Free The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer by Lisa Orchard

to prison,” the man with the cap whined.
    â€œYou know, if you would have gotten rid of this like I said, you wouldn’t be so uptight right now.”
    â€œSorry, Lon. I screwed up.” The man with the cap hung his head.
    â€œRelax, everything else is going like clockwork.”
    â€˜ Like clockwork’ where have I heard those words before? Sarah w ondered.
    â€œI hope you’re right.”
    â€œI am right,” Lon laughed. “I’m always right. You worry too much.”
    Sarah stared at Jackie, her heart pounding and her hands slick with sweat.
    â€œThey’re talking about a crime!” Jackie whispered through clenched teeth.
    â€œShh.” Sarah grabbed Jackie’s arm and squeezed.
    The two men skulked past the willow tree unaware they were being watched. Sarah held her breath. She knew one wrong move, and they would be discovered.
    â€œWhat are you going to do with that?” the man with the cap asked, pointing toward a bundle Lon held in his hands.
    â€œGet rid of it.”
    Sarah watched as the two thugs turned on the path and walked closer to the creek.
    â€œAre they talking about getting rid of evidence?” Sarah asked in a low voice.
    â€œI think so.”
    â€œLet’s follow them.”
    â€œOkay.”
    Sarah crept from beneath the safety of the willow and Jackie followed her. The girls crouched behind tall grass and shrubs, stalking the thugs silently. Barely breathing, Sarah focused on following the men. She realized her hands were wet and wiped them on her shorts.
    â€œThey’re heading for the swimming hole,” Jackie muttered.
    Sarah nodded.
    Jackie had told Sarah about the swimming hole the first day they met. It was a part of the creek, where a pool of water formed before the stream split into two separate branches, and made its way around a tiny island. The water slowed here before it picked up its pace on the other side. Local teens came to the swimming hole to cool off on hot summer days.
    All of a sudden, Sarah stopped. Jackie collided with her and almost knocked her down.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” Jackie hissed.
    â€œLook.” Sarah pointed.
    The two men stood on the bank of the creek, talking and looking at the water. Jackie grabbed Sarah’s arm and pulled her down the path, intending to hide both girls behind a thicket. They made it several yards away before the girls stumbled and slipped in the wet mud. Landing in the water with a huge splash, Sarah’s heart jumped in her chest. There’s no way they didn’t hear us.
    â€œWhat was that noise?” the man with the cap asked.
    â€œI don’t know, but I’ll find out,” Lon said, his voice a low growl.
    Sarah reached for Jackie’s hand, but all she found was water. Jackie had disappeared.
    â€œJackie, where are you?” she whispered.
    Dazed from the cold water, Sarah floundered against the current. She tried swimming toward a group of cattails, but only managed to make a great deal of noise. She frantically searched for her friend. Her heart thundered against her ribs. It felt like it would burst through the wall of her chest any moment.
    â€œThere’s something in the water,” the man with the cap said.
    â€œWhere?” Lon asked.
    â€œOver there.”
    Sarah submerged her body under the water. She kept her eyes and ears above the surface so she could see and hear what was happening. The water swirled around her pulling at her body, as the two men walked toward her. Panic gnawed at her self-control and her stomach twisted into a tight knot of fear.
    I’m a goner!
    Just then, she felt a strong grip around her arm. She pivoted and saw Jackie. Relief flooded through her body. Jackie was soaking wet, her curls matted to her skull.
    â€œWhere have you been?” Sarah whispered.
    â€œCat tails.” She pointed to the opposite bank.
    â€œWe can’t go back there,” Sarah said as she cast a frantic