Free He's on My Mind by Crystal Red Page A

hear what you had to say, let
alone believe it, but you never want to think the worst about someone you care
about.”
    She took her hand and squeezed it. “I
don’t want you to think that all guys are like that. They’re not. You’ll find a
good man someday. He could be right under your nose.”
    Beth frowned. “Hmm, don’t give me any
ideas.”
    “And what would that be? Hooking up
with Chad?” Kelsey teased. Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, but all she
wanted to do was cheer up her friend. She’d always been there for Kelsey. Now
it was her turn.
    “Exactly.” Beth fanned her face. “He’s
hot, okay? I admit it.”
    She slapped a hand on her thigh. “See?
How hard was that to say?”
    “Harder than you think.” Beth headed
into her bedroom, and Kelsey did the same.
     
    * * * *
     
    The weekend flew by, and once again
Monday came. Kelsey kept her distance from Brandon. She needed time to think
about the situation. It wasn’t enough that he was secretly a werewolf. She also
had to deal with the fact she wanted to jump his bones every time she looked at
him. It’d only been a week. Far too soon. She had to get her shit together
before she let herself go there. Respect, that was what it was all about.
    She and Beth walked together, side by
side, laughing at shows they’d watched over the weekend. After they arrived at the
bookshop, they saw a couple police officers outside their front door. Oh no. The last thing she wanted to be involved in this early in the morning was cops.
Especially on a Monday. Did they have a break in? So many questions spun around
in her mind. She exchanged a long look with Beth. Neither of them had a clue
what this could be about. She guessed they’d find out soon.
    The gray-haired officer tipped his
head in a small nod. “Good morning, ladies. Are you the owners of this bookshop?”
His name tag read Tieman.
    “Yes, we are. What’s going on?” Kelsey
asked.
    “Is there a place we can go and talk
inside, maybe?” The second cop with black hair had asked. His read Strasser.
    She looks really
young to be running a bookshop. The redhead too.
    Kelsey nodded and unlocked the door.
The four of them walked into the backroom where she set out two tan metal
chairs. The officers remained standing.
    “I’m Officer George Tieman, and this
is my partner, Nate Strasser. We came here today because we received a call about
a dead body someone found behind your shop.”
    Sometimes I really
hate my job. No woman deserves this.
    “Dead b-body?” Beth’s eyes widened as
she stammered.
    Nate cleared his throat. “Yes, the
body was found in front of the Dumpster. One of the trash men reported it. He
recognized her as the older woman who owned a flower shop a block from here,
Ms. Wein. Did you know her?”
    Kelsey shook her head. “Not really.
I’ve seen her around, but we’ve only made small talk.”
    George jotted something down on his
notepad. “The victim’s body has already been taken to the morgue to determine
the cause of death. From the report of how she was found, it seemed like an
animal had attacked her.”
    Kelsey swallowed hard at the word “animal.”
What if a werewolf had killed Ms. Wein? How could she live with herself if
there was a chance Brandon was behind it? Or he, at least, knew someone who
could be behind the murder. Her heart fell to her feet. How could anyone be that
cruel? She took a sharp breath.
    She glanced over at Beth, whose rosy
cheeks faded to white. Her poor friend. Beth had no clue what was going on.
Kelsey hated secrets, but what else could she do? Kelsey picked up Beth’s hand
and squeezed it, but the pounding in her heart continued. How could she make
her friend feel better about the situation or herself?
    “Why would an animal attack a human?
Unless it was a bear,” Beth muttered, clinging tight to the metal chair.
    “I know this is hard to believe.”
Officer Strasser looked down at his notes and then up at the two of them. “The
victim