Free 1 In For A Penny by Maggie Toussaint Page A

something to Dudley, but that was a typical male reaction, talking about violence. And he did appear to be the type to use a golf club instead of a gun, but I really wanted to know if he owned a gun. So I asked him.
    He stopped pacing and stared at me. “You’re joking?”
    I wasn’t joking and I felt very much like I’d asked the wrong question. Did I have some bizarre death wish? Taunting a potential murderer wasn’t good for longevity.
    The air temperature in here seemed to drop twenty degrees. I shivered. How fast could I throw my ice bag at him and limp out of here?
    “Where is she? What have you done with her?” Jonette said.
    Relief swept through me. I’d never been so glad to hear Jonette’s familiar voice in my life.
    “Calm down, Ms. Moore,” I heard Rafe say. “Cleo’s in my office with Jasper. I’ll escort you back there as soon as I’m finished with this customer.”
    “Forget that,” Jonette said. “I’m not waiting for anything. I’ve already wasted too much time waiting and I have no patience left. Get out of my way.”
    I could just imagine Jonette sailing around the counter and threading her way through the crowded storage area. But what if Rafe and Jasper were in this murdering thing together? Were they tag team murderers? Was Jonette putting herself in harm’s way by joining me in the back office?
    “Cleo!” Jonette bellowed. “Where the hell are you?”
    “Back here.” I tried not to look at Jasper’s unibrow or his clenched fists. Something was very screwy with that young man. I didn’t want to hang around here and find out exactly which screw was loose. “I had an accident.”
    “Me too, and the accident is named Detective Britt Radcliff.” Jonette rounded the corner and saw me. “You’re hurt,” she said.
    Jonette’s face was deathly pale and she wore yesterday’s golf clothes. Coffee stains dotted her white polo shirt, deep creases lined her red golf skirt. I cautiously stood up. “I’ll be fine. I need to get to work.” I would have been fine too, except my ankle gave out immediately.
    While I demonstrated my proficiency with cuss words, Jonette steadied me and dragged me out of there. “Let’s get you home.”
    I wasn’t headed home, but any place was better than this pro shop. I felt like a nursery rhyme character as I limped out, one shoe on and one shoe God knows where. The carnage in the pro shop had been stacked to one side and Christine Strand was nowhere in sight.
    As I passed Rafe and his cluster of aged customers, he emoted concern. He could emote all he wanted. I was getting the hell out of there.
    Jonette propelled me forward and into the parking lot. I didn’t even protest as she stuffed me in her tin can of a car. “Dammit, Cleo. What happened to you? It’s not fair you’re hurt when it’s my hour of need.”
    My blood ran cold. “Your hour of need? What happened?”
    “I spent the night at the police station. Britt thinks I murdered Dudley.”

 
    Chapter 9
     
    Damn Sam. She had me there. An overnight in jail trumped a busted ankle any day of the week. “You can’t be serious.”
    Jonette started her car up and sped out of the lot. “He held me overnight while they searched my house, my car, and my bank accounts. I got strip-searched by a female officer. As if I could hide a gun in my privates. What the hell is wrong with the cops these days? Why aren’t they out there catching the real crooks?”
    My head pounded at her angry sentences. I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me, again. I couldn’t quite take it all in. “Start at the beginning. What happened after I dropped you off at the golf course yesterday afternoon?”
    “What happened? I’ll tell you what happened. Detective Britt Radcliff happened. He ruined my life. That’s what. I’ll be lucky if I still have a job after not showing up last night.”
    I rubbed my temples. “I don’t understand.”
    Jonette ran a yellow light. She held one hand on the