Read Online Witches of Three: Charlene by Temple Hogan - Free Book Online Page A

you look beautiful. By the way, you were amazing the way you tackled that bully.”
    “You weren’t so bad yourself for a dumb blonde,” Charlie said and linked arms with her sister. “I’m glad you were here.”
    “Me, too.”
    They passed the place where Kermit had been attacked. An ambulance and a police car were parked nearby. Kermit lay in the street cradling his leg and arm, cursing so much he was scarcely coherent as he tried to give the policeman an account of the incident. His two friends had rejoined him and stood waving their hands as they told the cops about a band of ravenous dogs that had attacked them. Charlie and Phil exchanged amused glances.
    “Are you going to tell the policeman to take him in?” Phil asked.
    Charlie shook her head. “I’m not in uniform, and they’ll want to know what I was doing down here on my own. Kermit has to go to the hospital, and I’ll alert Nick he’s the one I saw shoot Geronimo.”
    “Okay, want some lunch?” Phil asked.
    “Yeah, something vegetarian, I’m thinking,” Charlie said, regarding Kermit’s bloody, mangled hand. “I just have to make a call to the station.”
    Later, lingering over margaritas, they analyzed what had happened. Charlie had alerted a detective about the whereabouts of the man suspected of shooting a police office. She knew they wouldn’t let Kermit slip through their fingers.
    “I hope he doesn’t weasel out of what he did,” she said morosely.
    “How can he? You’re an eyewitness, and you can identify him as the one who shot your partner,” Phil pointed out. “That has to count for something even in the convoluted world of police investigations.”
    “You’re right,” Charlie conceded. “I think I’ll go down to the station and talk to Nick about it after I go by the hospital.”
    “Speaking of Nick…” Phil seized the moment to bring the conversation around to the real reason she’d likely sought out her sister.
    “Let’s not,” Charlie said, and Phil looked at her in surprise.
    “Oh, you must have it bad, not to want to talk about him.”
    “It’s just that this is personal, and I want to keep it that way. You understand, don’t you?”
    Phil studied her face and reluctantly nodded. “Yeah, I do. Good luck.”
    “Thanks.” She looked around for the waitress. “This one’s on me for all the help you gave.”
    With Phil headed back to pick up her stepdaughter from school, Charlie was free to go to the hospital. Geronimo was awake, although still drowsy.
    “Hey, partner,” Charlie said, leaning over his bed. “I’m glad to see you’re still with us.”
    “Can’t get rid of me that easily,” he mumbled then turned his dark Latin gaze on her. “I don’t know why they shot me. I wasn’t pressing them.”
    “Don’t worry about it now,” Charlie said. “Just concentrate on getting well then we’ll go after the bastards.”
    He nodded and closed his eyes. She guessed he was asleep before she left the room.
    Back at the station, bedlam seemed to have erupted.
    “What’s up?” she asked Sam Turner.
    “It’s been a madhouse all morning,” he said. “A case of domestic violence turned to murder. She done him in. Apparently, they were close to the Mayor, and there’s hell to pay if she doesn’t get treated with kid gloves. Then there were a couple of robberies across town from each other, and even a dog attack, which has citizens on Lambert Street up in arms. The media got involved on that one, and city hall is screaming its head off at us, like we can control every wild animal attack. The little prick who got bit has a broken wrist and a mangled leg. He’s going to be on crutches for a while.”
    At that moment, Nick walked by and, seeing Charlie, paused.
    “I thought you were supposed to stay home today, Spencer,” he said brusquely, his gaze stern.
    She felt her heart turn over. Even now when he was annoyed with her, she wanted to throw her arms around him. She straightened her shoulders