I should have known this wouldn’t be an easy assignment. You installed video surveillance right? I need to see it right now. I already requested more officers, but the department is pretty spread thin with this weather.”
    “What’s wrong with Mac?” Mary asked. I had forgotten about her. Her eyes were wide, and she shifted her weight between her feet uneasily.
    “He was murdered,” Brian said bluntly but gently. He watched her face and stood by until she nodded, then he talked into the unit on his shoulder.
    I pulled Mary aside. “Are you okay? I know it can be a shock.”
    She shook her