Free Linda Crowder - Jake and Emma 01 - Too Cute to Kill by Linda Crowder Page A

sat in Emma’s office, waiting for Jake to arrive.
    Kristy and Nick talked about the football playoffs while Emma sat deep in thought about what the youth had told her.  Sherry Thorne had handled the sale of the ranch.  The sale had closed in October, why would she go out there in November? 
    There had only been one major storm before Thanksgiving.  Sherry must have argued with Nate the day she died.  Where did she go after she drove off, too upset to even notice Nick parked beside the road?  She’d left the ranch in the afternoon, what happened between that moment and the fateful moment Sherry Thorne had stepped into her killer’s car?
    Jake arrived as they were finishing off the last of the coffee.  He was shocked to find his former client sitting in his wife’s office.  Kristy insisted on staying late, posting herself in the reception area.  “We need a look-out,” she whispered to Emma “in case those people come after Nick.”
    “What are you going to do if some killer comes walking in the reception room?” Emma whispered back.  Kristy beckoned Emma over to her desk.  She unlocked and opened the top drawer to reveal a pretty but deadly 9mm handgun.  “When did you get that?” Emma asked, keeping her voice low so the men wouldn’t hear them.
    “When you started working with those women from Heath House,” explained Kristy.  “I thought someday some abusive husband or boyfriend might show up so I went out and got a concealed carry permit.”
    “You don’t leave it there overnight do you?” asked Emma, picturing the surprise of a janitor if Kristy forgot to lock the drawer.
    “Nah, I carry it in my purse.  I only have it in the drawer for quick access while I’m here.”  Emma smiled and shook her head.  Trust Kristy to be looking out for their safety.  She locked the door to the reception area and returned to her office, leaving a watchful Kristy on duty. 
    Nick had filled Jake in on his story by the time she returned.  They were both looking grave as she resumed her seat behind the desk.  “Did you tell Jake about someone trying to kill you, Nick?”
    Jake looked concerned.  “He did, though it may not have been a deliberate attempt.  When you’re scared, sometimes an accident seems sinister.”
    “It wasn’t an accident,” insisted Nick.  “That car deliberately swerved at me in the parking lot.  I had to jump onto somebody’s hood and roll across it to get away.”
    “Oh my,” said Emma.  “Did you see who it was?” 
    “No,” said Nick, dejectedly.  “The car got out of there after that.”
    “Did you see the driver?” asked Jake.
    “I didn’t even see the car until it almost hit me,” answered Nick.  “I’ve been walking around in a daze since Dad died.”
    “When did this happen?” asked Emma.
    “This morning.  That’s why I came here.”  He looked at Jake.  “It scared me.  What if whoever killed Dad is trying to kill me?”
    “Did you see the man on the bridge that night?” asked Jake. 
    Nick shook his head.  “It was dark.  There’s a light over by the Fort but it doesn’t light the bridge very well.  I could make out two people.  He was taller than my Dad, I could see that.”
    “You said the man walked off and left your dad on the bridge?”  Nick nodded.  “Did you see where he went?”
    “He went back toward the museum,” Nick said after thinking about it.  “I didn’t watch him for long, I was more interested in watching my dad.”
    Jake looked at Emma.  “Do you remember anyone coming in from the Fort area, how long did you say it was Nick, between when the man left and when the museum staff went over to your dad?”
    Nick thought it had been about half an hour but he hadn’t had a watch.  “Long enough I was getting really cold out there.  I was just getting ready to go find out what Dad was doing when I saw the guys from the museum head over.”
    Emma thought back to that night.  There had been people in