Read Between the Tines Read Online Free
Author: Susan Sleeman
purposeful strides to Mitch.
The pair talked, perhaps argued, as Mitch's face tensed and his gestures grew lively. Adam tipped his head in our direction. Mitch looked at us. I stared back and tapped a toe. Hours seemed to tick past as I waited for the news. Their motions grew more animated. Adam shook his head and pivoted. Looking disgusted, he rushed back to us.
"What'd he say?" I peered into his troubled eyes. "Did he tell you who it is?"
"No, but he did tell me he needs to talk with Daisy. I tried to get him to schedule an appointment at the station later. He won't hear of it. Said the blood all over her hands and suit are enough to take her in."
"Arrest me?" Daisy jumped up, her vinyl feet clacking together.
Adam shook his head. "He's taking you to the office for questioning."
I placed a protective hand on Daisy's shoulder. "If he doesn't have enough for an arrest, why haul her down there when he could ask the same questions here?"
More frustrated than I'd ever seen, Adam peered at me. "He said something about being tired of you interfering with his job."
Adam's irritated scowl also said he was tired of me butting into these crimes. Shoot, Daisy had the same expression on her face. I was only trying to help. Maybe I was trying just a teensy bit too hard to control this situation and needed to lighten up.
In defeat, I looked up. Okay, God, I get the point.
"I'll talk to him," I said and crossed over to Mitch. I forced a smile. "Mitch, please don't take Daisy to the station. I'm sorry I've been pushy. If I promise to keep my mouth shut, will you talk to her here?"
He made a big production of thinking it over—hemming and hawing, his finger tapping on his chin. "Not a word?"
"Not a word."
"I'm not sure I can trust you."
My temper was flaring, and I wasn't sure I could trust myself much longer either. "Please, don't make Daisy pay for your frustrations with me. It isn't her fault."
"Fine," he said, his eyes brightening from thunderous to mildly perturbed. "Let's get to it."
He marched ahead, but I dragged behind. How was I going to follow through on my promise? Could I possibly stand by and watch him run through his tough cop routine with Daisy and not try to stop him? I highly doubted it, but only time would tell.
Chapter Three
As I approached, I heard Adam tell Daisy if she was uncomfortable answering questions to look at him, and he would nod if she should respond. He would also interrupt if she should stop talking. I wanted to rush ahead and tell Adam Daisy frequently misunderstood the subtleties that Mitch would surely use in his questioning and to provide her with more explicit directions, but the snarly lawman would interpret my words as interference.
Besides our recent tussle over Bud's death, Mitch held a gigantic grudge against me from high school. At a class picnic, he'd bragged about making a dangerous jump off a train trestle into the river. Thinking he'd never do it, I called him on it in front of everyone. He couldn't back down without losing face so he jumped, blowing out his knee. He missed his senior year of football and any chance to go to college on a scholarship. He also blew off our friendship along the way and since I'd come back to Serendipity to live, he'd barely tolerated me.
As if he could feel my thoughts, he gave me a practiced glare then took out a small note pad and looked down on Daisy. "Your full name?"
Daisy pulled back her shoulders, her ample chest pushing free of the bright green suit. "Daisy Rose Plante."
A flash of humor took over Mitch's face, which I didn't appreciate. Not only were Daisy and I sisters in the whole finding a body thing, but we both had mothers who didn't think twice before giving us double meaning names. I couldn't count the times Paige Turner nearly led to a black eye in my youth. Daisy fought a similar battle.
"Okay, Ms. Plante, give me a detailed description of how you came upon the body."
"Well, I walked out here and—"
Mitch held up his
The pair talked, perhaps argued, as Mitch's face tensed and his gestures grew lively. Adam tipped his head in our direction. Mitch looked at us. I stared back and tapped a toe. Hours seemed to tick past as I waited for the news. Their motions grew more animated. Adam shook his head and pivoted. Looking disgusted, he rushed back to us.
"What'd he say?" I peered into his troubled eyes. "Did he tell you who it is?"
"No, but he did tell me he needs to talk with Daisy. I tried to get him to schedule an appointment at the station later. He won't hear of it. Said the blood all over her hands and suit are enough to take her in."
"Arrest me?" Daisy jumped up, her vinyl feet clacking together.
Adam shook his head. "He's taking you to the office for questioning."
I placed a protective hand on Daisy's shoulder. "If he doesn't have enough for an arrest, why haul her down there when he could ask the same questions here?"
More frustrated than I'd ever seen, Adam peered at me. "He said something about being tired of you interfering with his job."
Adam's irritated scowl also said he was tired of me butting into these crimes. Shoot, Daisy had the same expression on her face. I was only trying to help. Maybe I was trying just a teensy bit too hard to control this situation and needed to lighten up.
In defeat, I looked up. Okay, God, I get the point.
"I'll talk to him," I said and crossed over to Mitch. I forced a smile. "Mitch, please don't take Daisy to the station. I'm sorry I've been pushy. If I promise to keep my mouth shut, will you talk to her here?"
He made a big production of thinking it over—hemming and hawing, his finger tapping on his chin. "Not a word?"
"Not a word."
"I'm not sure I can trust you."
My temper was flaring, and I wasn't sure I could trust myself much longer either. "Please, don't make Daisy pay for your frustrations with me. It isn't her fault."
"Fine," he said, his eyes brightening from thunderous to mildly perturbed. "Let's get to it."
He marched ahead, but I dragged behind. How was I going to follow through on my promise? Could I possibly stand by and watch him run through his tough cop routine with Daisy and not try to stop him? I highly doubted it, but only time would tell.
Chapter Three
As I approached, I heard Adam tell Daisy if she was uncomfortable answering questions to look at him, and he would nod if she should respond. He would also interrupt if she should stop talking. I wanted to rush ahead and tell Adam Daisy frequently misunderstood the subtleties that Mitch would surely use in his questioning and to provide her with more explicit directions, but the snarly lawman would interpret my words as interference.
Besides our recent tussle over Bud's death, Mitch held a gigantic grudge against me from high school. At a class picnic, he'd bragged about making a dangerous jump off a train trestle into the river. Thinking he'd never do it, I called him on it in front of everyone. He couldn't back down without losing face so he jumped, blowing out his knee. He missed his senior year of football and any chance to go to college on a scholarship. He also blew off our friendship along the way and since I'd come back to Serendipity to live, he'd barely tolerated me.
As if he could feel my thoughts, he gave me a practiced glare then took out a small note pad and looked down on Daisy. "Your full name?"
Daisy pulled back her shoulders, her ample chest pushing free of the bright green suit. "Daisy Rose Plante."
A flash of humor took over Mitch's face, which I didn't appreciate. Not only were Daisy and I sisters in the whole finding a body thing, but we both had mothers who didn't think twice before giving us double meaning names. I couldn't count the times Paige Turner nearly led to a black eye in my youth. Daisy fought a similar battle.
"Okay, Ms. Plante, give me a detailed description of how you came upon the body."
"Well, I walked out here and—"
Mitch held up his
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