Dog Days Murderous Nights: Winnona Peaks Mysteries Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

cellar door. Christy’s heart skipped a beat, wondering who would be headed up there. Was it the killer trying to cover their tracks?  Were they trying to get in there before the police could go over it with a fine-tooth comb?  It was making her crazy.  She wasn’t sleeping anyway. Might as well take on a murderer. She got up and, wrapping her robe around her waist, she considered taking the umbrella by the stairwell as a weapon.  She decided against it.  What was she going to do? Pose as Mary Poppins and scold him into dropping the gun?  She was slow getting to the foot of the staircase. Looking through the moonlight she jumped and whispered, “Gregory?” 
    “Shhh! Yes. I need to get another look at his room without the others around,” he whispered back.
    “Step on the bannister,” Christy hissed.
    “What?” he whispered.
    “The only way to sneak up there is to get off the steps.  Otherwise you’ll wake up the whole house.”  She demonstrated by straddling the huge staircase and holding the bannister.  He got the idea and they made it up to the hallway in front of the master suite.
    “Where did you learn that?” Gregory whispered.
    “I grew up here.  It was the only way to get into the kitchen at night.  You need a key, maybe?”
    “Guess I should have told you,” Gregory said.  Christy tried to get her bearings and have her eyes adjust to the dark hallway while she opened the door.  He had a pen light he flashed around the dark room trying to find evidence of a fight or a struggle.  “Sorry about your boyfriend.”
    “My what?”
    “Well it looked like you were really into him.  I just thought—“
    “Some detective you are.”
    “Oh, come on.  You were looking through his photos and he was babysitting your dogs while you checked us in.  What was I supposed to think?  I’ve seen that smile before on your face.  Not everything has changed since we were seventeen.”
    “Now Mr. Binks, I don’t see how any of that is your business, now is it.”  Christy was just glad it was dark so Gregory couldn’t see how red her face was.  She unconsciously pulled her robe a bit tighter around her neck.
    “Well maybe I want to make it my business.  You know I don’t know how many people will remember me in Winnona Peaks.  It would be nice to have a friendly face nearby.  I could fix different things around here,” he offered.
    “Sorry, Mr. Binks, we’re not hiring at the moment.  This place is a one-woman show.”
    “Oh, come on, admit it. You liked the guy.”
    Christy sifted through the drawers and then finally gave in.  “Oh, okay so maybe it was nice to have his attention these last couple of days.  Trust me, I don’t get many hot bachelors around my age staying at Alfie’s Bed and Breakfast. That’s one thing that has changed.  The dating pool around shrank from a pool to a small puddle.”  She was at the base of the closet looking for clues around where he’d packed his shoes.  “Hey, look at this!” Hailey straightened up and Gregory swung his penlight around to reveal J.W.’s camera.
    The lights all flicked on and Christy blinked as she stepped back.  “What are you doing in here!”  Hailey was in the shadow of the doorway, her eyes puffy from crying. 
    Gregory covered quickly, snapping,  “She owns the place.  It’s why she has a master key.”
    “That doesn’t mean you have a right to go through his things!”  Hailey stomped into the room.  Alfie and Snowy came up to see what all the commotion was about, driving Hailey to jump up on the chair.  “Ugh! Dogs!” she shrieked.  “I hate these furry things.”  Snowy hopped on the bed and into Christy’s waiting arms.  Alfie turned his head at the screaming lady and wondered what was going to happen next.  Seeing that she was a bit crazy he started sniffing around the room.  Jumping up on the couch he sniffed around more until he attacked like he’d cornered a mouse in the cushion. Alfie