Read Nipped in the Bud for Free Online

.ah. . .no pulse. I touched his wrist.” My tone zoomed high like a rocket with its sights set on the moon.
    “Okay, okay, Paige. Calm down. You’re doing fine. We already have a unit on the way. They’re just down the street. Listen. You might be able to hear the siren already.”
    Willing my stomach not to empty onto the ground, I slumped against the table and planted my hands on my knees. Blood. My knees were covered in blood. Bud’s blood.
    “Lisa, look.” I pointed at my legs.
    She leaned forward and groaned. Our gazes met. Her eyes were vacant and scared. Mine likely held triple that emotion as it dawned on me that I could be considered a suspect in the killing of Bud Picklemann . No way he just up and died and mounded chips over his body. No, he was clearly murdered. But by who? And why?
    “Paige, are you there? Paige?” Janice wasn’t nearly this persistent with her algebra homework.
    “Yeah.”
    “Stay with me now. Listen. Do you hear the siren?”
    Nearly in a trance, I listened for what seemed like hours until the wail that told me help was on the way rang through the air. “They’re coming. Thanks for the help.” Afraid Janice would decide to catch up on old times while we waited, I hung up and handed my phone to Lisa. “This has nothing to do with you. I’ll talk to the cops. You should go home. Call Perry to come and get you. You’re too upset to drive.” I tried to give her a supportive smile, but when I realized I had no one other than Calgon to take me away from all of this, I scowled.
    And I kept scowling while she sobbed our story into the phone. Kept scowling while watching the police car fly down the street and screech to a stop on Main . Kept scowling as Police Chief Mitch Lawson rushed across the grass with his hand firmly planted on his unclipped holster.
    I jerked my head toward Bud before Mitch could say anything. “He’s over by the opening in the fence,” I said, feeling as if I, too, were dead.
    “You two okay?” Mitch asked, his tone more commanding than concerned.
    I nodded and watched him charge away, crossing the grass toward Bud’s body. I hadn’t seen Mitch this close up since I’d been back in town. He hadn’t changed much since high school, except for the touch of gray at his temples. Stout, built like a football linebacker, he didn’t have the large-hanging-over-the-belt belly that I’d found to be prevalent in the other males from our class. He still sported a slight limp from when he jumped off a bridge into the river and blew out his knee in high school.
    I peered at Lisa and tipped my head in Mitch’s direction. “You think he’s ever gotten over our little misunderstanding?”
    Lisa swiveled on the bench. “I don’t know how he feels about your part in all of it, but he won’t ever get over missing his senior year of football.”
    “But surely he doesn’t still blame me. He was the one who bragged he could jump off that bridge. I just called him on it.” I watched him for a few minutes. “Look at him. He still seems just as cocky.”
    the approaching ambulance and several squad cars. But instead of lingering on Mitch, an approaching ambulance and several squad cars drew our attention. One by one their sirens wound down and they parked behind Mitch’s car. The first
EMT
bolted out of the ambulance and headed for Mitch. The second raced behind and stayed to minister to Lisa, whose face was as white as the fluffy clouds circling overhead. He draped a blanket around her back and checked her vital signs. He asked if I needed help. After extracting my phone from Lisa’s clawed fingers, I told him to take care of her. I remained in a vigil-like stance, watching the surreal action whirling around me.
    Mitch and the
EMT
talked for a while, making wild gestures with their hands then came back across the clearing. The
EMT
returned to his rig while Mitch instructed his officers to fan out and control the growing group of onlookers. He barked orders to the