Checkmate (Caitlin Calloway Mystery Book 2) Read Online Free

stuck inside.”
    “Maybe later.” Stevie hesitated. “Can you do me a favor? I have a client meeting in the morning. Can you drop Emma off at school?”
    “No problem,” Jamie absently agreed, her mind still three thousand miles away. “Another client meeting? Been doing a lot more of those.”
    “No choice.” Stevie grimaced. “The economy isn’t very cooperative these days. If I lose another client, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep up.”
    “Don’t worry. We’re ahead on the mortgage, thanks to your Uncle Mac. That was quite some envelope he slipped us after we got married.”
    “Uncle Mac is good that way.” Stevie beamed. “Enough about money. You’re right, it is far too nice to be hiding indoors.”
    Stevie dashed inside leaving Jamie alone with her thoughts. Jamie finally smiled when Stevie raced outside and grabbed a bag of mulch. “I was thinking we need a splash of color along the walkway,” Stevie said.
    “Look, it’s Misty,” Stevie whispered while tugging on her gardening gloves. She nodded toward the mail carrier who was making her way towards their house. “Morning!” she excitedly greeted the woman.
    Jamie rolled her eyes wondering what Stevie liked best about their new home, the size, the yard, or the sexy mail lady? Jamie offered her good morning before stepping away. She preferred not to watch Stevie act all goofy around Misty. Jamie couldn’t understand it. Normally, her sister-in-law was confident and easygoing with everyone she met. Around Misty for some reason, Stevie got positively silly.
    “Why don’t you just ask her out?” Jamie said after Misty had made her way to the next house.
    “And if she says no? We’d never get our mail.”
    “Good point.”
    “What is this?”
    “A card.” Jamie noted the obvious as she began to clean up and put away her gardening tools. It was getting late. She needed to start getting ready for work. She grunted when Stevie thrust the card at her. Jamie’s eyes widened when she looked at it. “Who sent it?”
    “No return address.” Stevie scrunched up her face. “No signature.”
    “A Father’s Day card,” Jamie said. “Definitely the wrong house.”

     
    CHAPTER 2
     
    The following morning began a tad too early for CC’s tastes. The sounds of giggling disrupted her sleep, and she tried to hide under her pillow. The hysterical giggling continued. “Argh!” She reached for her lover. She needed Jamie to make the annoying giggling stop before CC was forced to shoot something.
    “Coffee?” She slapped the empty mattress. Still nowhere near a conscious state, she kept slapping the spot where Jamie should be sleeping. After several moments of grasping at empty air, it finally occurred to her that Jamie was not nestled beside her. When CC had arrived home a few short hours ago, Jamie was fast asleep. She had snuggled up against her wife and listened to the sweet murmuring sounds she made as she slept. Now in the stark light of day she wearily lifted her head.
    “No Jamie.” She smacked her lips. Her eyes finally blinked open.
    “Aunty Caitlin?” her niece, Emma, screeched from downstairs.
    A loud “Sssh,” quickly followed Emma’s piercing shrill. “Yeah, that’ll work.” Defeated, CC climbed out of bed, scowled, and descended the staircase.
    “Coffee,” she said, unaware of the angry glare Jamie was sporting.
    “Auntie Caitlin!” Emma squealed and jumped off of her chair. The impish seven-year-old darted across the kitchen and attached herself to CC’s leg before Jamie could intervene.
    “Peanut?” CC tried to sound joyous.
    “Don’t,” Jamie said before CC could reach down and scoop Emma up in her arms. “You’re not awake yet.”
    Somewhere in the back of her mind, CC recalled being half-asleep and injuring her back while picking up Emma. The injury hadn’t been serious, damaging her pride more than her back.
    “Coffee?” she repeated hopefully. In her foggy mind, it seemed like a reasonable