Particles of Murder (A Shadow of Death Romantic Suspense Series Book 1) by Charlotte Raine Read Free Book Online Page A

(apparently, magicians do tell their tricks), and calendars with a different magician or magic trick featured for each month (or as my brother calls it: a virgin's porn calendar).
    It also smells like cigarette smoke and cinnamon, and the dim lighting casts eerie shadows while also hiding the dust bunnies. I'm sure my mother considers that to be the greatest magic trick of all.
    It’s almost eight o’clock at night, so nobody is here except my father and me. He adds a couple of trick card decks to a display. He winks as he passes by, but doesn’t say anything. He’s never been a man of many words, though I suppose when he’s lived with my mother for so long, he’s used to her filling up the silence with her constant chatter.
    A man steps into the store and walks straight to me. He has pitch black hair that looks like it was cut haphazardly, and the body frame of an ancient Roman sculpture except it appears like the muscle around the left side of his chest is slightly underdeveloped. I could tell you a thousand things about him—by analyzing his body and threadbare clothes, or just by shared history.
    He sits across from me at a table near the cash register.
    “What are you doing here?” I ask.
    “I peek in once in a while. I saw you here, so I thought I’d come say hi,” he says.
    “That doesn’t sound like you’re stalking me at all.”
    “I’m watching out for you,” he says.
    “The last time you did that, I ended up nearly getting fired and arrested,” I say. “So, if you could stop caring, that would be best for me. You need to leave.”
    He reaches across the table and grabs my hand. I jerk it out of his grasp.
    “Mira, I know I messed up in a lot of ways, but it doesn’t mean…you know…that I didn’t have your best interest in mind.”
    “You never had my best interests in mind!” I spit out. The store door opens and John Zimmer steps in. It’s the first time I’m grateful to see him. “John!”
    He notices me and walks over.
    “Hey, I need to talk to you,” he says, looking between Andre and I. “Privately.”
    “He was just leaving,” I say.
    Andre grimaces, but stands up. He sizes John up for a second before striding out of the store. John watches him leave before turning back toward me.
    “I’m sorry…did I interrupt something?” he asks.
    “No,” I say. “But, I’m sorry. I can’t help you with your case anymore. I’ve been told that I could get in trouble if I continue to look into this, and I like my job. I truly am sorry, but I think you’re going to have to accept that her death was natural.”
    “I know you don’t want to risk your job, but I think Dr. Cameron Pierce could be guilty. I questioned him about Victoria. He denied that he was seeing her, but his body language and the way he talked about her…everything was off. I’m certain that he’s lying.”
    I rub my temple. “That doesn’t mean he killed her.”
    “Like you said before—it means he has motive.”
    “It means that he’s a cheating asshole who abuses his power as a professor,” I correct. “And it means nothing when I could lose my job over a cheating asshole that likely lies all of the time.”
    “Mira, I can’t do this alone,” he says. “You’ve been involved in…how many investigations? A hundred?”
    “More than that,” I say. “But I’ve helped you look and there’s nothing—”
    “So, you just give up after a day?” he asks.
    I press my lips together. He could have taken the words straight out of the conversation I had with Detective Stolz.
    I shake my head. “I can’t. I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”
    He rubs his thumb against his bottom lip for a second before nodding.
    “Of course,” he says. “I understand. You’ve already stuck your neck out for me. I’m sorry I tried to push you to do more. That was wrong of me. I’ll…leave you alone. I’m sorry.”
    He stands back up.
    “Thank you for all of your help,” he says.
    “I wish I could do more,” I