Free Mind Over Murder by Allison Kingsley Page A

few yards away, then walked toward her, an odd expression on his face.
    Clara let out a shaky breath. The jolt she’d felt when she’d recognized him wasn’t entirely fear. Again the voices whispered. Louder this time. Don’t believe anything he says .
    Was that the Quinn Sense, or her own natural instincts kicking in? Before she could make up her mind, he’d reached her.
    “Training for the marathon?”
    She blinked up at him. He didn’t look like a killer. His eyes, gleaming in the light from the streetlamp, held only amusement and something that made her pulse tick a little faster.
    “I’m sorry?”
    He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “The way you were hustling back there, I thought you were in training for something.”
    “Oh, that.” She managed a smile. “I was just in a hurry to get to my car. It’s been a long day.”
    His expression changed to one of concern. “Sorry; did I scare you? It must have shaken all you ladies up quite a bit to find Ana Jordan that way. I don’t blame you for scooting down the hill. I should have called out.”
    At the mention of the dead woman’s name, Clara felt a chill. “It wasn’t a pleasant experience, by any means.” In an attempt to change the subject, she quickly added, “Are you on your way home, too?”
    His pause unsettled her. Finally, he said, “As a matter of fact, I was going to stop in at the Pizza Parlor. Care to join me?”
    He’d thrown out the invitation casually, as if he’d just thought of it. Clara wasn’t fooled for a minute. Stephanie .
    In spite of everything she’d said, her cousin must have said something to him after all.
    “Thank you,” she said stiffly. “But my mother will have dinner waiting for me at home.” Without waiting for an answer, she turned and sped down the hill.
    Safely inside her car, she thumbed Stephanie’s number on her cell phone.
    Her cousin answered almost right away. “What’s wrong?”
    “Nothing.” Clara waited for her temper to cool. “At least, not with the store. I thought I told you not to say anything to Rick Sanders about my going out with him.”
    “I didn’t! I swear I didn’t!” She paused, then added with growing excitement, “Why? Did he ask you out? Really? What did you say?”
    Clara closed her eyes. She didn’t need the Quinn Sense to know that Stephanie was telling the truth. She knew her cousin far too well to mistake that tone of voice. “He asked me to go for pizza. I turned him down.” She briefly laid her forehead on the steering wheel. He must have thought her a total idiot. “I thought you’d put him up to it.”
    “Clara! You missed a golden opportunity!”
    “No, what I missed was potentially embarrassing myself by asking dumb questions. I’m sorry, Stephanie. I’m not going out with Rick Sanders even if he asks me again, which I seriously doubt after the way I left him tonight.”
    Stephanie’s sigh seemed to hang on the line forever. “I don’t see how we’re ever going to catch Ana’s killer.”
    “Well, maybe we should just let the police do their job.”
    “If only you’d use the Quinn Sense—”
    “I told you, I can’t.” Clara softened her tone. “I’m tired. I’m going home. See you tomorrow.” She closed her phone and started the engine. She’d told the truth. She was tired, and maybe there was just a little tinge of regret mixed in there as well. It might have been nice to share a pizza with Rick Sanders.
    She drove along the coast road, watching the frothy waves turn to silver in the moonlight. No, she’d done the right thing. No more involvements. At least, not for a long time. Long enough for her to forget everything that had happened in New York. Long enough to let go of the past. Until she could do that, she wasn’t ready to trust her heart again.

6
    Roberta Prince arrived in town the following day. Clara caught sight of her as she strode past the window of the Raven’s Nest that afternoon. Stephanie had just left for the day,