Free The Doctor and the War Widow by Viola Russell Page B

her eyebrows. “She was listening to us.” Her throat constricted. “Do you think she’d hurt you?” The thought of him in trouble sent a wave of cold terror up Harley’s spine. Abisi looked miserable, and she believed him about Kimberly. She smiled suddenly, forcing a lightness into her voice she didn’t feel. “She tries anything, I’ll get her back. Have you gone to the police?”
    He waved his hand dismissively. “Police? To tell them what? She hasn’t done anything yet.” He then frowned uneasily. “What would you do?”
    “Put her in one of my books.” Harley took a bite out of her sandwich and winked. No one had better ever cause her man grief.
    Thirty minutes later, Harley parked beside St. Cyprian’s Girls High School. She used her key to enter.
    Jules, one of the maintenance people, smiled broadly when he saw her. He waved at her and made his way to the front of the building, shears and clippers in his hands.
    “Good afternoon, Jules.”
    “To you, too, ma’am.” He tipped his cap.
    Less than an hour later, Harley emerged from the building. She retrieved the keys from her purse and crossed to her car. “Oh, shit!” Both tires on the driver’s side of her car were flat.
    Jules appeared from the other side of the building. He placed a trash bag in a dumpster and called to her. “Anything wrong, Ms. Michel?”
    “Yes, I seem to have two flats.” Harley dialed her car service agency.
    “Bad luck.” Jules knelt to examine the tires. He looked up suddenly. “Ms. Michel, these ain’t no flats. Your tires have been slit.”
    Harley swallowed. Who would do such a thing? The school was almost deserted. Besides, the kids liked her. Maybe some gang member decided to earn street credit on her car. “Did you see anyone around here?”
    “I did, but I didn’t think she was doing anything wrong.”
    “What did you see?”
    “A lady pulled in here in a red Camaro and parked near you. I went around back to take care of the crepe myrtles. I thought she was a parent coming to the office.”
    Harley sighed, frustrated. This would cost her money she didn’t have. “Are you sure she wasn’t?”
    “Don’t know, but she was the only person to come in here. The secretary’s been here all day. Same with the other maintenance people. You pulled up, and she came a few minutes later.”
    “You didn’t recognize her?”
    “No, but she was wearing one of those shirts like nurses wear. It had little animals on it, but it had that V-neck collar.”
    Harley gasped. Oh, Jesus! What she suspected couldn’t be happening. Harley punched in Abisi’s cell number. “What kind of car does Kimberly drive?”
    “Why? What’s wrong?”
    Harley could hear the panic in his voice.
    “Tell me.”
    “A red Camaro.” His voice held an edge. “What in hell is happening, Harley?”
    “I think your old girlfriend slashed my tires.”
    At first, Harley thought the phone went dead.
    “I’ll take care of the car. Don’t worry.” His voice grew harsh. “I’ll also take care of her .”
    Harley moved away so Jules couldn’t hear her. “Don’t kill her, for Christ’s sakes.”
    “I won’t kill her, but I sure as bloody hell can see that she doesn’t work here anymore.”
    “I can’t really prove this. Neither can you.” Harley would have loved to strangle the woman, but she knew they couldn’t make hasty accusations.
    His voice thundered over the phone. “We’ll know if she disappeared from her job for any period. She won’t get by with this. I’ll bring this to the authorities.”
    “Just be careful, okay. The woman’s a fruit cake.” Harley shivered, imagining the woman hiding behind a bush. She saw Abisi with a knife in his chest and shivered.
    “Ma’am.” Jules was still bent over her tires. “Those cameras on the roof might’ve caught something.”
    An hour later, local authorities took Kimberly Cheramie into custody for vandalism and criminal mischief. The hospital board, called in for an