Trouble In Spades by Heather Webber Read Free Book Online Page B

how that place echoes."
    There was a pause before Maria said, "It was too loud to be wind. Do you think the person who broke into my condo earlier followed me here? Maybe he's so taken with my looks that he can't leave me alone. He did see me in my nightie, after all. Has he come back for me?"
    I sat on a kitchen stool, unsure how to answer. Okay, I knew how. "No."
    "You're just jealous."
    I laughed. "Of what?"
    "That I have a stalker," she said, but I could hear the smile in her voice. "You're nuts. You get that from Mom."
    "I know." There was a slight pause before she said, "Seriously, though. I heard something."
    "Did you look out there?"
    "No."
    "Do you think maybe you should?"
    "Okay."
    After a second, she said, "I don't see anything moving, but it's raining. Oh no! Is that going to put my yard behind schedule?"
    "No, no," I lied. She had enough to worry about without adding landscaping troubles.
    "Good."
    "Is your alarm set?"
    "Turned it on as soon as I closed the door."
    "You should be fine, Maria. If you're worried, though, I can give you Kevin's number."
    Oh, how I was hoping she'd say yes. There was nothing I'd like better than to get Kevin out of bed and make him traipse around in the dark and rain looking for someone who'd probably never been there in the first place. "No, it's late." Damn. "You sure?"
    "Yeah. I'll be okay. I've got my hair spray."
    I wrapped the phone cord around my finger. "Any word from Nate?"
    "No."
    "Oh." Not much else to say to that.
    "I'm thinking about ways to kill him so he dies slowly. Painfully."
    Ah, okay. "Just make sure you brush up on not leaving evidence behind."
    "Gotcha."
    I said good-night and went back to the couch. My eyes drifted closed as I thought more about Maria. I couldn't help but think that if Nate really had run off, then the wedding would be off, and then I wouldn't have to wear that horrible gown . . . I jumped when the doorbell rang.
    Squinting at the clock through sleepy eyes, I saw that it was almost midnight. I must have dozed off.
    Rubbing my eyes as I pulled open the door, I blinked at the bright lights outside. Red and blue strobe lights arced across my lawn. Police cars were lined up in front of Mrs. Warnicke's house across the street. Uh-oh.
    Mr. Cabrera stood on my front porch. His white hair dripped steadily and his red button-down shirt with yellow pineapples on it was soaked. Rain fell in a solid sheet. So much for passing showers. Lousy forecasters.
    "What's going on?" I asked, stepping onto the porch.
    "It's happened again. Another burglary. This time at Mrs. Warnicke's."
    "Is she okay?"
    Mr. Cabrera shook his head. Rain droplets went flying. "Went and had herself a heart attack when she found the guy standing over her. The rat ran when she woke up, and she managed to call 911."
    "Oh no!"
    "They took her over to Mercy. Mrs. Mustard went with her."
    The poor old lady! Mrs. Warnicke was a sweet thing, barely five feet tall if an inch, with light purple permed hair and a pair of the most beautiful blue eyes you'd ever seen. She tended to smell like mothballs, but people overlooked her scent because she made the best fudge in Ohio. The rain had brought a chill to the air, and I motioned Mr. Cabrera inside. "Come in. I'll make you some cocoa."
    His blue eyes lit up. "With marshmallows?"
    "Of course."
    I ran upstairs, grabbed a towel from the linen closet. Back in the kitchen, I handed it to Mr. Cabrera. He heaved himself up on a stool and leaned across the kitchen's island to pluck a grape from the bowl on the counter.
    I filled the teakettle with water from the tap and set it on the stove. "Did Mrs. Warnicke say anything before they took her away? Was she conscious?"
    "She can't see much without her glasses."
    I pulled two mugs from the cupboard and thought about the burglaries in the Mill. There had been at least a dozen, if not more, during the past couple of months. All seemingly random except they took place in the Mill and the creep only took