Free Trinity Harbor 3 - Along Came Trouble by Sherryl Woods Page A

offense.”
    Daisy glared at him but didn’t debate the point. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because she’d arrived there covered in her husband’s blood,” she said furiously. “Wouldn’t that be just like her?”
    “Good Lord,” King whispered, seeing al his hopes and dreams for Tucker’s future going up in smoke. Who’d marry a man who’d been consorting with a murderess? His future as sheriff would be reduced to ashes, as wel .
    He glanced over at Daisy. “Get out.”
    “I’m going with you.”
    “No, you’re not. I’l handle this,” he said grimly. “You go home and see what information you can pry out of that husband of yours. He’s bound to know al the particulars. I’l check with you later, after I’ve tracked down Tucker and given him a piece of my mind.”
    “Don’t blame him. The woman’s a witch.”
    King almost grinned at that. “Don’t go saying that to your brother.”
    “Why not? It’s the truth. Look how she betrayed him—betrayed al of us, for that matter—years ago. Tucker needs to be reminded of that.”
    “I imagine he hasn’t forgotten, any more than you have. But if you start name-cal ing, he’l just rush to her defense and this whole thing wil get even more complicated than it already is.”
    She started to argue, then sighed. “You’re probably right. I’l temper my remarks.” She regarded him worriedly. “Think you can do the same?”
    “Not bloody likely.” He fingered the jewelry box in his pocket and wondered if he’d ever get the chance to give it to Frances. He was supposed to be picking her up in less than an hour, and the odds of him getting Tucker’s life straightened out in that amount of time were slim to none.
    Wel , Frances would just have to understand…again. He sighed heavily. Not bloody likely.
    Trying to stay in the background and out of the way of the forensics team was giving Tucker hives. He wasn’t used to sitting on the sidelines in his own blasted jurisdiction. He wanted to get into the library where Chandler had been shot. He knew Walker would eventual y fil him in, let him look over al the reports, but that wasn’t the same as being on the crime scene.
    Despite his frustration, though, the instant Walker escorted Mary Elizabeth out of the house, al of Tucker’s attention was riveted on her. Her chin was held high. Her shoulders were squared proudly. But her eyes were dul , her complexion pale. He’d never once in the more than twenty years he’d known her seen her look so thoroughly dispirited.
    As they neared, she met his gaze, locking on his face as if it were the first friendly beacon she’d seen.
    “You okay?” Tucker asked, pushing aside his anger at that sneaky press conference she and Powel had cal ed.
    She nodded, but her eyes wel ed with tears. She blinked frantical y to try to keep them from spil ing down her cheeks, but one escaped.
    Instinctively, Tucker gently rubbed it away with the pad of his thumb, then jerked away when he realized that Walker’s steady gaze was fixed on him.
    “Since she can’t stay here for the time being, Mrs. Chandler and I have been discussing where I’l be able to find her if I need to talk to her again,”
    Walker said.
    “You can reach her through me,” Tucker said at once.
    “No,” Mary Elizabeth protested, even as Walker scowled disapprovingly. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
    “You didn’t ask,” Tucker pointed out. “I offered.”
    “Can I speak to you privately?” Walker asked in a tone that suggested it wasn’t a request. He stepped a few feet away, assuming Tucker would fol ow. When Tucker joined him, he said, “Have you lost your mind?”
    “She needs a place to stay,” Tucker said with a defensive shrug. “Think of it as protective custody.”
    “It is a real y, real y bad idea,” Walker countered. “For reasons so numerous I can’t even begin to count them. Given your past history, you invite that woman into your home and I have to place