Read Online Nothing but Trouble by Michael McGarrity - Free Book Online
Authors: Michael McGarrity
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woman wore a hat that hid her face. She picked up a book, studied it for a moment, put it back, and moved on.
At the end of the aisle he saw Ramona Pino eyeballing the woman and wondered if he’d missed something. He stepped into the aisle, jockeying his way past a few people to get behind the woman as Ramona closed the gap from the opposite direction.
The woman paused in front of a booth filled with landscape paintings. Ramona sidled up to her, gave Kerney a slight nod, and said, “Crystal Hurley?”
The woman’s head snapped in Ramona’s direction. “What?”
“Are you Crystal Hurley?” Ramona asked.
“What if I am?”
Ramona flashed the shield she held in the palm of her hand and put it quickly in the pocket of her slacks. “I need to speak with you,” she said softly. “Please step away with me.”
“I will not.”
“You’re not in trouble, Ms. Hurley,” Ramona said reassuringly.
Hurley smiled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ramona held out her hand. Self-destructive or not, Hurley could be packing, and that upped the danger considerably. “Can I look inside your handbag?”
Hurley clutched it to her midriff, turned, and looked at Kerney, her blue eyes wide and frightened. Just then a woman stepped between Ramona and Hurley and a man jostled past Kerney, pushing him slightly off balance. Before he could react, Hurley bolted past him, knocked a woman to the floor, shoved a man into a display case, and ran down the aisle. People scattered as Ramona and Kerney forced their way through the spectators in hot pursuit. At the end of the aisle Hurley veered out of sight toward the lobby.
Kerney turned the corner in a crouch. Up ahead he spotted Hurley making for the exit. Ramona darted past him, caught Hurley at the door, and slammed her against it.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Hurley yelled as Ramona cuffed her.
Kerney covered the takedown with his weapon at the ready.
Ramona spun Hurley around. “Calm down,” she said softly. “Everything will be all right. We’re going to get you some help.”
Kerney holstered his weapon and picked up the handbag Hurley had dropped on the floor. It contained a wallet, a cosmetic case, a nickel-plated. 22 semiautomatic, and an old silver-and-turquoise Navajo bracelet with the dealer’s tag still attached.
Kerney held up the bracelet. “She may also need a lawyer.”
Hurley looked at the bracelet and then smiled seductively at Kerney. “I’ll give you a blow job if you’ll let me go.”
“Not today, thank you,” Kerney replied.
Ramona grinned at Kerney’s response as she pushed Hurley out the door.
Three hours later Crystal Hurley sat in an observation room at the hospital, sedated and under guard, while Ramona and Kerney cleared all of the recent art-theft cases.
Ramona loaded the last of the evidence from the guesthouse into her unit and looked down on the lights of Santa Fe that shimmered across the plateau. “Do you think she’s crazy?”
“Not crazy would be my guess,” Kerney said.
“Then what?” Ramona asked, glancing around at the hilltop estate. “The woman has been given everything.”
Kerney shrugged. “Not everything. Maybe she feels unloved. There’s nothing worse than that.”
Thinking about her ex-boyfriend and the emptiness she now felt about her personal life, Ramona stared off into the night sky and nodded solemnly.
Chapter Three
July and August were the busiest months in the summer tourist season and placed a heavy burden on the Santa Fe Police Department. Early in July, before things heated up, Crystal Hurley was arraigned on multiple felony charges, including carrying a concealed weapon, and entered a not-guilty plea. She paid a hefty cash bond, surrendered her passport, agreed to remain in the state, and underwent a court-ordered psychological evaluation. Immediately thereafter she entered a private psychiatric hospital for treatment.
If convicted on all counts Hurley faced the
At the end of the aisle he saw Ramona Pino eyeballing the woman and wondered if he’d missed something. He stepped into the aisle, jockeying his way past a few people to get behind the woman as Ramona closed the gap from the opposite direction.
The woman paused in front of a booth filled with landscape paintings. Ramona sidled up to her, gave Kerney a slight nod, and said, “Crystal Hurley?”
The woman’s head snapped in Ramona’s direction. “What?”
“Are you Crystal Hurley?” Ramona asked.
“What if I am?”
Ramona flashed the shield she held in the palm of her hand and put it quickly in the pocket of her slacks. “I need to speak with you,” she said softly. “Please step away with me.”
“I will not.”
“You’re not in trouble, Ms. Hurley,” Ramona said reassuringly.
Hurley smiled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ramona held out her hand. Self-destructive or not, Hurley could be packing, and that upped the danger considerably. “Can I look inside your handbag?”
Hurley clutched it to her midriff, turned, and looked at Kerney, her blue eyes wide and frightened. Just then a woman stepped between Ramona and Hurley and a man jostled past Kerney, pushing him slightly off balance. Before he could react, Hurley bolted past him, knocked a woman to the floor, shoved a man into a display case, and ran down the aisle. People scattered as Ramona and Kerney forced their way through the spectators in hot pursuit. At the end of the aisle Hurley veered out of sight toward the lobby.
Kerney turned the corner in a crouch. Up ahead he spotted Hurley making for the exit. Ramona darted past him, caught Hurley at the door, and slammed her against it.
“Why are you doing this to me?” Hurley yelled as Ramona cuffed her.
Kerney covered the takedown with his weapon at the ready.
Ramona spun Hurley around. “Calm down,” she said softly. “Everything will be all right. We’re going to get you some help.”
Kerney holstered his weapon and picked up the handbag Hurley had dropped on the floor. It contained a wallet, a cosmetic case, a nickel-plated. 22 semiautomatic, and an old silver-and-turquoise Navajo bracelet with the dealer’s tag still attached.
Kerney held up the bracelet. “She may also need a lawyer.”
Hurley looked at the bracelet and then smiled seductively at Kerney. “I’ll give you a blow job if you’ll let me go.”
“Not today, thank you,” Kerney replied.
Ramona grinned at Kerney’s response as she pushed Hurley out the door.
Three hours later Crystal Hurley sat in an observation room at the hospital, sedated and under guard, while Ramona and Kerney cleared all of the recent art-theft cases.
Ramona loaded the last of the evidence from the guesthouse into her unit and looked down on the lights of Santa Fe that shimmered across the plateau. “Do you think she’s crazy?”
“Not crazy would be my guess,” Kerney said.
“Then what?” Ramona asked, glancing around at the hilltop estate. “The woman has been given everything.”
Kerney shrugged. “Not everything. Maybe she feels unloved. There’s nothing worse than that.”
Thinking about her ex-boyfriend and the emptiness she now felt about her personal life, Ramona stared off into the night sky and nodded solemnly.
Chapter Three
July and August were the busiest months in the summer tourist season and placed a heavy burden on the Santa Fe Police Department. Early in July, before things heated up, Crystal Hurley was arraigned on multiple felony charges, including carrying a concealed weapon, and entered a not-guilty plea. She paid a hefty cash bond, surrendered her passport, agreed to remain in the state, and underwent a court-ordered psychological evaluation. Immediately thereafter she entered a private psychiatric hospital for treatment.
If convicted on all counts Hurley faced the
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