The Chocolate Cupid Killings Read Online Free PDF Page A

but a heavy and extremely unattractive navy blue jacket with WPPD in bright yellow letters on the front and back.
    The two men in city clothes also ducked their heads as if they were trying to look inconspicuous. All I could see of them were neatly trimmed heads—one dark, one fair—and a set of extremely bushy eyebrows on the darker man.
    I barely gave them a glance. The big ugly man’s behavior was so odd that I couldn’t help staring at him. “I’ll wait at your desk, Joe,” I said.
    I turned and stepped out of Hogan’s office, closing the door. But it reopened immediately. Joe followed me out and closed the door behind him. Firmly. He took my arm.
    â€œI’m sorry I interrupted,” I said. “I heard y’all talking . . .”
    Joe was frowning. “Not your fault. I should have remembered you were coming and called to head you off.”
    â€œHead me off?”
    â€œRight. I can’t leave. You’ll have to give my excuses.”
    â€œGive your excuses? But, Joe, this is your mom who called a big meeting of the clans. I’m just an in-law!”
    â€œSorry. But Hogan wants me to stay.”
    I was dumbfounded. Joe’s work as city attorney has nothing to do with crime. His main function is to look over city policies and ordinances to make sure they’re legal. Hogan enforces the law, not Joe.
    â€œJoe, what is going on?”
    â€œNothing, Lee. Hogan just wants me to sit in on a meeting.”
    â€œI’ll tell your mom you’ll be late.”
    â€œNo! I don’t think I’ll be through here for—Well, it could be midnight.”
    â€œMidnight!” If I sounded exasperated, it was only because I was exasperated. “You can’t bow out on this family meeting. It’s too important to your mom.”
    Joe’s face looked like thunder. “It’s not because I’m not interested, Lee. You’ll just have to represent us.”
    Before I could marshal a new argument, he was moving me toward the outside door.
    â€œJoe!” I protested, but he kept moving me along. “Joe, your mom is not going to like this!”
    We were at the door, and Joe swung it open. “Sorry, Lee. I can’t come.”
    I was outside. The door closed behind me.
    Then it abruptly opened again. About three inches. Joe spoke through the crack. “Don’t tell anyone about this.” His voice made it an order.
    Then the door slammed shut. I heard the lock click. I pressed my nose against the glass.
    Joe closed the Venetian blind in my face.
    If I’d been amazed when I walked in on the private meeting, that was nothing to the way I felt now. My husband had thrown me out. Into the dark.
    I considered picking up a rock and tossing it at the window, but all the rocks were covered with snow.
    Who the heck was the bald guy? He might be a criminal of some sort. He had the face for crime—beat-up and mean. He had the build for crime—husky and muscle-bound. He also seemed about as dumb as most criminals are. Staring at Hogan’s uniform jacket was about the stupidest move I’d ever seen.
    And who were the guys in city clothes? Why had they ducked their heads?
    I stared at the cars in the visitor spots. It was easy to match them with the visitors inside Hogan’s office. The flashy SUV went with the ugly fellow, and the nondescript Buick with the guys in city coats. Both vehicles, I noted, had Illinois tags.
    I considered throwing a rock at one of the cars, too, but instead I stomped all the way back to the shop, getting angrier with each stomp. I was completely oblivious to what was going on around me. If there had been any traffic in downtown Warner Pier at six thirty on a February evening, I might have walked in front of a truck. Luckily, the only vehicle that passed was some supersized SUV. I stepped right in front of it, but the monster paused to give me the right of way.
    I could simply have murdered