The Silent Witness. Dani Sinclair

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СКАЧАТЬ I guarantee you, I’m going to scream bloody murder.”

      He dropped his hand to his side. “Now why would you want to go and do a thing like that, Ms. Michaels?”

      “Because I don’t like being touched, Sergeant.”

      He squinted at her. Anger added tight lines around his mouth and eyes. He wasn’t going to take this rebuke any better than the others she’d given him on those rare occasions when their paths had crossed. Nicki only prayed that Officer Jackstone was still outside and near enough to hear her if she had to make good on her threat.

      “Really? You don’t like being touched, huh?”

      “I don’t like her being touched either.”

      Alex’s low drawl sent her spinning around. He leaned against the wall in another negligent pose, but Nicki knew him well enough to know that Alex seethed with controlled tension.

      “I especially don’t like her being touched by you,” Alex added.

      “Well, well, well. Isn’t this cozy?” Osher gave her an evil glare and then turned his entire focus on Alex. “We’ve been looking for you, Coughlin.”

      “Looks like you found me.”

      “Yeah.” Osher drew his weapon.

      Nicki’s mouth dropped open in stunned shock. “What are you doing?”

      Osher didn’t look at her. “You’re under arrest, Coughlin.”

      “What for?” Nicki demanded. “He didn’t do anything.”

      “Suspicion of murder.” He spared Nicki another glare. “I knew there was a reason you didn’t pick him out of the lineup.”

      “There was. I couldn’t identify him.”

      Osher sneered. “Right. We’ve got hard evidence this time.”

      “That’s not possible,” Alex said calmly.

      “You shoulda’ been more careful, Coughlin. You tore your shirt on the fence the other night. We matched the fibers.”

      “Even if you matched fibers, which I doubt, I could have torn my shirt at any time.” But he had started to go over the fence after the figure running away and his shirt had snagged.

      “Tell it to your lawyer. That gave us enough to get a warrant to search your place today.” Osher smiled triumphantly. “And your car, which has been impounded along with your motorcycle. Bet you’ll never guess what we found.”

      “Dust bunnies?”

      “A gun, smart guy. One with several rounds fired. One that is the same caliber as the one used to kill Thorton Biggs. Want to take bets this will turn out to be the murder weapon?”

      Alex straightened. “Not unless you planted it yourself.”

      “Turn around and put your hands on the wall,” Osher snapped, suddenly all business. “You know the drill by now, Coughlin.”

      Slowly, Alex turned around. Nicki watched in horror as Thad Osher walked toward him. “But, Alex didn’t do anything!” she protested.

      Osher shot her a look of scorn. “I’ll deal with you later, Ms. Michaels. Aiding and abetting is—”

      In that moment, Alex erupted in a blur of action. He spun around so fast, Nicki barely saw the foot that caught Osher in the chest. She flattened herself against a shelving unit as the two men grappled. It was quickly apparent that Thad Osher was outmatched. Alex brought his hand down in a blow that sent the gun spinning across the floor, almost at Nicki’s feet. Without hesitation, she kicked the weapon under the shelving unit.

      The fight was over in seconds. Osher lay doubled on her floor dry-heaving while Alex ran out the front door.

      Nicki hesitated. Osher groaned. A trickle of blood ran from his nose. She ran to the back door and flung it open. Officer Jackstone was talking to the woman who ran the beauty shop two doors down. Nicki motioned him urgently.

      “Ms. Michaels?”

      “Alex just decked Sergeant Osher.”

      “What?” He pushed past her. She followed more slowly, trying to get her emotions under control. She needed to be calm while she decided what to tell them.

      Osher was pushing himself to his feet and cursing loudly when she got inside.

      “The bastard took my gun,” he told Derek Jackstone.

      “He did not!” Immediate anger pushed caution aside. “Your gun went under that shelf over there after you dropped it. And Alex wouldn’t have touched you in the first place if you hadn’t been threatening me.”

      Officer Jackstone whipped around. “Thad threatened you?”

      “He was leering at me. I warned him if he touched me I’d scream. That’s when Alex came to my rescue.”

      “Why you lyin’ little—”

      “Shut up, Thad,” Jackstone told him.

      “He pulled out his gun and said Alex was under arrest. Then he threatened me so Alex hit him.”

      “He threatened you?”

      “I did not!”

      She glared at Osher. “You said you’d take care of me later. I took that as a threat. So did Alex.” She turned to Jackstone. “I want to press charges of illegal harassment against Sergeant Osher. I’ve had enough of his threats and sexual innuendos.”

      Osher swore and took a step in her direction. Derek Jack-stone stepped between them. “Cool it, Thad.”

      “She’s lying!”

      “Ms. Michaels, what was Alex Coughlin doing here?”

      “He came to ask me if I saw or heard anything the night of the murder. He was under the correct impression that Sergeant Osher was trying to pin the crime on him. I think Alex planned to talk to all the shopkeepers along here.”

      “Probably to find out who else saw him commit the murder,” Osher said.

      Nicki scowled at him. “You appear to have some sort of grudge against Alex. Alex told me he was afraid of being railroaded into jail. The way you act, I can believe it.”

      “Why you little tramp.”

      “Be quiet, Thad.”

      “You kept pushing me to identify him in that farce of a lineup. Don’t you dare deny it,” she insisted.

      Derek looked like he wanted to curse. Osher did. Volubly. “Knock it off, Thad. This is a mess.”

      “She’s lying. We’ll take her in and get her to tell the truth.”

      “No. СКАЧАТЬ