Alex Harris 00 - Armed Read Online Free PDF Page B

directly into my eyes.
    “Well, I’m not too fond of clowns,” I said testily, arms folded across my chest, defiantness taking charge. “Nothing scarier,” I said, and this time added a wince for emphasis. “What does this have to do with Mrs. Scott’s murder?”
    “Nothing.” Now the detective looked sheepish. “So let me recap all this,” he said as he stood and starting pacing. “You got dragged out on a terrible day to do a job that most of the time you wouldn’t do. You only did it with the intention of meeting with a man who could help your business from going under, a meeting you never got. After working hard all day, you have to schlep boxes out to your car, in the dark, in the snow, and you get your expensive shoes and pants all wet.” Detective Van der Burg ran a hand through his thick hair and smiled again. “I noticed them last night. You must have been pretty cold. Probably by then you had had it up to here.” He ran a hand across his throat echoing what I felt like doing to him right about now. “You’re wet, tired, hungry, and angry that your plan didn’t go as expected. How am I doing so far?”
    I clasped my hands together and sat up straight wishing I could come up with a good Winston quote to throw him off his stride.
    “You’re making it sound worse than it was.”
    The smile now gone he looked at me with a cold stare. “How hard did you look for a shovel before you went out to the factory?”
    My stomach churned again. Before I could stop myself, I looked at the handle of the shovel. “Well, I d-don’t know,” I stammered. “I looked in the mailroom. I looked in a small closet by the lobby. I must have opened a few doors.”
    “And you found nothing.”
    “No. Nothing.” My heart pounded so hard surely he could see it popping up and down under my sweater.
    Then Detective Van der Burg looked to Officer Corliss who reached down and picked up the shovel.
    “Officer Corliss, please tell Ms. Harris where you found this shovel.”
    Officer Corliss looked firmly at me as I tried my damnedest not to gulp.
    “We found this shovel in the mailroom where it’s always kept. Right by the door.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

    “Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” Samantha said, standing over me while I rested my forehead on the desk.
    “It just can’t be. It just can’t be,” I moaned.
    “Do you want me to run upstairs and get a lawyer?” Millie asked, already headed for the door.
    I lifted my head. “No! I don’t need a lawyer!”
    “Oh, really? They’ve probably got that shovel at the lab this very second checking for blood and hair follicles to match it to the Harris family DNA. Millie, go get that lawyer,” Sam said.
    Now I jumped up. “I don’t need a lawyer. It’s not the murder weapon.”
    “It’s not? What did you tell them?” Sam asked, moving around the desk and taking a seat next to Millie.
    I sat back down and put my elbows on the desk and held my head as I nodded slowly back and forth. “I couldn’t tell them anything. I never saw it!” I looked up again. “I never saw it! I don’t know how I could have missed it but I did. I was tired and mad at Mrs. Scott for leaving me alone.” I jumped out of my seat and started pacing under a fearful gaze from Millie and Sam. “How could I not see it if I looked seriously, right?
    Sam scrunched up her face and regarded me quizzically. “Alex, did you tell the police you were really mad at Mrs. Scott? You did, didn’t you?”
    I closed my eyes trying to remember. “I may have. Kind of.” My hand went to my heart. “Oh my God.”
    Millie made the sign of the cross. “Yikes.”
    Sam eyed our assistant. “What are you doing? You’re not Catholic.”
    “I know. But you two are. I thought it might help.”
    Sam, who attends Mass on a somewhat regular basis, shook her head. “I don’t think we need to get Him involved. At least not yet. Maybe for the penalty phase of the trial. Then we can pray.”
    I shot my sister a look that