A Sinister Sense Read Online Free PDF Page B

her ear.
He’s lying.
    Rattled, she spoke out loud. “What the heck does that mean?”
    Stephanie’s startled voice banished the whispering. “I think it means he didn’t know…oh, wait a minute.” Her voice faded as she moved away from the phone. “Olivia! How many times do I have to tell you not to put Jasper in the laundry basket. No, he doesn’t like it. That’s why he claws his way out of there. Olivia! Take him out.
Now!
” There was a pause before she spoke again. “I’ve got to go. The cat’s got his claws stuck in a sweater. Is everything okay in the shop?”
    “Everything’s fine. Hope your sweater’s okay.”
    “So do I.” Again Stephanie paused, then added in a rush, “Clara, if Rick is in trouble, be careful, okay?”
    “I’m always careful. Go rescue your sweater.” Clara closed her cell, her forehead creased in a frown. She did her best to ignore the voices, but every once in a while there was nothing she could do to shut them out. The Quinn Sense was unpredictable and spasmodic at best. Yet it was never wrong. It might not always be there when she needed it, but when the voices spoke, they spoke the truth.
    It was a relief when her mother announced she was going to bed early to read. Jessie worked at the local library and was never short of reading material. Clara wished her good-night, then settled down in front of the TV to watch one of her favorite cop shows. She found ithard to concentrate, however, and instead her mind kept wandering back to her conversation with Rick that afternoon.
    She could hear him now, his voice tense with concern.
If they find the murder weapon anywhere near that bowling alley, I’ll be calling my lawyer.
Had he called his lawyer? she wondered. Had it gone that far? If so, the gossips’ tongues would be wagging overtime.
    Poor Rick. What would happen to Tatters if his master got arrested? In the next instant she chided herself. Of course Rick wouldn’t be arrested. He’d done nothing wrong. Yet again she heard his voice.
I need someone here to take over full-time when I’m away
. It was as if he expected to be gone for a length of time.
    With a start she realized that her show had ended and the news was on. The top story of the night was, of course, the murder. There was a picture of the bowling alley and a rerun of Rick’s interview with Deanne Summers.
    It was obvious the news reporter had ambitions. She kept waving the microphone in Rick’s face, demanding he answer her questions. The few words he did say came out more from frustration than anything.
    The scene switched back to the studio, where Tom Wright, the news anchor, was commenting on the interview. “Breaking news,” he said, sounding as if he couldn’t wait to wrap up the broadcast and go home. “The murder weapon found in the vicinity of the Harbor Bowling Alley has been identified. It’s a specialty hammer, apparently obtained from Parson’s Hardware Store. Police also foundspatters of blood that confirm the victim was killed in the parking lot of the bowling alley. The owner of the hardware store, Rick Sanders, also owns the truck in which the body was found. The police have been questioning him—”
    The voices spoke, loud and clear.
Suspect number one.

Determined not to listen to the annoying whispers in her ear, Clara grabbed the remote and turned up the volume. Tom had introduced Carson Dexter, the mayor of Finn’s Harbor. Carson looked as if he’d just fallen out of bed. His light brown hair, usually combed neatly back from his forehead, flopped over his eyebrows, and he kept rubbing his chin as if he needed a shave.
    “This is utterly disgraceful,” he exclaimed, his eyes wide and staring at the camera. “A murder here in our little town of Finn’s Harbor is totally unacceptable. I have demanded that the police department make every effort to hunt down the perpetrator of this vicious crime and bring down on him the full power of the justice system. I urge each and