Free Dead By Midnight by Beverly Barton Page A

today until the Saturday before Easter. With Cathy away on her honeymoon, Lorie was in charge of the shop. Unfortunately, their two part-time clerks had been unavailable today. One, a student at UAH (the University of Alabama in Huntsville), had Thursday classes and the other, a stay-at-home mom, had a sick child she couldn’t leave.
    While the lasagna plate rotated inside the microwave, Lorie kicked off her heels—she wore heels almost all the time in order to add a few inches to her petite five-one height—and reached into an upper cupboard for a glass. Just as she picked up the wine bottle from the counter, she heard the doorbell ring. Checking the microwave clock, she noted it was six thirty-nine.
    She padded through the house and to the front door in her bare feet. She hated panty hose and seldom if ever wore any. She looked through one of three small panes of glass in her front door and saw Mike Birkett and Maleah Perdue standing on her porch. With jittery fingers, she unlocked the door, opened it, and unlatched the storm door.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” Lorie asked. “Why are y’all here?”
    â€œMay we come in?” Maleah asked.
    Lorie nodded and stepped back to give them room to enter. Once they were inside, she closed and locked the door.
    â€œCome on in.” Lorie indicated the living room to the left of the small foyer.
    With all three of them standing, Lorie glanced from Maleah to Mike, who lowered his gaze and refused to look directly at her.
    â€œThe news isn’t good,” Maleah told her.
    Lorie’s heartbeat went wild. “The letters…the death threats…they aren’t a hoax, are they?”
    â€œI’m afraid not,” Maleah replied. “It seems that, more than likely, whoever sent you those letters has already killed two other people.”

Chapter 5
    â€œI want to assure you that the sheriff’s department will cooperate fully with the Powell Agency and do everything we possibly can to keep you safe,” Mike Birkett said, his voice calm and even, showing absolutely no emotion.
    â€œWe have every reason to believe that you’re in danger,” Maleah said. “It’s imperative, now more than ever, for you to be extremely careful. I’m suggesting that you stay with me at Jack and Cathy’s, at least until they return from their honeymoon.”
    â€œYou think I need a bodyguard?”
    â€œI believe it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
    â€œWhat led you to the conclusion that the person who is threatening me has already killed twice?”
    â€œIt seems that the brother of one victim and the husband of another have hired the Powell Agency to investigate their loved ones’ deaths. When Sanders—who is Griffin Powell’s assistant—discovered the similarity in the two murders, it was not a giant leap to connect them. And only today, the husband discovered two letters that his wife had kept hidden. The wording in those letters is identical to the wording in your letter,” Maleah explained. “And it really wasn’t a surprise to find out that the victims knew each other and they had worked together years ago.”
    Lorie’s mind whirled with thoughts of how she might be connected to the other victims. Focusing her attention on Maleah, she ignored Mike completely. He was here only because he had to be, because he was the sheriff. She didn’t kid herself, didn’t for one minute think he gave a damn if she lived or died.
    â€œWho were these people?” Lorie asked.
    â€œThe woman was Tagg Chambless’s wife,” Maleah said. “Hilary Chambless. She was the second victim.”
    The name didn’t sound familiar to Lorie. “I don’t know a Hilary Chambless.”
    Maleah nodded. “The first victim, at least as far as we know, was a guy named Dean Wilson.”
    Lorie gasped. Her stomach flip-flopped. “Dean Wilson? In his late forties?