Free A Minute on the Lips by Cheryl Harper Page A

streetlights illuminated empty roads. Jackie’s Country Kitchen was closed for the evening. A lamp in the back sent weak shafts of light through the dining room. Andi stopped and tested the door. It was locked. She got back in and drove around behind to check the alley. It was well lit as far as alleys go, and it was deserted. On the way home, she passed the newspaper office. Mark Taylor had an apartment on the second floor of the building. Lights were on up there but the newspaper office was dark. Apparently the news did sleep, maybe right after the weekly paper went out.
    Andi turned onto the two-lane highway that led out of town then made a quick right down the lane to her house. It was a well-loved place. That was clear even in the bright moonlight. It was neat. There were healthy bushes and well-kept outbuildings. And someone was waiting for Andi. Her cat, Mojo, sat in the living room window as she pulled to a stop in front of the house. Sometimes she thought about getting a dog. After years of living in an apartment, she was lucky enough to have plenty of space now and the Tall Pines shelter was always crowded. If she were sure this was going to be home, she might. The only problem was Mojo. He had a bad attitude and lightning-quick reflexes. They’d ironed out a tenuous peace over eight years, and he’d almost forgiven her for packing him up and driving him more than two hundred miles. That had taken more than two years. She had no idea how long the recovery period might be for bringing home a dog. Plus, she liked the routine she and Mojo had established. She tried to get him to talk to her in the morning and evening with a can opener, and he tried to ignore her the rest of the day.
    As she dropped her keys on the kitchen counter, Andi sighed with relief. It was good to be home. And no matter how hard things might be in town, when she was here, Andi felt safe. She could remember family dinners here, back when she was sure she’d never be happier than she was at Gram’s kitchen table. Mojo meowed loudly at her feet.
    “All right, cat. Here comes the chow.” As she pulled down a tin of expensive cat food, Andi smiled and hoped for a good night’s sleep. Her campaign was going to kick into high gear tomorrow. It might be the last night of good sleep until she made her acceptance speech.

CHAPTER FIVE
    T HERE WERE A few things Andi could not compromise on. Black coffee was one. It was the only proper way to drink coffee, and it had not escaped her notice that Mark Taylor drank his the wrong way.
    Another thing that was nonnegotiable for Andi was having nice hair. Sure, she kept it tamed in a ponytail for almost all her waking hours, but it was nice to know that she could let loose her crowning glory if she wanted to. Crowning glories didn’t come cheap or easy. For Andi, it required a morning in the chair over at the Hair Port under the very capable hands of Lynn Davis. Lynn was the only person Andi trusted to get her color the right shade of “better than the original but not quite noticeable enough to cause talk.”
    Lynn looked like she’d just moved up to the eighth grade, but she’d actually been doing hair in Tall Pines for about five years. And there was not a single secret in the county that she didn’t know. There’s a power in being a hairdresser. She had a captive audience.
    Going to see Lynn was a double-edged sword. Even after growing up as the subject of more than a few conversations, Andi had to fight the temptation of trading information with the ladies in the Hair Port to fit in. So she’d just listen. And keep her mouth shut. All the time. Because any details Andi let slip would travel across town before she made it back to the office two blocks away. If Andi could do that and pick up anything about Jackie’s case or the suspects, the hundred-dollar check she was going to leave behind would be money well spent.
    When Andi went to see Lynn, they always had the same conversation. As the bells