Read The Prey Bites Back: A Jesse Watson Mystery Book #8 for Free Online Page A

The
flood waters on South River
Road must’ve receded.
    Lila pulled up
next to Mom’s car, looked at me and said, “I’ll be right beside you when you
tell Minnie about Mae.”
    We got out of
the car, walked up on the porch, and then into the house, all in slow motion. I
had a real heavy feeling in my heart.
    Billy, Helene,
Eddie, and Mom were sitting at the kitchen table going through files, the kids
and the dogs were playing on the floor in the living room, and Spice Cat was
napping happily on the kitchen counter. I let that one go. I was too stressed
to worry about a cat on the counter, dropping hair and dander all over the
place. I’m glad I took that pill, or I’d probably be having a full-blown panic
attack right about now.
    They all jumped
up and greeted us, sans cat. Billy gave me a quick kiss on the lips, and then
stared into my eyes, warmly. He was telling me everything was okay. He was
himself again. My heart melted and my anxiety fled. I kissed the kids, patted
the dogs, and then shooed the cat off the counter.
    Mom was holding
up a sheet of paper. “You have to see this, Jesse,” she said. “I told you Mae
was right. There’s something funny about that place and those wicked women who
run it.”
    I handed Helene
the bag containing the bottle of pills. “These are for Athena. Lock them up
somewhere, and never give her more than one at a time.”
    “Will do,” She
replied. She looked at Lila. “Would you like some coffee?”
    “No, thank
you.” Lila looked over at me. “I should get back to the office.”
    “Go ahead. I’ll
get my car later. Thanks for the lift.”
    No one asked
about my car.
    After Lila
left, I began my account of the storm, my office visit, and Mae’s badly-timed
departure, but Mom stopped me before I could finish. “We already know the whole
story,” she interrupted. “I called the hospital, and Mae isn’t dead. That’s
what counts.”
    “Whew,” I said,
relieved. “I’m so glad to hear that. I knew you’d be upset about her. I even
expected you to cry. I’m glad you didn’t.”
    “I am upset
about her being struck by lightning, but I can’t do anything about it. That was
in God’s hands. I’m concentrating on righting a wrong. Snooping on people and
fixing things. Dakota Stone and Olivia Swales are killers. All we have to do is
get the evidence. The cops sure can’t seem to get anywhere on this case, and
you know they must’ve questioned everyone who ever set eyes on the man. Plus,
the wife is always the first they go after. They accuse and harass them to no
end. Oh, I’m sure they checked her inside and out. They know she was a member
of The Body Shop . Perhaps they actually had the common sense to question
the folks there. You know… check out the wife and all her associates… something
like that. Hey, the first thing the cops probably did was check out her bank
account to see if she’d recently withdrawn a large sum of money—hit man money.”
Mom’s head bobbed up and down and her eyebrows arched in the way they always do
when she’s sure she’s gotten to the truth of the matter. “Hmm… you’d think the
cops could do better. I’m just glad people have us to rely on.”
    “She’s got the
bug,” I said, looking at Billy. “She’s a goner.”
    We smiled at
each other… and it felt so good.
    “What bug?” Mom
asked, knowing the whole time what I’d meant.
    “You know what she’s
talking about, Minnie,” Helene joked. “You and Eddie are going to be another
Jesse and Billy, just a little older. You’ve got the itch… the fever… and the
nose for digging up the dirt. In other words, you’re good at investigating. You
know the right place to look and the right questions to ask. You’re old. Folks
trust old people.”
    “Geez, where
have I heard that before?” Mom smiled.
    Helene motioned
to us. “Everyone sit down and I’ll fix some sandwiches.”
    “I am hungry,”
I said. “I missed breakfast and lunch.”
    “This’ll