Read Online The Christmas Thief by Julie Carobini - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Julie Carobini
Ads: Link
get this place cleaned up for the night and give”—he swung a look back at her—“Ms. McHenry some peace and quiet. All right?”
Bill nodded. “Will do.”
Slowly, Tasha walked toward her cabin where Wolfy whined from the back deck. She didn’t need to turn around again to know that Marc too had spun away. She knew it by the sound of his driver’s side truck door slamming shut.
CHAPTER TEN
Sounds of the night kept her awake—the mournful howl of coyotes from down deep in the canyon ... the staccato crash of waves at the base of the cliff. It didn’t help that, on this particular night, the moon’s glow poured through her bedroom window allowing the branches of nearby trees to make shadow puppets across her ceiling.
She’d thought about it all night long, but couldn’t come up with one suspect in the crimes against her neighbor. Not that each incident was particularly heinous, but add them together—the missing tool box, the carpet tacks, and the property damage—and Marc certainly had more than mere nuisances on his hands.
Not to mention the rising implication that she had something to do with the crimes. She nibbled her pinkie nail. Despite the shock of his presence around here, she’d believed that Marc had become a friend of sorts. At least, she thought he saw it that way. But then tonight he’d quietly pressed her for answers.
As if.
Tasha ticked off her own mental list of suspects. Of course, Andy was at the top of that list. She didn’t know too many residents yet, but those she was acquainted with didn’t seem the type. More than likely, she didn’t know the culprit at all.
She sighed and turned over onto her side, that moon continuing to illuminate her thoughts. Tomorrow she would get up and go to work. After that, she would do whatever it took to extricate herself from this entire mess—and be exonerated.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
With two schools squeezed into the camp’s already cramped schedule just ahead of the upcoming Christmas break, and with three counselors down with the flu, Lorena had estimated that the day would be busy. The understatement of the year. Tasha schlepped another full box into the kitchen, sweat dripping from her temples—despite the drop in temperature. The kitchen windows were foggier than Morro Bay in summertime.
“Ack! There’s no more room for all those boxes!” Lorena said, wiping her good hand on her apron. She frowned. “Oh, but we need ‘em. Okay, let’s see. Maybe you can just kick that one into the break room.”
Tasha dropped the box on the floor and shoved it with her foot. It hardly moved. She gave it another hard shove. “Had no idea frozen bread could weigh so much,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute with another one.”
“Whoa, darlin’!” Jeremy caught Tasha around the middle as she headed for the giant walk-in freezer at the end of the hall. “What’s your hurry?”
Tasha stepped back, disengaging herself from Jeremy’s charms. “Oops, sorry about that. Just on my way to grab another box of bread.”
Jeremy flashed her a wide smile beneath his blond mustache. “We can’t have you scarring up those beautiful hands. I’ll do it ... if you’ll come with me, you know, to show me where to find it.”
“Jeremy, don’t you have some wood to chop outside?” Lorena’s face was flushed, whether from the heat of the kitchen or her ongoing annoyance of Jeremy, she wasn’t sure.
Tasha flexed her arms in front of herself a few times to shake out the cramping, and she gestured with a nod of her head for Jeremy to follow her. “Honestly, Lorena,” she called back, ignoring her boss’s glare, “I could use this man’s muscles at the moment.”
“Hear that, cook?” Jeremy hollered. “She needs me.”
When they reached the freezer, Tasha gave the metal handle a solid tug to break the door’s
Bill nodded. “Will do.”
Slowly, Tasha walked toward her cabin where Wolfy whined from the back deck. She didn’t need to turn around again to know that Marc too had spun away. She knew it by the sound of his driver’s side truck door slamming shut.
CHAPTER TEN
Sounds of the night kept her awake—the mournful howl of coyotes from down deep in the canyon ... the staccato crash of waves at the base of the cliff. It didn’t help that, on this particular night, the moon’s glow poured through her bedroom window allowing the branches of nearby trees to make shadow puppets across her ceiling.
She’d thought about it all night long, but couldn’t come up with one suspect in the crimes against her neighbor. Not that each incident was particularly heinous, but add them together—the missing tool box, the carpet tacks, and the property damage—and Marc certainly had more than mere nuisances on his hands.
Not to mention the rising implication that she had something to do with the crimes. She nibbled her pinkie nail. Despite the shock of his presence around here, she’d believed that Marc had become a friend of sorts. At least, she thought he saw it that way. But then tonight he’d quietly pressed her for answers.
As if.
Tasha ticked off her own mental list of suspects. Of course, Andy was at the top of that list. She didn’t know too many residents yet, but those she was acquainted with didn’t seem the type. More than likely, she didn’t know the culprit at all.
She sighed and turned over onto her side, that moon continuing to illuminate her thoughts. Tomorrow she would get up and go to work. After that, she would do whatever it took to extricate herself from this entire mess—and be exonerated.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
With two schools squeezed into the camp’s already cramped schedule just ahead of the upcoming Christmas break, and with three counselors down with the flu, Lorena had estimated that the day would be busy. The understatement of the year. Tasha schlepped another full box into the kitchen, sweat dripping from her temples—despite the drop in temperature. The kitchen windows were foggier than Morro Bay in summertime.
“Ack! There’s no more room for all those boxes!” Lorena said, wiping her good hand on her apron. She frowned. “Oh, but we need ‘em. Okay, let’s see. Maybe you can just kick that one into the break room.”
Tasha dropped the box on the floor and shoved it with her foot. It hardly moved. She gave it another hard shove. “Had no idea frozen bread could weigh so much,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute with another one.”
“Whoa, darlin’!” Jeremy caught Tasha around the middle as she headed for the giant walk-in freezer at the end of the hall. “What’s your hurry?”
Tasha stepped back, disengaging herself from Jeremy’s charms. “Oops, sorry about that. Just on my way to grab another box of bread.”
Jeremy flashed her a wide smile beneath his blond mustache. “We can’t have you scarring up those beautiful hands. I’ll do it ... if you’ll come with me, you know, to show me where to find it.”
“Jeremy, don’t you have some wood to chop outside?” Lorena’s face was flushed, whether from the heat of the kitchen or her ongoing annoyance of Jeremy, she wasn’t sure.
Tasha flexed her arms in front of herself a few times to shake out the cramping, and she gestured with a nod of her head for Jeremy to follow her. “Honestly, Lorena,” she called back, ignoring her boss’s glare, “I could use this man’s muscles at the moment.”
“Hear that, cook?” Jeremy hollered. “She needs me.”
When they reached the freezer, Tasha gave the metal handle a solid tug to break the door’s
Similar Books
