Free Sister's Revenge: Action Adventure Assassin Pulp Thriller Book #1 (Michelle Angelique Avenging Angel Assassin) by Lori Jean Grace, S. Jay Jackson Page A

her shoulder. As she walked toward the end of the alley, she dropped the hoodie in a puddle, then swished it around in the muddy water, making sure the gunk covered it. Later, every cop car, ambulance, and any other vehicle coming through would run over it. Then she strolled out of the alley, looking like anybody coming from the 7-Eleven with a Big Gulp.
    “Well, bless my soul, is that you, Michelle?”
    A middle-aged women had approached from the sidewalk as Michelle came to the end of the alley. Michelle recognized her. Betty Greer had been a family friend for as long as Michelle could remember. She was a church-going woman, and before the car accident that took Michelle’s parents’ lives, Mrs. Greer had spent a lot of time with Michelle’s mom at their church.
    “Hi, Miss Betty. What a pleasant surprise to see you out here today.”
    “Where else would I be? You must remember I always go to 7-Eleven for my cigarettes and a little fresh air.”
    “Yes, ma’am, I do.”
    “Well, girl, are you going to tell me where you’ve been? Nobody’s seen you for, what, three years?”
    Michelle was happy to see Miss Betty, but with a dead body in the alley and the murder weapon in her bag, the timing couldn’t be much worse. Miss Betty loved to gossip. She talked a lot. Much sharper than most people gave her credit for. Miss Betty also asked questions and truly paid attention to the answers. Michelle knew she would not be free anytime soon. She thought about a dozen ways to get out of staying and none of them were any good.
    “Are you going to tell me or make me stand here, guessing?”
    “Oh, I’m sorry, Miss Betty. I don’t really know where to begin.” Michelle told her a watered-down version of the truth, a story of living abroad and about her job with the movies, chatting and keeping the conversation natural. She needed to act normal, or Miss Betty might tell the cops how Michelle had acted jumpy, which would make them suspicious of her.
    While she talked, Michelle tried to casually ease toward her parked car.
    “Where are you headed, child?” Miss Betty asked. “I still have to get my cigarettes. Here, walk with me to the 7-Eleven and I’ll walk back with you.”
    “Sure thing. I’ve already been”—she raised her Big Gulp cup—“but I’d be happy to walk with you and hear about what’s happened while I’ve been gone.”
    As the two women walked, Miss Betty gossiped about various people and events in the hood, and after they left the 7-Eleven, while they were walking across the parking lot, a police car passed by. Half way up the block, its light bar came to life with red and blue flashing lights as the cruiser did a tire-squealing U-turn and sped back past them. It hung a fast right at the corner they were headed toward.
    Damn. That didn’t take long. Somebody must have come out the back of Brown’s and seen him lying there.
    “That po-lease seems to be in a big hurry,” Miss Betty said, and then she chuckled. “Must’ve got a call from his girlfriend. Best not let his wife learn about that.”
    Michelle and Miss Betty approached the corner, and another police car sped up the street, lights flashing, going in the same direction as the first.
    “Something’s up,” Michelle said.
    “Sure is. I wonder what. Don’t need no trouble, that’s for certain. I hope it isn’t someone been hurt over at the park. Those gangsta-looking types were hanging out by the courts when I came by.”
    Not too far away, came the wail of a siren and then it cut off. A moment later, an ambulance drove up the street, lights flashing. The lights cut and it slowed down, following the two police cars.
    Michelle and Miss Betty had turned the corner and stood at the mouth of the alley where the two police cars were parked, lights flashing. The ambulance sat behind them, back doors open. EMTs were casually pulling a stretcher out.
    Michelle saw the black hoodie she’d dropped in the mud puddle; it’d been run over