The only time I got calls in the middle of the night was when someone died. I hated death. I hated that my parents had left such a massive responsibility on my shoulders. And most of all I hated that I was the only one the dead could turn to. I missed the living. The dead made me think of too many things I wasn’t quite ready to face.
Against my better judgment, I answered the phone.
“Who died?”
“Very professional, Doctor Graves,” said Sheriff Jack Lawson. “You always assume the worst. What if I was calling to invite you to poker tonight at my place?”
“At five o’clock in the morning? Who died?” I asked again. Jack had been my best friend since we’d been in diapers, and I knew without a doubt he’d be the one person who’d search for me if I just disappeared one day. I squeezed the phone in a white knuckled grasp as silence reigned on the other end of the line. I prepared myself for the worst.
“It’s Fiona Murphy,” he finally said.
“Oh, damn,” I whispered, untangling the covers and sitting up on the side of the bed. The wood floor felt like a sheet of ice under my feet, and I drew them up quickly so they were back under the covers.
“To say the least.” Sirens and muted voices came across the line, and I knew Jack must be at the crime scene.
My teeth chattered—I couldn’t tell if it was from the news or the cold—and I gritted them in determination so my words came out clearly. “Where’s George?” I asked.
George was Fiona’s husband. He was the meanest son of a bitch I’d ever met, and Fiona had a new bruise every time I saw her. George was a gifted mechanic and owned the only garage in town, so despite people disapproving of the way he treated his wife, he had a hell of a customer base and enough money to build a house that was one of the nicest in the county. He also had big hands and a wicked temper, and there wasn’t a doubt in my mind he was the reason Fiona was dead at age thirty.
“George has already been picked up and booked on a first degree murder charge. We need you down at the site. The crime scene guys are almost finished. I’m warning you, Jaye, she doesn’t look good. Johnny Duggan found her in the ditch just off Canterbury Street on his way to work.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and prayed to a God I’d stopped believing in for strength. “I can handle it, Jack. I’m all she’s got.” It was the least I could do for a dead friend.
Bloody Mary—Population 2,901.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Liliana Hart is the pseudonym for an author of more than a dozen books. She lives in Texas with her husband and cats, and loves to be contacted by readers.
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LINKS TO MY OTHER BOOKS
The MacKenzie Series
Dane
Thomas
Riley
Cooper
A MacKenzie Christmas
MacKenzie Box Set (includes the 5 books listed above)
Shadows and Silk
Secrets and Satin
Sins and Scarlet Lace
The MacKenzie Security Series (includes the 3 books listed above)
The Collective Series
Kill Shot
The Rena Drake Series
Breath of Fire
The Addison Holmes Mystery Series
Whiskey Rebellion
Whiskey Sour
Whiskey For Breakfast
The JJ Graves Mystery Series
Dirty Little Secrets
Dirty Rotten Scoundrel
Standalone Novels/Novellas
All About Eve
Paradise Disguised
Catch Me If You Can
Who’s Riding Red?
Goldilocks and the Three Behrs
Strangers in the Night
Naughty or Nice