Hijack in Abstract (A Cherry Tucker Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page A

and needed a place to stay,” I said. “I can’t turn my back on a friend.”
    “I know that all too well,” said Luke. “I think the exact words were, ‘I’d break the law to help a friend.’”
    “Those were your words and I just agreed. Haven’t you ever watched Les Miserables?”
    “I’m the law.”
    “You used to be my friend.”
    “I don’t date my friends.”
    Ouch. “That’s too bad, because Todd and I remained friends after we broke up,” I said, seeking the chink in Luke’s armor. “I can rely on him and he can rely on me. Which is a nice feeling and probably why I married him for that millisecond.” And Todd’s kisses could sear a side of beef in one second flat. But I wasn’t going to admit that tidbit to Luke.
    My door swung shut on that comment. I prepared to turn the ignition and gun Casey’s motor, but was stopped, key in hand, by the knock on my window. I rolled down the window.
    “If you go to the Gearjammer don’t mention the hijack,” said Luke. “I can just see you getting into a load of trouble at a place like a trucker bar.”
    “I told you, I’m not interested in the hijack,” I said. “I’ve got no dog in the hunt. Other than curiosity.”
    “Maybe I should go with you to the Gearjammer,” he said. “To make sure.”
    “You are not invited to my girls’ night out. Do you hear me, Luke Harper? I’m not partying with truckers and you. You’ll stand out like a sore cop thumb and ruin my fun.”
    “See you there.” He smiled with his teeth. “And I’d recommend you wear a bra.”
    I slammed my arms over my chest, making him chuckle as he strolled to his cruiser.
    Dangit. I might have to look into this hijack. Just to tick him off.
     

Three

    As I stepped through the kitchen door of my ninety-year-old bungalow, my brother leapt into view and snatched the bag of donuts from my hand, nearly giving me a heart attack. Like a retriever with his prize dead duck, Cody carried the donut bag to the kitchen table looking very pleased. I set my empty coffee cup on the Formica counter and leaned against the door, eyeing him. My twenty-one-year-old brother wore loose sweat pants, a wife beater, and bare feet. If that wasn’t enough of a hint he’d slept in my house, his shaggy, dishwater blond hair still bore a similar bed-head cowlick to mine. I reached behind my head to tug mine down.
    “Don’t tell me you’re moving in, too,” I said. “This house cannot take another occupant.”
    “I remember Grandma Jo saying five kids were raised in this house. One more visitor ain’t gonna shake the foundation.” Cody yanked a sour cream donut from the bag and tore off a hunk with his teeth. “Pearl said either me or the vehicles had to leave the farm. I can’t sell those cars until I fix them up proper.”
    “I guess Grandpa’s letting Pearl do his dirty work. He’s been wanting you to clear out those vehicles for years.” I could hear the shower running in the back of the house, which blew my next plan of action. “When did you get here?”
    “In time to see you tearing out of the drive in Casey’s Firebird. I thought it was Casey until I poked my head into the guest room and found her. Where have you been? Booty call?”
    I rolled my eyes, threw my satchel on the table, and plopped into a chair. “Sheriff’s office. They needed someone to draw a description for a Forks County Most Wanted poster.”
    “At two in the morning?”
    “Luke Harper picked up a witness to a truck hijacking. They wanted the composite sketch while it was still fresh in his mind.”
    “Deputy Harper,” Cody snickered. “Sure it wasn’t a booty call?”
    “Booty call?” Todd’s country baritone drawled from the hallway.
    I surreptitiously eyed Todd’s stroll into the kitchen. He wore a towel slung low across his lean hips, and his longish blond hair was slick from the shower. The rising sun streaming through my kitchen window caressed his dewy post-shower skin. Skin stretched