Claws and Effect Read Online Free Page B

date tonight.”
    Both Harry and Isabelle perked right up. “With who?”
    â€œWhom,” Harry corrected Isabelle.
    â€œWith Harry’s ex.”
    â€œFor real?” Isabelle leaned forward.
    â€œTake him. He’s yours.” Harry nonchalantly waved her right hand.
    â€œOh, don’t be such a hardass. He loves you and you know it.” Coop laughed at Harry; then her voice became animated. “That’s it. Confess. You could have killed BoomBoom Craycroft when they had their affair.”
    â€œAh, yes,” Harry dryly replied. “The affair that ended my marriage. Actually, that’s probably not true. Marriages end in a variety of ways. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Could I have killed BoomBoom? No. She was no better than she should be. I could have killed him.”
    â€œSo—why didn’t you?” Isabelle, having not yet fallen in love, wanted to know.
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œBecause you aren’t a killer,” Coop answered for Harry. “Everyone in this world has had times when they were provoked enough to kill but ninety-nine percent of us don’t. I swear there are people who are genetically inclined to violence and murder, and I don’t give a damn how unpopular that opinion is.”
    â€œWhy are we sitting here discussing my former marriage?”
    â€œBecause I’m going on rounds with Fair tonight.”
    Fair Haristeen had invited Cynthia Cooper to accompany him when she expressed an interest in his work.
    â€œI didn’t know you were interested in horses.” Isabelle stood up as Harry handed her her crutches.
    â€œI like them but what I’m really interested in is seeing some of the farms from the back side. Meeting the barn workers. There might be a time when I need their help. And I’m curious about the technology.”
    â€œA lot of the stuff that’s eventually used on humans is used in veterinary care first.”
    â€œLike the operation on my knee.” Isabelle swung her leg over the bottom bleacher, stepping onto the wooden floor. “I wonder how many dogs, cats, and horses tore their anterior cruciate ligaments before I did.” She paused a moment. “Har, I’m sorry if I put you on the spot about when your marriage broke up.”
    â€œHere, let me carry your purse.” Harry picked up the alarmingly large satchel, throwing it over her shoulder. “Everyone in Crozet knows everything about everybody—or thinks they do. He fooled around and I got sick of it. And being married to a vet is like being married to a doctor. You can’t plan on anything, really. Emergencies interrupt everything and sometimes days would go by and we’d hardly see one another. And I married too young.”
    They both watched with lurid fascination as BoomBoom Craycroft pushed open the gym doors. “Speak of the devil.”
    â€œHi, girls.” The buxom, quite good-looking woman waved to them.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” Harry asked, since BoomBoom had skipped gym in high school. Her only physical outlet, apart from the obvious, was golf.
    â€œI saw everyone’s cars parked outside and thought I might be missing something.”
    â€œYou did. We beat the pants off them and then discussed whether we were capable of murder,” Harry deadpanned.
    â€œAh. Well, the other reason I stopped by was that I saw Sheriff Shaw at Market Shiflett’s store. Coop, he knows you have plans but will you work tonight? Bobby Yount came down with the flu and he thinks it’s going to be one of those nights. He asked for you to call him in his car.”
    â€œDamn. Oh well. Thanks, Boom.” Cynthia turned to Harry and Isabelle. “There goes my date with Fair.” She knew this would tweak BoomBoom’s raging curiosity.
    Eyes widening, BoomBoom edged closer to Coop, hoping to unobtrusively pull her away from the other two women, to