Free Skating Around The Law by Joelle Charbonneau Page A

started down the flagstone path to a small gardener’s shed. I didn’t think it would be a den of clues, but I was here anyway. I poked my head in. Nothing in there but cobwebs and an old riding mower. Big surprise. Well, at least I’d found the CD and key. Who knows, maybe they would lead me to Mack’s murderer. The only way to find out required a computer. It was time to head back to the rink.
    I walked across the backyard and through the gate just in time to see an Indian Falls squad car pulling up right behind mine. Oh no, I thought. Busted.

Seven
    â€œI thought I told you to let me and the sheriff do our jobs.” Deputy Sean sauntered toward me with a scowl. “What do you think you’re doing here, Rebecca?”
    He leaned on my car. My shoulders tensed as his handcuffs banged against the passenger door. After a year I’d managed to keep the car unscratched, which was practically a miracle, living in Chicago. Getting the first ding from Deputy Pompous would be seriously depressing. Deputy Sean grinned at me and added, “You know, you should be careful. Sniffing around out here might get you more than a little graffiti on your front door.”
    I stood up straight. That sounded like a threat, and I didn’t like threats. Of course, angering the cops after just breaking into a murder victim’s house was not exactly my brightest idea. Sean could make trouble for me, and I already had enough of that. I needed to make nice.
    â€œI’m sorry,” I cooed, batting my eyelashes. “After finding Mack’s body and getting that message on the rink door, I’m a little edgy. You’re a cop, which means nothing frightens you, but I’m scared.” Of staying in Indian Falls for the rest of my life, I finished the sentence in my head. Taking a step forward, I gave Sean what I hoped was a pleading look. “I know you don’t need my help, but I couldn’t stop myself from coming out here. Sitting around doing nothing would drive me crazy.”
    Sean’s angry frown eased into a toothpaste commercial smile. “I’ll let it go this once. You’ve had a rough time, but make sure you steer clear of our investigation from now on.” He put a hand on his holster. “Don’t you worry, Rebecca. We’re going to break this case wide open before you know it.”
    I managed to thank him and get to my car without laughing. Sean had sounded like he’d been reciting lines from a bad action flick. I turned the key in the ignition and noticed Sean watching me. I drove off with a small wave, hoping he didn’t dust the house for prints. Mine would be everywhere. Somehow I didn’t think Deputy Holmes would let me out of that one with only a Clint Eastwood monologue as punishment.
    The Village People echoed through the rink as I walked through the door. Kids skated round and round singing “YMCA” at the top of their lungs. It was the same thing I did at their age. Scary, I thought, some things never change.
    Slipping into my office, I pulled Mack’s BUSINESS disk out of my purse and slid it into the computer. While the computer was booting up, I examined the key that had been hidden inside the case. It had a square top and a faded number etched in that could be the number seventeen…maybe. Besides that, it looked like a plain old key that could fit any number of locks.
    The menu for Mack’s disk appeared on my computer screen. The disk contained a total of three files. I clicked on the first one, and a spreadsheet appeared.
    From what I could tell, it documented Mack’s handyman business, organized by month and year. I scrolled down to a year ago. There was my mother’s name, a list of the jobs he’d been hired to do, the dates on which he’d contracted them, the dates on which he’d completed them, and then the dates on which he’d been paid. I scrolled back up and found Annette’s name.