Read Online Death Indoors: Target Practice Mysteries 4 by Nikki Haverstock - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Nikki Haverstock
Tags: cozy mystery
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when they arrive, I need you to let them in to see the video surveillance in your office. The officer coming helped review the footage in December. You'll get them logged in, then you will leave. Understand?"
I smirked at him. "Are you saying that I have to keep my Miss Marple act under wraps?"
"Please, don't embarrass me, Di."
"Would I do that?" I looked back longingly at my meal getting cold on the table. The meat had a dull film of congealed grease on the surface, and the lettuce was limp and soggy. It looked significantly less appetizing now. "Can I get back to my meal?"
"Yes. Don't tell anyone yet. I'll come get you in a bit."
I went back to the table, and heads swiveled around. I pulled out my chair and sat. "He wanted to wish me happy birthday and for me to save him a bit of cake then had a coaching question for Jess."
Jess sat down on her end of the table. "Yeppers, old Coach Jess to the rescue. Can someone pass me the salt?"
***
Within the hour, I had let the officers into my office to look over the security footage, which did not cover the housing units but did give enough of a view to see who walked through the parking lot to the housing units out of sight of the camera. I had also debated long and hard and ended up getting a small and reasonable slice of cake. Instead of wolfing it down, I was carefully taking small bites and trying to enjoy it one mouthful at a time. The light cake was like heaven in my mouth, while the sugar-and-vanilla frosting sent my heart soaring.
The kids staying at the center wandered over slowly, like deer from the thicket. They edged closer until they could work up the courage to ask their millions of questions.
I sat quietly next to Liam, scraping my fork across the bare plate, hoping to catch one more molecule of frosting that I'd previously missed. I wasn't surprised that the kids left me alone. My reputation couldn't compete with the coolness of Summer Games athletes like Tiger and Minx, Mary, who held some youth records, or the rest of the table, who had important jobs and accomplishments. The parents and judges had also joined the kids to glean some wisdom or ask questions.
I focused on Moo, scratching him all over to make up for a day of neglect.
Brian had taken Jess out of the room not too long ago, and I checked the large clock on the wall, waiting for her to return. The tournament staff had already left to go use one of our conference rooms to prepare for tomorrow. Soon people would want to go to bed. The police needed to hurry up.
As if on cue, Brian came into the room with the two officers I had met earlier in my office. Jess trailed behind them, dragging one foot after the other as though she were going to the guillotine. The first officer stepped forward while holding a scrap of paper.
"Can Bill and Sam Morgan, Patricia Pedderson, Marie and Sally Johnston, David and Bob Ruban, Becky and Bertha Strates, CarolAnn and Megan Jones, Sabrina Gomez, and, lastly, Roger Billet, come with us? We need to speak with you."
As people stepped forward, I silently substituted the names that I had been calling them, Buckle Boy and Spotting Dad, Pants, a girl with a side pony and her mother Reverse Mullet, a boy in a visor and his dad who had been the ones kicked out of Coach Ron's program, the star student with red hair and her mother, Davey Jones and her mother from my target, Mouse, and lastly the judge who had gotten into numerous disagreements with Coach Ron.
The officer continued, "We will need to speak to the rest of you later. Please do not leave the training center without letting an officer know."
CHAPTER FIVE
Walking back to our apartment, as we called it for lack of a better term, I clung to Liam's arm. In theory, it was to prevent me slipping on the nonexistent ice. When we got to the door, Liam hesitated when I went in. We hadn't clearly established the plan, and perhaps he didn't want to assume.
I held the door open. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower then
I smirked at him. "Are you saying that I have to keep my Miss Marple act under wraps?"
"Please, don't embarrass me, Di."
"Would I do that?" I looked back longingly at my meal getting cold on the table. The meat had a dull film of congealed grease on the surface, and the lettuce was limp and soggy. It looked significantly less appetizing now. "Can I get back to my meal?"
"Yes. Don't tell anyone yet. I'll come get you in a bit."
I went back to the table, and heads swiveled around. I pulled out my chair and sat. "He wanted to wish me happy birthday and for me to save him a bit of cake then had a coaching question for Jess."
Jess sat down on her end of the table. "Yeppers, old Coach Jess to the rescue. Can someone pass me the salt?"
***
Within the hour, I had let the officers into my office to look over the security footage, which did not cover the housing units but did give enough of a view to see who walked through the parking lot to the housing units out of sight of the camera. I had also debated long and hard and ended up getting a small and reasonable slice of cake. Instead of wolfing it down, I was carefully taking small bites and trying to enjoy it one mouthful at a time. The light cake was like heaven in my mouth, while the sugar-and-vanilla frosting sent my heart soaring.
The kids staying at the center wandered over slowly, like deer from the thicket. They edged closer until they could work up the courage to ask their millions of questions.
I sat quietly next to Liam, scraping my fork across the bare plate, hoping to catch one more molecule of frosting that I'd previously missed. I wasn't surprised that the kids left me alone. My reputation couldn't compete with the coolness of Summer Games athletes like Tiger and Minx, Mary, who held some youth records, or the rest of the table, who had important jobs and accomplishments. The parents and judges had also joined the kids to glean some wisdom or ask questions.
I focused on Moo, scratching him all over to make up for a day of neglect.
Brian had taken Jess out of the room not too long ago, and I checked the large clock on the wall, waiting for her to return. The tournament staff had already left to go use one of our conference rooms to prepare for tomorrow. Soon people would want to go to bed. The police needed to hurry up.
As if on cue, Brian came into the room with the two officers I had met earlier in my office. Jess trailed behind them, dragging one foot after the other as though she were going to the guillotine. The first officer stepped forward while holding a scrap of paper.
"Can Bill and Sam Morgan, Patricia Pedderson, Marie and Sally Johnston, David and Bob Ruban, Becky and Bertha Strates, CarolAnn and Megan Jones, Sabrina Gomez, and, lastly, Roger Billet, come with us? We need to speak with you."
As people stepped forward, I silently substituted the names that I had been calling them, Buckle Boy and Spotting Dad, Pants, a girl with a side pony and her mother Reverse Mullet, a boy in a visor and his dad who had been the ones kicked out of Coach Ron's program, the star student with red hair and her mother, Davey Jones and her mother from my target, Mouse, and lastly the judge who had gotten into numerous disagreements with Coach Ron.
The officer continued, "We will need to speak to the rest of you later. Please do not leave the training center without letting an officer know."
CHAPTER FIVE
Walking back to our apartment, as we called it for lack of a better term, I clung to Liam's arm. In theory, it was to prevent me slipping on the nonexistent ice. When we got to the door, Liam hesitated when I went in. We hadn't clearly established the plan, and perhaps he didn't want to assume.
I held the door open. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower then
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