Devils Among Us (Devin Dushane Series Book 1) by Chastity Harris Read Free Book Online Page A

was so exhausted it wouldn’t matter if she slept
in a cave, on the beach or up in a tree, as long as she had a place to lay her
head.
    As she sipped her soda, Devin admired the freshly mowed
grass. Henry had insisted on mowing the grass for her and trimming the hedges.
Looking around she was glad she hadn’t protested too hard. Cleaning up the yard
had made a huge difference in the appearance of the house. Once she got the
flower boxes planted and the shutters painted, it would look downright pleasant.
Housework and home décor was not usually Devin’s cup of tea; she was better
with handguns not hand scrubbing. She had accompanied Marcy on a few of her
weekend Pottery Barn runs, but she preferred to spend her Saturday mornings
shooting hoops at the local Boys and Girls Club. But there was something very
satisfying in bringing this ghost of a home back to life, maybe because it
housed the roots of her family.
    Devin thought ahead to Monday morning. What would Sheriff Bittner
be able to tell her? Would he be willing to tell her anything? Small
communities like this could be very tight-lipped. She would have to be very
careful in how she handled the sheriff. If he thought she was there out of curiosity,
and not criticism, he would be much more likely to open up his resources to
her. Charming and charismatic were not always adjectives that
could be used to describe Devin, but when she wanted something badly enough and
turned those things on, she could be hypnotically persuasive. That would be the
approach she would take on Monday. What was the saying, you can catch more bees
with honey? Devin smiled to herself. I wonder what the queen bee uses to
attract worker bees?

Chapter
6
     
    Devin parked her car along Main Street. As she fed the meter
she could feel a dozen pairs of eyes on her. In a town this small, it was major
news when a stranger showed up headed for the sheriff’s department, and this
sultry summer morning was no different.
    She had opted for her normal work attire—dark blue jeans
with a maroon t-shirt topped off with her favorite chocolate-brown blazer.
Devin thought it was best not to carry her service weapon, since she was on a
mandatory leave but she had clipped her badge to her belt.
    Leave or not, I’m still a cop; they owe me that much, she thought grimly.
    Remembering her strategy, Devin softened her expression and
tried to leave the massive chip from her shoulder in the car as she swung
through the double doors. The secretary at the desk looked up at her in
surprise and placed a bookmark in the romance novel she was reading. Devin
wondered if the surprise stemmed from having a visitor or the appearance of the
visitor. Devin smiled warmly as she slid her sunglasses off, hooked them on her
shirt and fanned herself with her hand.
    “Whew! Already a scorcher out there!” Devin knew from
experience that connecting personally, even over something as simple as the
weather, created familiarity.  She glanced at the name plate on the desk.
“Marlene Dellinger? I believe we spoke on the phone. I’m Detective Dushane from
Richmond and I’ve got an appointment with Sheriff Bittner this morning.”
    Marlene obviously enjoyed being remembered and was all
smiles for her new guest. “Of course, Detective. We’ve been expecting you this
morning. I hope you didn’t melt this morning on your drive over from Richmond. That must have been quite an early morning for you.”
    Devin recognized a dig for information when she heard one, and
she didn’t mind giving Marlene a little inside information if it gave her an
ally within the sheriff’s office. “Actually, I’m staying here in Fenton, so I
just had to come across town this morning.” She leaned in as if she were passing
on top-secret information and lowered her voice conspiringly.  I’m going to be
here for a month or two working on a cold case, the Bennett murder…there’s a
family connection, you know.” Devin worked to keep a straight face as