Killer Run Read Online Free Page A

tempted.” Greg took another swig of beer. “Toby’s over at The Train Station. Someone thought it would be funny to splash red paint on Harrold’s window.”
    â€œWho would do that?” I thought about how old Harrold had looked when I’d visited earlier.
    â€œKids. At least that’s Toby’s take on the situation.” He nodded to the grill. “I think the tuna’s done.”
    I reached out and held his arm back. “I don’t think this was a prank. I need to tell you what Carrie said this afternoon.”

CHAPTER 3
    G reg had listened to my recounting of the story, then had called Toby back and relayed the same information to him. Of course, the story didn’t change anything. Whoever had thrown the paint was long gone, so determining if it was a local teenager or Lille’s new boyfriend wasn’t something that could be handled before morning.
    We ate dinner, then Greg kissed me and left to visit Toby at the station. In the past, I might have ignored my niggle of worry and chosen not to pass on the gossip. Greg and I had argued enough times about me playing investigator—his words, not mine—so I decided that oversharing would be my new go-to process.
    I’d already run and was walking into work when my cell rang. Glancing at the caller ID, I saw the name flash on my display. How in the heck had she already heard about the vandalism? “Darla, what’s going on?”
    â€œI’m calling to ask you the same thing. You didn’t call me to say whether Amy and Justin were on board for Friday’s trial run. And will Greg be there?” I could tell Darla had me on speakerphone.
    â€œYou already at the office? I didn’t think the winery opened until eleven on weekdays.” I slowed down my walk, taking in the red paint splattered on The Train Station’s window. Luckily it blended in with the brick surrounding the window and nothing had hit the large wooden door. Harrold could scrape the damage off with a putty knife mostly. I sighed in relief. After Toby’s call last night, all I could think of was how I’d feel if someone had attacked Coffee, Books, and More.
    â€œIt doesn’t. I just like to get my contacts and to-do list done early before I open. You never know what your day will bring.” Darla paused a beat. “So, did you talk to Amy?”
    I put The Train Station and its newly decorated window behind me before I answered. “I did and they’ll be there at five. Justin has a late Friday afternoon class. And Greg cleared his schedule.”
    â€œPerfect.” I could almost hear Darla checking our attendance off on her list. “Now, one more thing. Tell me everything you know about the vandalism.”
    It took me the rest of the walk to convince her that I had no inside knowledge, even though I was dating the local police detective and had hired another one of South Cove’s finest to work part-time at the coffee shop. By the time I got to the store, Sasha Smith, our intern-turned-real-employee was waiting at the door. During the summer months, Sasha worked with me and Toby two days a week, then switched to a later shift starting on Friday. I’d worried that we wouldn’t have the business to hire her on full-time when she first started, but besides the normal seasonal increase in traffic, I’d had a huge uptick in locals on the book side of the shop, mostly, I thought, because of the new book clubs that we ran out of the store. Thursday afternoon was Sasha’s after-school bunch, then Friday nights was Aunt Jackie’s mystery group. Sasha was leading the Friday group this week, too, so my aunt and Josh could help with the walk.
    Sasha tucked a paperback mystery into her purse. “If you’d been a few minutes later, I might have figured out the killer.”
    I grinned. My staff always knew how to fill a few extra minutes. And their referrals were gold to my