Free Probable Paws (Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery Series Book 5) by Leighann Dobbs Page B

The circumstances surrounding Adelaide’s death must be more nefarious than I’d thought.
    Striker leaned against the counter. “No reason. I just didn’t know if you went digging up anyone else’s yard last night.”
    “Very funny.” I finished the rest of the cruller. “So what’s going on with Adelaide’s death?”
    Striker scowled. “Nothing.”
    “ Meow! ” Pandora had jumped down from her bed and was playing with one of her catnip toys. She batted it with her paw, and it slid across the floor, spinning to a stop in between Striker and me. I nudged it back across the room to her with my toe then looked back up at Striker.
    “Nothing? Then why were you at the Hamiltons’ last night?”
    The toy came sliding back, catching Striker’s attention, and he watched as Pandora slid over then used her left paw to bounce the toy off the side of his boot. “I told you I saw your car there.”
    “Nice try. My car was pretty far down the dirt road, so you must have been at the Hamilton estate in order to see it.”
    Pandora batted the toy again, and it skidded to a stop in between the toes of my blue-and-white-striped Keds. I frowned down at it, noticing exactly what the toy was—a white ghost. Was she trying to tell me something? She had been acting very perceptive lately. Maybe she knew something I didn’t. I looked around nervously for Adelaide.
    “I’m the police. I patrol the area.” Striker glanced up from the toy, his eyes drifting around the room.
    “But you’re not the police in Mystic Notch.” I was talking to Striker, but my eyes were still on alert for signs of Adelaide’s ghost.
    Pandora flipped the toy in the air and jumped up after it. She batted it in midair, and it flew across the room, landing at the end of the paranormal and mystical books aisle.
    “Every place I go doesn’t have to do with murder.” Striker stepped closer to me and captured my wrist in his hand. “Honestly, I really just wanted to make sure you weren’t getting into anything that you might not be able to get out of.”
    His thumb rubbed slow circles on the inside of my wrist, making me forget all about Pandora and her catnip toy. “Don’t worry. I’m not looking into Adelaide’s murder. I was there for another reason entirely.”
    Striker’s brow creased. “What could you have possibly been there for—”
    The bells over the door chimed, interrupting his question. A customer slipped in. From where I stood, I could only see him from the side. A young guy with a baseball cap pulled down over his face. He glanced at us quickly then darted behind Striker’s back toward the aisle where I kept the comic books. Not unusual for a young person, but something about his demeanor set my nerves on edge.
    Striker released my wrist and ran his hand through his short-cropped dark hair. “Okay, well, I’ve got to get back to work. You give me a call if you need me.” He dropped a kiss on the top of my head and was gone.
    I approached the comic aisle tentatively and nearly peed my pants when the customer peered out at me just as I peeked around the corner.
    “Max?” I recognized Adelaide’s grandson. Up close, I could see he was thin, with long brown bangs that fell in front of his eyes.
    A sheepish look spread over his face, and he pushed the cap up higher on his head so I could see more of his face. “Sorry.”
    “Were you hiding from Striker?” I asked.
    He scanned the store to make sure it was empty. “I need to tell you something, but the police can’t know.”
    “Why tell me, then?” It seemed odd he wanted to confide in me today considering he wanted to kick me off his property just last night.
    He leaned toward me, lowering his voice even though no one else was in the store. “I’ve done some checking on you. You’re looking for Gram’s killer, aren’t you?”
    “He always was such a good kid.” Adelaide’s ghost popped up out of nowhere, scaring the bejesus out of me. She swirled and glowed with