The Devil Wore Sneakers by Nora Leduc Read Free Book Online Page B

her.
    At that moment, she realized she wanted him in her life…as her friend.
    “Want me to go in first and check it out?”
    She shook her head and pushed down on the handle. Sitting alone in the truck and waiting would be worse.
    “Before you go inside, I heard something at the Moose.” He turned to her. “Your grandfather’s hunting guns were stolen from Ryan’s house. I know his effects mean a great deal to you.”
    “I appreciate you letting me in on town gossip, but Sullivan filled me in. Who told you?”
    “It’s one of those open secrets floating around. The Rotary members were talking about it at their breakfast today.”
    “Thanks. Gramps’s belongings do mean the world to me.”
    “Your grandfather didn’t like me much.”
    She shrugged. “He was afraid you would get in trouble and take me with you. Admit it, you pushed the edge in your younger days.”
    “Your grandfather believed I wasn’t good enough for you or Ryan.”
    “Gramps wanted me to wait until I was forty to date. Are you sure Ryan still owned the rifles?”
    “I helped him move them into his house. I told him to get in touch with a weapons expert to find out their value, but most likely he didn’t.”
    “Maybe he sold them.”
    “I was at his place the day before his death, and the locked gun box was in the den. He thought the rifles were cool even if he didn’t use them. You know your brother.”
    “I did.” She jumped out of the car. The wind blew through her nylon shirt, and dirt swept past her running shoes. She headed for the house.
    Liam dogged her heels. “Everyone used the side door to enter.” He took the lead to the entrance, where he held out his palm. “Key.”
    He was avoiding the front hall where Ryan was shot. She could wait, too. She passed the key to him. As the metal jiggled in the lock, she gazed over the back yard. A brick patio with two Adirondack chairs reminded her of summer days and cool breezes at dusk. Her brother always kept a cooler of adult refreshments nearby.
    Who had shared his evenings with him? Was it Clarissa, Bella, or an unknown person? Ryan loved to frequent bars, pick up women, and bring them home. His history of one-night stands was well-known.
    She saw him now in a chair, turning to her with a beer in a raised hand to welcome her.
    Liam touched her arm. “You okay?”
    She blinked away the scene. “I’m fine. Just open up.”
    He shoved the door wide, and she marched past him into the kitchen. The room looked worn, but warm. The butcher-block countertops and spotless white appliances were neat and clean. “I guess Ryan continued his avoidance of cooking.”
    “He stopped at the Moose daily for supper.”
    Two silver bowls on the floor had the name Target etched on them. Her brother’s one true love, his pet. “Sullivan told me the dog wasn’t in the house when they searched, and the door had been left open. I’ll try putting out a dish of food. Maybe Target’s hiding in the woods.”
    She wandered into the hall and glanced into a paneled den with a large-screen TV mounted on the wall. The leather furniture added to the masculine feel. A rawhide bone lay beside the recliner. Too homey.
    She whirled around and slowed at the sight of the entryway. Fragments of Sullivan’s words played in her mind. In the front hall. Answered the door. Shot.
    Her stomach clenched tight. Liam came up behind her as they inched forward. She halted. Sections of the wooden plank floor were stained rust-colored. Ryan’s blood .Lightness whirled in her head. Her legs threatened to fold under her.
    Brown splatters streaked the white walls.
    She stumbled back against Liam. He wrapped his arm around her waist to support her and pointed. Her gaze ran over the trail of spatter near the door.
    There, pennies were stuck above the knob. It took a few seconds to realize the coins had been grouped to form letters that spelled: CHEAT.

Chapter 8

    Liam called the police, and they arrived within minutes.