Read Tacked to Death for Free Online Page B

shook
his head. "But don't it seem odd to you that you somehow stumble
across dead carcasses a little too often for comfort?"
    Michaela didn't reply. His insinuation
was unsettling and insulting. "Again, if we're finished here, I'd
like to start locking up."
    He held the palms of his hands toward
her. "Sure. For now."
    She clenched her jaw. As the police
left, she started to lock up. Camden and Dwayne had already gone
home. Michaela really needed to talk with her friend.
    A handful of police were wrapping
things up outside as she headed toward her truck and unlocked the
door. A crescent moon hung in the sky, surrounded by bright stars
lighting up what on any other occasion would be a peaceful night. A
cool breeze had dropped the evening temperature along the desert
floor and Michaela wished she'd grabbed her poncho from the shop.
Then she realized she'd left it in the office. Well, it wasn't
really a poncho, the old-school kind with the drawstring around the
neck. It had been a gift from Camden; it was cashmere and so soft,
a pretty rose kind of beige color, and every time Michaela put it
on, she felt good. But in all of the craziness, she'd left it in
her office and she wasn't about to go back in there. Not right now
anyway. She just wanted to get home. Then, just feet away from her
maroon-colored truck, she heard someone approaching.
    "Excuse me, Ms. Bancroft?"
    She swung around to see a sullen Erin
Hornersberg, makeup box in hand. Michaela brought her hands up to
her neck in surprise. "You scared me!"
    "Sorry. Hey look, I left some of my
brushes in the back room where I was doing the makeup. Can you set
them aside for me and I'll pick them up later?"
    "I can just unlock the door and we can
get them now."
    "No. That's okay. I just want to get
home and I have extras at the shop. I'll call you tomorrow and see
when it's good to swing by."
    Her attitude had softened in light of
the events. "It's horrible about Sterling."
    "Whatever. Good riddance," Erin said
dismissively.
    Michaela took a step back. "I know he
wasn't the greatest guy in the world, but don't you have any
feelings? I mean, at least show some respect. The man was brutally
murdered."
    "Like I said, whatever. I'll be by for
my things."
    Michaela watched Erin drive off. So
much for a softer attitude.
    * * *
    Michaela made it home and ran a tub of
water for a hot bath. When she'd pulled in, the lights had been off
in the guest house where Dwayne and Camden lived, and she decided
that their conversation would have to wait until the morning. She
contemplated walking out to the barn to say good night to her
horses but found herself too tired. Dwayne would've fed them. Poor
kids, though; they had to have been starving even by the time he
got there, since the police had kept everyone for so
long.
    She lay in bed going back over the day,
from Sterling acting so slimy when buying the ropes, which he
really didn't buy since his card hadn't cleared; her confrontation
with the Sorvinos; to Paige tearing off the grounds and then
showing up later at the fashion show all smiles, with Robert on her
arm. There was the polo match, where Sterling was more than rude to
Lance Watkins, and also toward her. And what was the deal with the
way Zach had looked at Sterling when the game was over? Had they
had a falling-out? Then there was the invoice with the
not-so-pleasant note written across it in Robert's office. Finally,
the discovery of Sterling's body. Who had done that to him? And now
Michaela could not help the guilt feelings welling inside her over
her distaste for Sterling. Maybe she hadn't given him a chance. Was
she simply too judgmental? What was it about Sterling that she
hadn't liked? For one, it was his poor sense of sportsmanship. In
the sport of reining and working cow horses, other riders were
typically supportive of one another. Sure, men dominated the field
and they had their own feelings about a woman doing well at the
sport, but most of them had been taught respect for