Read Online Designed to Death (A Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery) by Christina Freeburn - Free Book Online Page A

throat, trying to get Steve’s attention. Please don’t do that to Hazel . The last thing she needed was Karen the vulture-reporter hovering around her.
    Steve didn’t hear me, but Karen did. She lasered a glare over at me. The words in those evil eyes rang in my head loud and clear. Stay. Out. Of. This.
    Not. Going. To. Happen. I responded back with a look of my own.
    “Let me drive you home.” I heard someone say as Hazel’s muffled cries came toward Steve and Karen.
    Karen’s eye brightened and she swiveled.
    “Steve...” I didn’t have to give the warning cry. Steve already positioned himself to block Karen from the grieving mother.
    Officer Conroy Jasper held onto Hazel’s arm and led her from the examination room. Hazel, pale and wide-eyed, stumbled even with Jasper’s help. She barely noticed the six-foot tall female nurse, Steve, Karen, or me.
    “Why did it happen? Why?” Hazel repeated the questions over and over again. “One wrong step? That’s it. Just one?”
    “I’m so sorry, ma’am. Sometimes these things just happen. Belinda must’ve tripped in the dark.” Conroy wrapped an arm around Hazel and pulled her tighter to him, settling a warning look on Karen.
    Hazel looked over her shoulder and ground to a halt. Her blue eyes snapped and I swear fire shot out from them. One of us enraged her with our presence. And from the hatred in her eyes, I hoped it was Karen.
    “How dare you come here!” The brittle words shook from Hazel’s throat as she pulled away from Jasper and charged over toward us.
    Toward me more specifically.
    Karen grinned and slipped a small notebook from her pocket. It looked like I was about to become a story. Again. At this rate, Karen should just follow me around. I’d give her enough ideas to fill at least one column a month.
    I braced myself. Keep calm. A grieving mother deserved some leeway. Belinda’s parade had been rained on at Scrap This. Belinda’s last moment of happiness. I had been in charge of the signing and class. I guess I should’ve used some of the decorative duct tape we had gotten in to seal Darlene’s lips.
    Hazel trembled from head to toe. She clenched her fists and her breaths came out in angry spurts. “You...you...”
    I took a tiny step back. I knew I didn’t do anything but Hazel sure felt I did, and whatever it was made her want to throttle me.
    “Show up here after killing my daughter!” Hazel raised her bunched fist.
    Jasper raced over.
    Steve stepped in front of me.
    Karen yanked her high tech cell phone from her bag. Probably preparing to snap a picture of the punch, nothing made a story better than a photograph.
    “What?” It was the only word in my befuddled mind. Kill her daughter? Of all things I imagined she’d be angry about, I never considered that one.
    “Let’s get you home, Hazel.” Jasper offered me a sympathetic smile and carefully placed an arm around Hazel’s shoulders.
    “You might think she’s innocent but I know the truth.” The words “Mother of a Diva” across Hazel’s more than ample chest quivered with her rage. The glittery claim caught the lights and caused shimmers of light to float around.
    “What happened to Belinda was a terrible accident—”
    The hatred in Hazel’s eyes dammed the rest of the words I was going to speak.
    “It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t asked Belinda to go to the store.” The pronoun hissed out between Hazel’s clenched teeth.
    I had enough. It was one thing to be understanding and another to stand by with mouth closed when accused of a crime — especially murder. Been there, done that once and it didn’t get me anywhere except to a jail cell and a loss of a career, even though I was proven innocent.
    “That’s a lie, Hazel.” I crossed my arms and fired off a glare of my own.
    “Faith, take it easy.” Steve placed a comforting hand on the small of my back.
    I stepped away from it and shook my head. “No way. I’ll stand here and take a lot of