Skating Around The Law by Joelle Charbonneau Read Free Book Online Page B

Falls’ artists. Runs a craft business out of her house.”
    Louise? I could have sworn last night Pop said his date’s name was Marjorie. I stood there awkwardly for a moment as they looked at me with expectant expressions. I asked, “What kind of crafts do you make?”
    Louise’s face turned red with pleasure. She gave a cloying little giggle and smiled at Pop. I waited for her to tell me she strung beads for jewelry or crocheted doilies—the usual Indian Falls Senior Center craft projects. Instead she answered, “I make scarecrows.”
    Maybe the rink music had affected my hearing. “Did you say scarecrows?”
    Louise nodded. “I started making them for Halloween, but I liked mine too much to put it away. So I made it an outfit for Christmas. My friends all loved it. They even said I should go into business. So I did, and it’s been wonderful.” Louise gave another giggle, which turned into a loud snort.
    Pop patted Louise’s hand. “Isn’t she something, Rebecca?”
    She was something, all right. I just wasn’t sure what.
    â€œI’m going to the kitchen to get a drink. Would the two of you like anything?”
    Pop and Louise declined, so I left them watching TV and made a beeline for the fridge. I grabbed a soda and a pad of paper and a pen. Balancing everything, I took a seat at the kitchen table and wrote down what I knew about Mack thus far.
    Gnawing on the pen, I studied my efforts. There was a picture of a demented cat, a sketch of a smiling camel, and a stick figure of Lionel that didn’t do his body justice. All this told me was that I needed art lessons, not to mention someone who knew Mack and could tell me what he needed all the money for. Drugs? Women? Gambling? In the mortgage world, I’d seen any one of the three doom someone’s credit. One of them could have gotten Mack killed. All I needed was someone to tell me which one it was.
    I grabbed my soda and walked back toward the living room. “Hey Pop, do you know—”
    My grandfather and Louise stood up from the love seat with guilty expressions and disheveled clothes. Louise’s face was almost purple as she tucked her blouse into her hiked-up skirt.
    â€œDid you want something, Rebecca?” My grandfather sat back down on the couch and patted the seat next to him for Louise, who smoothed her skirt and sank down next to him.
    I squelched my scream and squeaked out, “Did Mack have any close friends?”
    My grandfather shrugged. “Mack pretty much kept to himself, but he did go to a weekly poker game at Doc Franklin’s house. You should ask him.”
    â€œOh, I will, Pop,” I said as I felt my blood pressure rise. You bet your ass I will, I thought.
    I turned to go up the stairs as the sound of an opening zipper rang throughout the house. I took the stairs two at a time and ran into my room. An hour later, showered and changed, I checked to make sure the living room was empty before walking past it toward the door.
    During the drive to Lionel Franklin’s house, my irritation began to smolder into full-fledged anger. Lionel was friends with Mack Murphy and didn’t tell me. He had let me believe that Mack was his handyman, period. Could it be the handsome Dr. Franklin had something to hide? I didn’t know, but I was determined to find out.
    I pulled up in front of the vet clinic and poured myself out of my car. While getting dressed, I’d decided I needed an edge when talking to Lionel. That’s why I was now sporting a skintight denim skirt that showed a lot of leg and a shiny green blouse that showed a hint of cleavage. Problem was, I hadn’t counted on my three-inch heels making it difficult to navigate the gravel sidewalk. Sidewalks were made of cement in the city where I’d bought the shoes.
    I teetered precariously to the front door and turned the handle. Locked again, and this time a sign wasn’t