Fly by Night (A Gracie Andersen Mystery Book 3) by Laurinda Wallace Read Free Book Online Page A

entrance.
    “Soon. No later than two today,” Jim answered.
    “Good. Having that squared away will be progress. To add to the good news, I hired two more kennel assistants for the summer.”
    “That was quick. Who’d you decide on?”
    “The Stewart twins. Casey and Tracey. They’re up for the weekend shift and can start right away. Any word on—”
    “No,” Jim cut her off. “I’m hoping one of the brothers shows up to take over. I didn’t sign up for this.”
    Gracie frowned. “It is a little above and beyond. What’s that noise?” She turned toward the sound of a whirring and belching engine. “Oh no,” she groaned. “I know who and what that is.”
    Jim walked around from the back of the building with Gracie trailing reluctantly behind.
    “I’ve seen that car before,” he said, wiping his hands on a rag. He jammed it into his back pocket.
    “It’s Roscoe Myer. You remember him, don’t you?”
    “You mean Weenie Myer who had that bad crush on you?” Jim threw back his head and laughed.
    “The same. And don’t remind me,” Gracie said through gritted teeth.
    “What’s he doing here? Shouldn’t he be working for NASA or something?”
    “No. He’s a reporter for The Sentinel . He was here yesterday asking about that Renew Earth outfit. I told him I didn’t know anything, but I figured he’d be back.”
    “Reporting on what?”
    “I guess the wind farms and that whole controversy. He talked about the UFO sightings too. He acted like he’d talked to Toby about the UFO thing.”
    They walked back into the kennel. Gracie shuddered. “He’s still as …” she broke off. The bell on the door jangled as Roscoe pushed it open. “Oh, hi, Roscoe.”
    “Why hello, Grace.”
    Roscoe sounded professorial and looked the part as he adjusted his glasses. He made an attempt to smooth his wild coiffure with no result. Although he wasn’t really overweight, he had a soft, doughy appearance, with a pale complexion to match. It was apparent that he was an indoor sort of guy. The tablet was tucked under his arm, and he had already pulled a stylus from his well-protected shirt pocket.
    “You remember Jim Taylor, don’t you?”
    Jim stuck out his hand.
    “Good to see you again, Roscoe. Sorry, I’ve gotta run and get a couple of parts at the hardware. I’ll be back in a bit.”
    “Can’t that wait? Why don’t you have some lunch first?” she asked a little desperately. “There’s egg salad in the fridge. I’m sure Roscoe would like to catch up with you.” Her eyes pleaded with him.
    Jim smiled charmingly, shaking his head. His blue eyes danced with humor.
    “No can do. I’ve got to get those parts or we won’t have AC, period. I’ll get some lunch at Midge’s. Nice seein’ you again.”
    Jim was out the door, whistling “We’ve Only Just Begun.”
    Gracie knew he was smirking all the way to his truck. She felt her face flushing with temper. She wanted to kick him in the shins for leaving her to fend for herself. Haley was sniffing Roscoe’s khaki-colored polyester pants with extreme interest. He edged away from the big black Lab, looking very uncomfortable.
    “Uh, this large canine … He won’t … bite, will he?”
    “ She is Haley. And no, she doesn’t bite. It wouldn’t be good for business, you know,” she shot back. Gracie could hardly wait to get this visit over with. “I really don’t know how I can help you with the wind farm article. Like I said before, I’m not involved with it.”
    Haley had already lost interest in Roscoe. She ambled back to the office, her toenails clicking across the floor. No doubt, she was going to her cushy bed.
    “Well, Grace, I need to be honest with you.” His voice cracked, and his Adam’s apple bobbed wildly. “I’m not an official reporter for The Sentinel —yet. I am employed at The Sentinel in the IT department.” He looked down at the floor and pushed his glasses back toward his face.
    Intrigued, Gracie motioned for him to