A Game of Murder Read Online Free PDF Page B

handle it. Go home.”
    It would be nice to be in her house, have a glass of wine and forget tonight’s tragedy. If she could. She had a feeling she’d be having nightmares about Mira’s death, not only tonight, but for many nights to come. Stopping by John’s apartment might be an option, but it was late and would only delay the inevitable. At some point, she’d still have to climb into bed and be alone with the memories. And the horror.
    * * *
    Faith pushed open the door of the café, her eyes focused on her car, alone in a puddle of light from the street lamp overhanging the parking space on the far side of the lot. As she stepped off the curb, a hint of motion flickered at the edge of her vision, and she slowed her pace as she steered her gaze toward it.
    The black hood of a large station wagon angled toward the sky over a car body of the same color; a faux wood panel streaked down the side. An antique, something from her parents’s generation, was Faith’s first thought. One of the geeks—Paul—from the meeting bent over the radiator, hands plunged inside the engine compartment. Next to him stood the waif, chewing on a knuckle.
    “I can take the bus, Paul,” the waif said. Her pale blue ribbed top and white cropped pants combined with her alabaster skin to give her a ghost-like appearance.
    Faith changed direction and approached the woodie. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
    Paul straightened and shoved hands covered in black grease out in front of him. Faith reflexively stepped back. His blue sleeves shot up his arms. “No. Ethel here just needs a little coaxing to get started. I’ll have her fixed in a minute.” He smiled, whether at her or “Ethel,” Faith wasn’t sure.
    “I could give you a ride,”—Faith wracked her memory for what he’d called the girl when she walked in the door—“Ashley?”
    Ashley looked as if she were about to accept the offer, then glanced at Paul. Her eyes blinked rapidly one, two, three times.
    Paul’s smile disappeared as he fixed on Ashley’s face. His nostrils flared and his voice turned brittle. “I told you I could fix it. I’ll take you home.”
    “It wouldn’t be any problem,” Faith said. Her eyes flicked from Paul to Ashley to Paul again. She wasn’t sure it was a good idea for the young girl to be alone with the mercurial older man.
    Paul turned his ire on Faith. “I told you I’d take Ashley home.”
    Actually, he hadn’t. He’d told Ashley. But, rather than escalate the confrontation into a full blown war, Faith decided not to quibble. She smiled in an attempt to disarm his wrath. “See you next time, then.”
    Paul returned to working on the car before she’d taken a single step toward her Honda. Ashley resumed chewing her knuckle.
    Faith’s misgivings refused to go away. She took her time opening the door to her car, fishing the key out of her purse and inserting it into the ignition before fastening her seatbelt. She pretended to adjust the rearview mirror, using it to observe the couple in front of the Prickly Pear.
    Paul extricated himself from the engine and hopped into the driver’s seat, leaving the door open. The engine roared to life as a puff of white smoke came from the tailpipe of the wagon. He hopped out and gave Ashley a thumbs-up sign. The girl said nothing. She got in the passenger seat while Paul closed the hood.
    Apparently Paul really did know about cars, and Ashley wouldn’t be stranded. Faith turned the key, starting the engine, hoping they wouldn’t realize she’d been waiting to see if Paul’s car would start.
    She needn’t have worried. The station wagon bolted out of its parking space and turned away from her, headed for the far exit. Faith put the Honda in reverse, backed out, and drove toward home, wondering if she should have followed them.

CHAPTER FOUR

    Faith chewed on her lower lip as she worked on updates to the Prickly Pear website. She was hoping to finish putting up next month’s performance