Skating Around The Law by Joelle Charbonneau Read Free Book Online

hours I’d discovered that Annette had purchased new mirrors and lights, Precious suffered from a personality disorder, and Lionel owned a camel that wore hats. While the information might make for interesting party conversation, none of it got me any closer to solving Mack’s murder or selling the rink. Hopefully Sheriff Jackson had finished pruning his daisies. Alzheimer’s or no, he’d be making better progress than I.
    I drove to the rink and arrived with twenty minutes to spare. Walking toward the front door, I stopped dead in my tracks. My eyes were riveted on my mother’s newly refinished double doors. Yesterday when I left, the glass was sparkling clean. Today it had a bright red message scrawled across it.
    GO HOME. MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS. OR ELSE.

Five
    My first thought was “Okay.” I could hit the road tonight and be back in Chicago in time to meet some of my friends at the bar. Saturday was half-price margarita day at Uncle Hector’s Hacienda. The way my life was going, I needed at least a dozen.
    Still, as much as I wanted to get out of this town and back to my real life, I wasn’t about to let a little graffiti chase me away. I was made of stronger stuff than that…I thought. Besides, my questions seemed to have actually hit a nerve. Despite my inexperience, my investigation might be getting somewhere after all.
    Grabbing my cell phone, I dialed Roxy at the sheriff’s department. My voice only quavered once as I filled her in on my situation. She informed me that the sheriff was still busy at home but a deputy would be by soon. Then she hung up. No doubt Roxy wanted to get back to her personal grooming.
    I turned my back on the threatening message, just as George’s beat-up Ford Escort pulled into the lot. George barely gave the car a chance to stop before he bounded out and came to stand in front of the door with his mouth slack and his eyes glazed.
    Finally he spoke. “Who would do this? Your mother spent a fortune on these doors.”
    Hmm…not my first or even second reaction.
    I resisted the urge to yell at George because I liked him. His whole name was George Szczypiorski, but no one could pronounce it. I knew I couldn’t, but I could spell it since I was currently writing out his checks.
    George was about ten years older than me with white-blond hair and a tall, lanky frame. Growing up, I was always hearing how beautiful George’s skating was and how I should try to be more like him. Well, now he was the rink’s only full-time teacher and the person I relied on to keep things limping along. This was scary because, though I liked him, George reminded me of the Misfit Elf who wanted to be a dentist. I was certain that if someone offered George a sequined turnip costume and a ten-dollar-a-week job in the Ice Capades, he’d leap at it. George liked shiny things and applause.
    A squad car swung into the lot, and a sheriff’s deputy climbed out. “Well, what do we have here?”
    He sauntered up next to George, and I groaned. The deputy was none other than Sean Holmes—three years older than me, perfection on the high school football field, and the biggest horse’s ass I’d ever had the privilege to meet. My day was just getting better and better.
    â€œHi, Sean. Thanks for getting here so fast.” I smiled, hoping he’d matured in the twelve years since high school.
    He grinned back. “I’m pretty fast at everything.”
    So much for maturity.
    â€œSo I guess you want me to take your statement?”
    I did a mental eye roll. “Well, since you came all the way here, I guess we should.”
    Sean walked back to his squad car just as George’s first student arrived. I let them in through the side door, then walked back to where Sean was standing with a clipboard.
    Sean uncapped his pen. “Name.”
    I gave him my best “you’re such a schmuck” look. “Oprah