Free MULTIPLE MOTIVES (The Kate Huntington mystery series Book 1) by Kassandra Lamb

you’ve got questions. Come on.” She marched back inside and headed for some chairs far from the other people waiting in the ER. She didn’t want to discuss her business in front of curious strangers.
    He asked the obvious–who was Mary, why was she at Kate’s house, did she have any enemies–writing the answers in his little notepad.
    Kate pointed to the pad. “They must buy those by the gross for you all. Every time I see a police officer, he or she is scribbling in one of them.”
    He gave her an odd look.
    Oookay , said the rational side of her mind to the semi-hysterical side, probably shouldn’t be admitting that I’ve been hanging around cops who needed to write down things about me .
    “Do you know what happened?” she asked the officer.
    “Still investigating.” Then in response to her glare, he added, “Probably burglars. There’s been a rash of break-ins around Towson lately, during the day while people are at work. Might have seen you leave. Didn’t realize you had a house guest.”
    “Were there any signs of a break-in?”
    “None that I saw,” the officer said. “Neighbor spotted your sister lying on the porch. Went up to investigate. Called it in when she saw the blood.”
    Kate clenched her teeth. She was trying hard not to think about the blood. She reminded herself that head wounds bleed profusely. It didn’t necessarily mean the injury was severe.
    “How would she have ended up on the porch if someone broke in?”
    The cop shrugged. “Burglars might’ve rung the doorbell, to make sure no one was home. She came to the door. They panicked. Hit her with something.”
    Kate was debating whether to fill him in on a different theory when Rob came through the ER doors. He spotted Kate and barreled across the room. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he lifted her out of her chair. “Are you okay?”
    “Yeah.” She struggled to breath as he enveloped her in a bear hug.
    “My voicemail garbled your message,” Rob said into her hair. “All I heard was ‘something’s happened’ and then ‘GBMC.’ You sounded terrified.”
    “That’s ’cause I am.” Kate pulled back to look up at his face.
    The cop cleared his throat. “Your husband?”
    “No, a friend. Could we have a moment? Don’t go away.” She led Rob out of earshot and quickly filled him in, including her temptation to tell this cop the whole story and maybe get someone with a new perspective involved in the case.
    Rob shook his head. “That’s not what will happen. This kid’ll write it all down and turn it over to the detective who’s already working the burglaries. Then that detective will come question us and we’ll repeat the whole miserable story all over again. He or she will compare notes with Phillips but they won’t get involved in Ed’s case. It’s more likely that the investigation into Mary’s attack would be turned over to Phillips.”
    “Crap!” Kate said.
    “Let me deal with the officer. I’ll tell him to have the detective contact me. Be right back,” Rob said.
    Kate flopped down in one of the chairs around the perimeter of the waiting room.
    A few minutes later, Rob came over and sat down beside her. “You okay? You seem a little too calm.”
    “Clinical detachment. I can sit on my feelings when I have to. I was trying not to lose it in front of the cop.”
    “Well, he’s gone now so feel free to lose it whenever you want.”
    “Urge has passed for the moment, but I’m sure it will come back at some point.”
    Rob took her hand. She put her head back against the wall, closing her eyes. “Thanks for coming.”
    “That’s what friends are for,” he said.
    They sat–her eyes closed, her hand gently encased in Rob’s, her stomach tied in knots–for what seemed an eternity.
    The swish of an automatic door opening. Kate opened one eye. The ER doctor was at the nurses’ station. The nurse was pointing in their direction. He headed their way.
    Kate jumped out of her chair, startling Rob.