Read Online Goodbye Arizona by Claude Dancourt - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Claude Dancourt
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Ty?”
“I’m here. Tell me why my twin sister yelled at me for half an hour, as if it were my fault you were in deep … trouble. And make it quick. Ann’s got a sixth sense when it comes to Abigail’s crying. I don’t want her to worry about you in addition to everything else.”
“What ‘else’?”
“You’ll understand when you have kids, Marcus. Quit stalling. Oh, and spare me the bawdy details, will you? We’ll talk about your sex life when the lady’s not around.”
The named lady narrowed warning eyes on her husband, who quickly replied, “Or never.”
Ty’s laugh boomed from the speaker. “Sure. Spill, Shakespeare.”
Deb pricked up her ears, curious to hear what kind of net the writer in him had cast over the past thirty-six hours.
Marcus cleared his throat. “In a few words? A psycho threatened the contestants running against Flint for the Sue Award. The ROSA committee didn’t take it seriously, or seriously enough, to warn the participants. I learned about it myself when Deb told me two days ago. Unfortunately for Sybil Reiner, it wasn’t just a scam. She was gunned down Thursday night. Another author ended up in the hospital, because of an allergy or poison, we don’t know. Then yesterday, despite the police swarming the place, Deb was kidnapped.”
He laced his fingers with hers, maybe in hope the contact would erase those hours and the hollow terror they had brought. “But her assailant tipped me. I can’t make sense of that. He had already killed once. Why not a second time?”
Deb inched closer to wrap his arm around her shoulders, shivering.
“A warning?” Ty suggested on the other end of the line.
Marcus shrugged. “Maybe. But then, we already had one when our rooms were ransacked.”
“Yeah, Theo mentioned that, too. Was anything taken?”
“No. He got my laptop when he took Deborah, and that’s all. It’s a bother, but compared to anything else that might…” Marcus trailed off, more than likely conscious of the woman gripping his hand. “It’s really nothing. I wanted to buy a new computer anyway.”
Deb rolled her eyes. She imagined Ty doing the same.
“So a lot of smoke, but no fire. No offense, Dee.”
A knock on the door saved Deb from shooting back that it’d been hot enough on her side of things, thank you very much. By the scowl on his face, Marcus wasn’t exactly happy with Ty’s retort either, so she let the brothers bicker and went to open the door.
“Sheriff.”
“Miss Stone. I’m glad to see you’re up and kicking.”
“Up, yes. Kicking … it’ll depend on that one’s behavior.” She pointed over her shoulder at the man on the couch.
Pooley returned her half-smile. “I have four of those at home, not including the pets. I see what you mean.”
Deb couldn’t help but stare at the first personal tidbit they had gotten from the stern sheriff in two days. Pooley coughed, her face taking back its customary blank expression. “Our interview with the spa clerks was fruitless. The only camera is in the spa lobby, but since neither the front desk girl nor the technicians remembered seeing you, it’s useless. Unfortunately, the backdoor is not covered by video camera.”
“Isn’t the backdoor locked?”
Pooley nodded at Marcus’s question. The end of his phone call had deepened the frown on his face that Deb wished she could blame on Ty’s abrasive manners. Pooley shook her head.
“The spa is accessible to any guest of the resort. Chances are he used your own access card to unlock the door.”
Deb thought for a second. “I didn’t have it. I left my key in Marcus’s room when we went out for lunch.”
The sheriff squinted for a second before she returned her attention to her. “Then it’s worth checking the logs.”
“What about the break-in? Did you find who’s responsible?”
“Not yet.”
Marcus snorted impatiently. The petite woman raised one hand. “I’m not giving you the ‘no-comment’ line, Mr. Turner.
“I’m here. Tell me why my twin sister yelled at me for half an hour, as if it were my fault you were in deep … trouble. And make it quick. Ann’s got a sixth sense when it comes to Abigail’s crying. I don’t want her to worry about you in addition to everything else.”
“What ‘else’?”
“You’ll understand when you have kids, Marcus. Quit stalling. Oh, and spare me the bawdy details, will you? We’ll talk about your sex life when the lady’s not around.”
The named lady narrowed warning eyes on her husband, who quickly replied, “Or never.”
Ty’s laugh boomed from the speaker. “Sure. Spill, Shakespeare.”
Deb pricked up her ears, curious to hear what kind of net the writer in him had cast over the past thirty-six hours.
Marcus cleared his throat. “In a few words? A psycho threatened the contestants running against Flint for the Sue Award. The ROSA committee didn’t take it seriously, or seriously enough, to warn the participants. I learned about it myself when Deb told me two days ago. Unfortunately for Sybil Reiner, it wasn’t just a scam. She was gunned down Thursday night. Another author ended up in the hospital, because of an allergy or poison, we don’t know. Then yesterday, despite the police swarming the place, Deb was kidnapped.”
He laced his fingers with hers, maybe in hope the contact would erase those hours and the hollow terror they had brought. “But her assailant tipped me. I can’t make sense of that. He had already killed once. Why not a second time?”
Deb inched closer to wrap his arm around her shoulders, shivering.
“A warning?” Ty suggested on the other end of the line.
Marcus shrugged. “Maybe. But then, we already had one when our rooms were ransacked.”
“Yeah, Theo mentioned that, too. Was anything taken?”
“No. He got my laptop when he took Deborah, and that’s all. It’s a bother, but compared to anything else that might…” Marcus trailed off, more than likely conscious of the woman gripping his hand. “It’s really nothing. I wanted to buy a new computer anyway.”
Deb rolled her eyes. She imagined Ty doing the same.
“So a lot of smoke, but no fire. No offense, Dee.”
A knock on the door saved Deb from shooting back that it’d been hot enough on her side of things, thank you very much. By the scowl on his face, Marcus wasn’t exactly happy with Ty’s retort either, so she let the brothers bicker and went to open the door.
“Sheriff.”
“Miss Stone. I’m glad to see you’re up and kicking.”
“Up, yes. Kicking … it’ll depend on that one’s behavior.” She pointed over her shoulder at the man on the couch.
Pooley returned her half-smile. “I have four of those at home, not including the pets. I see what you mean.”
Deb couldn’t help but stare at the first personal tidbit they had gotten from the stern sheriff in two days. Pooley coughed, her face taking back its customary blank expression. “Our interview with the spa clerks was fruitless. The only camera is in the spa lobby, but since neither the front desk girl nor the technicians remembered seeing you, it’s useless. Unfortunately, the backdoor is not covered by video camera.”
“Isn’t the backdoor locked?”
Pooley nodded at Marcus’s question. The end of his phone call had deepened the frown on his face that Deb wished she could blame on Ty’s abrasive manners. Pooley shook her head.
“The spa is accessible to any guest of the resort. Chances are he used your own access card to unlock the door.”
Deb thought for a second. “I didn’t have it. I left my key in Marcus’s room when we went out for lunch.”
The sheriff squinted for a second before she returned her attention to her. “Then it’s worth checking the logs.”
“What about the break-in? Did you find who’s responsible?”
“Not yet.”
Marcus snorted impatiently. The petite woman raised one hand. “I’m not giving you the ‘no-comment’ line, Mr. Turner.
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