Shake Down Dead Read Online Free PDF

busy with my coffee roasting company that I don’t have time to
see more than one man. Not that I wanted to. Since my divorce, from
Edwin the Louse, Decker’s the only guy I’ve dated.
    I finally pivoted around until I was
face to face with Pete and his arm was no longer draped across my
shoulders. I knew Decker had seen us laughing together. I’d have to
explain later, although I had no idea what I would say.
    “So, what’s going on, Sister?” Jacobs
asked.
    Bernie explained that Harold had
smashed the window of Whitney’s car and that we couldn’t find her.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Bernie said. “However, I’ve called her home
and she’s not there and her mother doesn’t know where she is or
when she’ll be back. Henrietta said Whitney often meets with
friends after work and doesn’t always check in.”
    “I’m not so sure she’s ‘just fine,’” I
said, explaining about the tablecloth and Harold not being able to
wake her up. Since I had no proof that anything had happened to
Whitney, no one paid much attention to my remarks.
    “Lt. Jacobs,” Bernie said, flipping her
short navy veil over her shoulder. “I actually called you here to
help me out. Harold needs to learn a lesson and realize that he
can’t go around smashing things when he doesn’t get his own
way.”
    “You want me to arrest Harold? I can’t
do that!” Jacobs protested, holding up his hands in the universal
motion for “stop!”
    “No, I don’t want you to actually
arrest him. Just take him down to the station and scare the heck
out of him. Whitney will have to decide what she wants to do when
she turns up. I’m sure she’ll just want him to pay for the
damage.”
    Jacobs turned and walked toward the
back door. Harold was peeking out when Jacobs waved his hand
signaling Harold to come to him. Harold slammed the screen door and
shut the heavy door. We could hear the lock click in
place.
    Jacobs chuckled. “Jerry, go in and get
him. He’s afraid of me even when he hasn’t done anything
wrong.”
    Decker hadn’t said a word to me, or
anyone for that matter. Now he nodded to Jacobs, turned and
strolled toward the back door, left-hand on his hip, his right hand
just above his service weapon. Decker thinks he swaggers when he
walks that way. To me, it looks more like ambling.
    Decker rapped on the door and Izzy let
him in. A few minutes later, he walked out with Harold in front of
him. He held Harold by the arm and steered him to the sedan. Harold
was crying and tried to twist out of Decker’s clutches. Decker
isn’t especially tall—not that he’s short, more like compact, and
he works out regularly, so he’s quite strong. When he puts his arms
around me, I feel very safe.
    “Sister, I’ll call you in a couple
hours to come and get him.”
    “Oh, Lt. Jacobs,” said Bernie. “Could
you please call Pete? Its better if a staff person picks him
up.”
    “Sure, Sister. Whatever you say.”
Jacobs pulled his sunglasses from his pocket.
    “I want the residents to respect the
staff and not think that I can fix things for them.” Bernie
explained.
    “Makes sense to me,” Jacobs replied,
giving Bernie a two-finger salute, then followed Decker to the dark
vehicle. Harold looked to Bernie from the back seat, his face
plastered to the window. We could see him mouth the words, “Help
me.”
    I walked back to Trudy’s shop. When I
entered, I saw that Trudy was alone. “Where’s Lisa?” I
asked.
    “She had to leave. It’s her husband’s
birthday and she always makes a heart shaped meat loaf for him.
Randy gets real lovey-dovey when he gets meatloaf. Go figure.”
Trudy laughed.
    While I packed away my project, Trudy
asked what had happened out there. I told her about the “scared
straight” routine they were running on Harold.
    “Trudy, I’m not so sure they should be
blowing off my concerns about Whitney. Something happened to her. I
think maybe Harold hurt her.”
    “That’s just silly, Jennifer.