Death Indoors: Target Practice Mysteries 4 by Nikki Haverstock Read Free Book Online

experience to level up. I didn't know what games she meant, but it didn't seem to matter so long as I smiled and nodded.
    ***
    By the fourth end, I was starting to settle in. Whatever was going to happen would happen. I sat with Liam when I could, and when we only had a few seconds, I'd sit with Davey and encourage her interest in computers. We shot second during the fourth end, and when it was our turn, we took the line.
    Despite my best efforts to ignore Coach Ron, I couldn't block him out completely. Mary had encouraged me to think of it as an opportunity to increase my mental toughness. Mouse, who was two targets down, said she was going to punch him in the face if he didn't cool it soon. I was pulling myself together, and my end score was improving ever so slightly.
    Davey finished shooting her arrows and stepped off the line. I finished my last shot and followed her. I stepped back to my bow stand, and Coach Ron had Davey by the arm.
    "Do not step off the line when Becky's at full draw." He pointed at the redhead.
    Davey's eyes were wide, and she stuttered. "I, I thought--"
    "Don't touch her," I said. "She's not next to your student, she's next to me, and she can step off the line whenever she wants." All the frustration that had built up at his constant yapping came tumbling out.
    He glared at me. "Don't interfere."
    The whistle blew to collect the arrows, but no one in our area moved.
    Mouse swooped in. "The rules state that once an archer's done shooting, they must step off the line. That's the rules and that's what she did. Speaking of rules. Judge! Judge!"
    A judge stepped toward us. "Yes, Mouse?"
    "The rules state that coaches can talk to their students on the line so long as they don't bother the other archers. He's bothering me."
    I nodded along.
    Coach Ron's face was a brilliant shade of red. "I'm allowed to coach my student."
    Mouse leaned in, a finger pointed at him. "You don't have to scream when you do. You can use hand signals or whisper. You haven't shut up since the first end. They can hear you on the compound side."
    The judge stepped in closer. "Easy, everyone. Archers, go pull. I'll take care of this."
    Davey dabbed at her eyes and stared at the floor.
    I put an arm around her. "Hey, you okay?"
    She nodded her head, but a tear dripped off her nose. "It's my fault. I know that he doesn't like it when anyone does anything to distract his precious Becky."
    "Do you work with him? Did I totally get you in trouble with your coach?" Had my huge mouth gotten her in trouble?
    "He's not my coach any more. I used to attend his program, but we moved last June, and the commute was eventually too long." She continued to stare at the ground as we approached the target.
    "Hey?" I stopped and waited for her to look up at me. "Your job isn't to make some coach happy. Your job here is to follow the rules and do your best."
    Mouse slid up next to me and bumped me over in her enthusiasm. "You okay? Ignore stupid old Coach Jerkface. You did nothing wrong, and he was totally out of line to even say something to you, okay?"
    Davey looked up at Mouse then me. She sniffled, and a tiny smile pulled up the corners of her lips.
    Coach Ron was fighting with the judge at the shooting line, while Matt stared at us as he held the electronic scoring device and tapped his foot.
    "We better go score before Matt has a fit."
    Mouse patted her on the back. "You need any help, just call for me. My name's Mouse."
    "I've been calling her Davey Jones," I said in a poor imitation of a pirate.
    "Argh, I like it. You need me, Davey Jones, bellow and I'll swoop in with me cutlass." Mouse turned and jogged back to her target.
    I had just started to pull things together, but once again the anxiety and adrenaline fought in my chest.
    We finished scoring our arrows, and Davey was already looking perkier. She double-checked the scores. "Hey, Di, you and Matt have the exact same score."
    Before I could reply, Matt shook his head. "My score's awful.