Read Online Walking on Her Grave (Rogue River Novella, Book 4) by Melinda Leigh - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Melinda Leigh
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tightness wrinkling the porcelain skin around her mouth. “Mike is a nice guy. He’s gainfully employed and, let’s face it, Solitude doesn’t have a very large dating pool.”
When a woman was as loose with her favors as Katelyn, eventually she ran out of prospects.
She snorted, an indelicate sound from her china doll face.
In such a close-knit community, a certain amount of personal drama was unavoidable. A middle-aged and lonely guy like Mike might not let the legal, political, or professional ramifications of his actions get in the way of having a woman like Katelyn in his bed.
“Have you been with him since last Friday?” he asked.
“No.” She examined a bright-red, pointy fingernail. “I’ve seen him around town this week, but I haven’t been at his place.”
If Mike had been willing to dismiss the law to sleep with Katelyn, had he strayed across the line in any other areas? Considering what had happened to Roy, Seth could only hope that Mike hadn’t gotten himself killed.
CHAPTER NINE
Carly pulled up in front of the Rollins house. She tensed, remembering her visit the day before. But Seth was with her this time.
He parked his cruiser at the curb behind her Jeep. He got out of the car and lifted his suit jacket from the passenger seat. Shrugging into it, he joined her on the sidewalk.
Alex answered the door. He frowned, suspicion tightening his features as his eyes swept from Carly to Seth and back again. “What do you want?” he asked her.
“Actually, I’m the one who needs to talk to you, Alex.” Seth had interviewed both father and son when Peter had been arrested for selling drugs. “Can we come in?”
A defeated sigh escaped from Alex’s chest. “I guess.”
They followed him into the kitchen. Peter was sitting at the table eating a sandwich. Taking their presence in, Peter put down his lunch as if unable to eat.
Seth didn’t bother trying to create atmosphere, and he didn’t waste words softening anyone up. “Where were you yesterday, Peter?”
The teen shrank. “I had counseling in the morning and community service in the afternoon. We picked up roadside trash along Route 7.”
The pressure in Carly’s chest eased. Peter’s alibi was solid.
“Thanks, Peter. I don’t have any other questions for you.” Seth shifted his gaze to Alex.
The boy cast his dad a questioning look.
Alex nodded. “Go on upstairs.”
Seth waited for Peter’s footsteps on the stairs to fade. “How about you, Alex? Where were you yesterday?”
“Driving Peter to his appointments. Had some time to kill. Stopped at Walmart. Was here part of the afternoon.” He inclined his head toward Carly. “ She was here first thing.”
“You hear about the fire at O’Rourke’s?”
“Impossible not to,” Alex said.
“Can you be more specific about where you were?”
Alex straightened, as if he was just starting to connect Seth’s line of questioning to the fire. “You can’t think I had anything to do with the fire?”
“Arson is a possibility.” Seth’s shrug was anything but casual. “Can you account for your whereabouts?”
“All day?” Alex swallowed. His eyes flattened with opposition.
Seth nodded. “To start.”
Alex exhaled hard through his nose and raised his gaze to meet Seth’s head on. Even beaten down by the summer’s events, the carpenter wasn’t the kind of man who would back down from a challenge. “I drove Peter out to Hannon. His counseling appointment was at ten. We left here at nine. I sat in the waiting room. They call me in for the last half hour.” Alex breathed. “Since his community service project was also out in Hannon, there was no point wasting the gas driving back to Solitude. We grabbed hot dogs at the DQ out there. I dropped him off and went to Walmart to get soap.
Seth made a note. “Got a receipt?”
“I might. I’d have to check the truck.”
“Why don’t you do that?” Seth suggested.
Alex stood and left the room, his movements
When a woman was as loose with her favors as Katelyn, eventually she ran out of prospects.
She snorted, an indelicate sound from her china doll face.
In such a close-knit community, a certain amount of personal drama was unavoidable. A middle-aged and lonely guy like Mike might not let the legal, political, or professional ramifications of his actions get in the way of having a woman like Katelyn in his bed.
“Have you been with him since last Friday?” he asked.
“No.” She examined a bright-red, pointy fingernail. “I’ve seen him around town this week, but I haven’t been at his place.”
If Mike had been willing to dismiss the law to sleep with Katelyn, had he strayed across the line in any other areas? Considering what had happened to Roy, Seth could only hope that Mike hadn’t gotten himself killed.
CHAPTER NINE
Carly pulled up in front of the Rollins house. She tensed, remembering her visit the day before. But Seth was with her this time.
He parked his cruiser at the curb behind her Jeep. He got out of the car and lifted his suit jacket from the passenger seat. Shrugging into it, he joined her on the sidewalk.
Alex answered the door. He frowned, suspicion tightening his features as his eyes swept from Carly to Seth and back again. “What do you want?” he asked her.
“Actually, I’m the one who needs to talk to you, Alex.” Seth had interviewed both father and son when Peter had been arrested for selling drugs. “Can we come in?”
A defeated sigh escaped from Alex’s chest. “I guess.”
They followed him into the kitchen. Peter was sitting at the table eating a sandwich. Taking their presence in, Peter put down his lunch as if unable to eat.
Seth didn’t bother trying to create atmosphere, and he didn’t waste words softening anyone up. “Where were you yesterday, Peter?”
The teen shrank. “I had counseling in the morning and community service in the afternoon. We picked up roadside trash along Route 7.”
The pressure in Carly’s chest eased. Peter’s alibi was solid.
“Thanks, Peter. I don’t have any other questions for you.” Seth shifted his gaze to Alex.
The boy cast his dad a questioning look.
Alex nodded. “Go on upstairs.”
Seth waited for Peter’s footsteps on the stairs to fade. “How about you, Alex? Where were you yesterday?”
“Driving Peter to his appointments. Had some time to kill. Stopped at Walmart. Was here part of the afternoon.” He inclined his head toward Carly. “ She was here first thing.”
“You hear about the fire at O’Rourke’s?”
“Impossible not to,” Alex said.
“Can you be more specific about where you were?”
Alex straightened, as if he was just starting to connect Seth’s line of questioning to the fire. “You can’t think I had anything to do with the fire?”
“Arson is a possibility.” Seth’s shrug was anything but casual. “Can you account for your whereabouts?”
“All day?” Alex swallowed. His eyes flattened with opposition.
Seth nodded. “To start.”
Alex exhaled hard through his nose and raised his gaze to meet Seth’s head on. Even beaten down by the summer’s events, the carpenter wasn’t the kind of man who would back down from a challenge. “I drove Peter out to Hannon. His counseling appointment was at ten. We left here at nine. I sat in the waiting room. They call me in for the last half hour.” Alex breathed. “Since his community service project was also out in Hannon, there was no point wasting the gas driving back to Solitude. We grabbed hot dogs at the DQ out there. I dropped him off and went to Walmart to get soap.
Seth made a note. “Got a receipt?”
“I might. I’d have to check the truck.”
“Why don’t you do that?” Seth suggested.
Alex stood and left the room, his movements
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