Stuck on Murder by Lucy Lawrence Read Free Book Online

Barker was six foot three, tall and lanky with close-cropped silver hair and a matching mustache that he’d probably had since the seventies. He spoke soft and slow, but Brenna got the feeling that he’d have you splayed out on the ground before you knew what hit you if you gave him any provocation. He was the very essence of law and order.
    Chief Barker’s gaze slid across the scene, and Brenna knew that he missed nothing from the numerous yellow signs to the two men causing the ruckus to the plump, black and white Muscovy duck swimming for deeper waters in the lake beyond. The chief was cataloging it all. When his gaze rested upon Brenna, she felt her palms get sweaty, which was ridiculous. She hadn’t done anything wrong.
    Nate and Mayor Ripley abruptly stopped their game of tag. While Nate looked charmingly sheepish, Mayor Ripley was furiously indignant. He threw down the sign he clutched and stomped over toward the chief.
    “About time!” he snapped. “Make him take down all of these signs.”
    The chief just shook his head and spoke in a low drawl that Brenna had to strain to hear. “Can’t. It’s his property. He can put signs wherever he wants.”
    “But it’s libel, it’s slander, why, it’s visual pollution!” Mayor Ripley protested. “There has to be an ordinance against this!”
    “Well, there isn’t,” Chief Barker said.
    “That can be changed!” Mayor Ripley warned.
    “There has been some damage done here, though,” the chief said. He gave the mayor a sideways glance. “It could be considered vandalism.”
    “That is preposterous!” Mayor Ripley protested.
    “Did you do this, Mayor?” Chief Barker asked.
    The mayor glanced around and Brenna had the feeling he would have lied, but there were too many witnesses.
    “I was merely protecting my good name from his lies and propaganda.”
    “Either way, I need to ask Mr. Williams if he wants to press charges,” Chief Barker said.
    If the mayor had been angry before, now he looked positively volcanic, as in about to explode.
    “Press charges? Against me? Need I remind you that I am the mayor?”
    “I think I’m pretty clear on that,” Chief Barker said. Brenna could have sworn he had a laugh tucked neatly under his mustache.
    She caught Nate’s eye over the chief’s shoulder and shook her head. Enough was enough. If he brought charges against the mayor, she feared the town really would show up in the middle of the night to burn them out.
    Nate glanced away as if he hadn’t seen her, and she clenched her teeth. Stubborn man! Why, he made even the most ornery mule seem sweetly dispositioned by comparison. And no, it did not escape her that she was comparing him to a jackass.
    “Well, I don’t know,” Nate said as he leaned against the police cruiser. “Would he have to do jail time?”
    The mayor gasped and clenched his fists.
    “For a few signs?” Chief Barker asked. “No, ’fraid not.”
    “Community service?” Nate asked.
    “Nope.” Chief Barker moved to lean beside Nate. “You’re looking at a citation with a minimal fine.”
    Mayor Ripley looked as if he wanted to yell, but he wisely stayed silent.
    “Hardly seems worth the effort then,” Nate said.
    The chief nodded and said, “Okay, then, you head on home, Mayor, and we’ll forget the whole thing.”
    The mayor’s head snapped between the two men, and he pulled himself up to the fullest of his inconsiderable height.
    “I’ll have your job, Chief Barker,” he said.
    Ray looked at him, and one of his eyebrows lowered skeptically. “I’ve been ready to retire for six years, but no one will let me. Be my guest.”
    The mayor let out a snarl and slammed into the driver’s seat of his Lexus. With a spray of gravel, he sped down the lane toward the main road. Figuring that the drama was over with the arrival of Chief Barker, the glut of traffic had begun to move just in time to let him merge.
    Chief Barker pushed his hat back on his head and looked at Nate.