Whispers of Fate: The Mistresses of Fate, Book Two by Deirdre Dore Read Free Book Online

who didn’t kiss her ass, and now Christie wanted to get her help training that stupid dog.
    He’d intended to drive straight home, clean up, and grab a beer, but the thought of heading to the small, empty house he’d rented after his divorce didn’t appeal to him. Instead of continuing through town, he looped around the circle in the center of Main Street and parked in one of the open spots in front of the redbrick building that housed a small satellite office of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
    He got out of his truck, nodded a greeting to Mr. Ward, who looked beleaguered as usual. The poor old guy was covered in sweat and wearing loose-fitting pants and carrying a yoga mat. He must’ve just finished class. Tyler glanced across the circle at another old brick building, at the dog-grooming place with the yoga studio upstairs. One of Tavey’s best friends, Chris Pascal, taught at the yoga studio during the week, but the dog-grooming store belonged to Tavey. She’d named it Dog with Two Bones. He’d always wondered why she’d chosen that name considering the parable was a lesson in greed. He thought it might have something to do with the rumors that surrounded her father before his death, rumors of gambling debts and arrests for drugs.
    After the uproar that had occurred the previous fall when reporters had swarmed the town hungering for news of the serial killer, the town felt quiet—but not peaceful. It was almost as if the town was waiting, just waiting for something else to happen. Even the people sitting on the benches in the circle seemed hesitant, casting looks over their shoulders. He’d found himself driving the narrow streets more often and had even set up a desk in the Fate office, which was used only on weekdays by two patrol officers. Evenings and weekends, all calls were routed to the main offices in Canton.
    Fishing his keys out of his pocket, he located the one to the front door. He released the two dead bolts and opened the glass door, punching in the code to turn off the alarm. He closed and relocked the door and walked down the black-and-white-tile entryway to the door for the police station. Switchback stairs led to the second and third floors, which housed the offices of the few city officials and the school district’s officers.
    He used a second key to unlock the door to the tiny sheriff’s office and disabled the alarm there as well. The main desk faced the door and was painted with the symbol of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office on the front of the ancient wood. Two more desks were on the other side of a small partition. He’d made one of the desks his own—unofficially, of course, but no one minded, least of all his boss, Captain Davies.
    The derelict blue office chair he’d appropriated had seen better days. One arm was missing and duct tape covered both corners. It squealed in protest as he collapsed into it. He relaxed for a moment, sinking into the quiet. He lifted his head a little so he could see over the partition to the window. The blinds were closed. He knew that if he looked, he would see the citizens of Fate as they walked around the circle, eating ice-cream cones and strolling around the fountain. Fate was a tiny town, and most of the residents lived near the center or at the nearby college. Even in summer, when the majority of the students returned to their homes, the town was always filled with people milling about. There were church fairs, summer movie festivals at the restored theater, the weekly farmers’ market, and of course the midsummer celebration held by Circe and some of the other witches.
    He shook his head, hoping that there wasn’t going to be a lot of press surrounding the celebration this year. The events of the previous fall had put their small town in the national spotlight, and in Tyler’s humble opinion, press coverage brought out the nut bags in bulk.
    Not that the midsummer celebration was ever without controversy. Ever since the Haven