Free Christy Barritt - Squeaky Clean 07 - Mucky Streak by Christy Barritt

personality and character,” Holly quipped. “I like to think about where this car has been, what it’s done. It’s like a piece of history.”
    “An unreliable piece of history.” He stuck his head under the hood.
    I tuned them out and scanned the woods again. This time I saw the fading sunlight reflect on something in the distance.
    Something shiny.
    Like binoculars.
    I hadn’t been imagining things after all.

 
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 8
    “Gabby?” Holly asked.
    I snapped back to my immediate surroundings. “Maybe we should leave your car here and have someone pick it up later.”
    My mind began replaying my encounter with Milton Jones. He was a serial killer, and I’d been his captive for a few days. It had felt like a lifetime. I still remembered the darkness, the fear. I still couldn’t look at a bucket of water without wanting to throw up. And, as a crime scene cleaner, I saw a lot of buckets.
    “Gabby?”
    My gaze found Holly. “Yes?”
    “You’re as pale as a ghost.”
    I searched for the source of that reflection again, but it was gone. That’s when I pulled my gun out. “We really need to go.”
    Holly’s eyes widened. “Wowzers .”
    At that moment, the hood slammed down. Thankfully, my finger wasn’t on the trigger. I was jumpier than a flea on a trampoline.
    “All fixed ,” Brian announced. “One of the cables leading to your battery came unplugged. Kind of weird but fixable. You should probably bring this over for a tune up sometimes, though.”
    “Like you don’t have enough on your plate.”
    “I always have time for you.” He shrugged. “At least take it into the shop.”
    I ’d much rather pay attention to their little soap opera, but there was a potential crazy person out there. I had to keep the bulk of my attention focused on the distance.
    “Whoa ,” Brian suddenly said. “That’s a … gun.”
    “A girl can never be too careful,” I mumbled, sounding tougher than I felt.
    “You want to be careful somewhere else?” Brian asked. “I’ve got a campaign to run. Ralph doesn’t stand a chance without me.”
    “That’s not true.” Holly scowled.
    “You know it is. I’m the man behind the man.”
    “ Your conversation is cute and all, but there’s someone watching us.” I nodded in the distance. “He’s over there.”
    A wrinkle formed between Brian’s eyebrows. “Someone watching us? For real?”
    I nodded. “Unfortunately.”
    Brian raised his hands in the air. “Look, I’m not going to pretend to be a hero here. I’m only a superstar in the social media world. I think we all need to get in our cars and get out of here.”
    Holly nodded.  “Sounds like a good idea to me.”
    I gave the woods one last glance before climbing in the Mustang. No way was I trying to chase someone down myself, especially since I didn’t know whom I was up against.
    But this case was starting to leave a bad, bad feeling in my gut.
     
    ***
     
    Holly drove down the streets closest to Garrett’s property, and I looked for a suspicious vehicle parked on the side of the road, some kind of clue as to who had been in the woods. I saw nothing and no one. But I was sure someone had been there. He must have left when he’d realized we’d spotted him.
    When we got back to the house, I’d had dinner with Lydia and Holly, and then I’d excused myself for the night. I needed time to let my thoughts percolate.
    R ight now, I sat on my bed and stared at my notes.
    W hich led me nowhere.
    After I stared at my notes, I stared at my cellphone.
    Which led me nowhere.
    Riley still hadn’t called. Was my memory faulty or had he said he’d call every day? I was fairly certain that’s what he’d said.
    The fact that he hadn’t made an effort seemed like a prophecy of our doomed relationship. How could things have been so great just a few months ago? I would have never envisioned then that I’d be at this place now.
    But I knew, deep in my heart, what had happened. Milton Jones had