Her inner counselor disapproved of her evil plan, but Ivy couldn’t resist. She picked up the devil stick and whacked Melanie’s heinie, only once, despite the gratifying screech coming through the Vader mask, then put down the stick and brushed off her hands. “That’s what you get for messing with a woman who’s about to lose her head.”
“Nice work, babe.”
Steve! Ivy grabbed the devil stick again and swished it a time or two as she looked up to see him standing on the platform where Melanie had walked. He held a gun in his hand, but his finger wasn’t on the trigger. A few moments earlier she might have found herself melting under the power of his disreputable grin, but now her hand trembled. The stick was no match for a gun and she had a freaking killer of a headache.
“Tell me, mister, are you for me...or against?”
“I’m wounded you ask.” He jumped from the platform, landing just feet away, and Ivy took two more steps back. “Haven’t I always been—”
She barely heard his words over the bolt of pain that sliced her forehead. Her head went light. She swayed.
“I’m sorry, babe,” she heard Steve say.
Then the museum went black again and everything faded.
* * *
“Unh!” Ivy jerked back when she saw Steve slumped in a chair beside her hospital bed.
His eyes snapped open at her outcry and he reached forward to take her hand. “It’s okay, Ivy. You’re safe. You’re safe.”
“So,” she said, mistrust dancing on the tip of her tongue. “Can you explain what my takedown foreman was doing wandering around the Field Museum holding a gun?”
“Technically, Ivy, I’m not your foreman. I’m an undercover cop and we were always looking for the body of Melanie’s former lover’s wife. The murder happened over ten years ago, and at first everyone thought the husband did it so he could marry Melanie.”
Steve went on to say the police were convinced the man had buried the body under a room addition in progress when the wife went missing. But they lacked enough evidence for a warrant, and the husband committed suicide before the investigation was complete. Much of the evidence suggested that Melanie had been the killer, but the man had never named her as his mistress so no charges were ever filed.
“And that concerns me because—” Steve started to answer, but Ivy put up her free hand, “–-because it’s my property?”
“Correct.” Your tear-down gave us access to dig up the body. Since I once worked construction and was on the original investigating team, I took the undercover assignment.”
“You bastard! Couldn’t you have warned me?”
Ivy yanked her hand, but Steve held on too tightly. He rose to his feet, gazing down with fatigue-circled eyes that held a haunted look. “You’re right, you’re right,” he said. “I am a bastard, a stupid one. I should have told you what was going down when you found the skull. Instead I used you as bait. I knew better. Melanie already killed one woman and some people think she killed her lover, too. But this was our last chance to get evidence on her.”
“So what do you want, Steve?” She tried to still sound angry, but he looked so sad it had kind of gone out of her. “My forgiveness? I don’t know if...”
Steve shook his head. “Just to keep you safe, babe.” He leaned closer and brushed a damp lock of hair off of her forehead. “And to do this.”
He kissed her. Softly, sweetly and very provocatively. A happy sigh rose deep in Ivy’s chest. Her fantasies about the sexy foreman hadn’t been so far off, after all.
And to think it all started with old bones.
# # #
K.C. Flynn is the pseudonym for Connie's suspense and mystery books and short stories and has been prolific lately. The Derek Shriver short mysteries are now available on Kindle.
There's a Dead Elf in Santa's Workshop introduces the former Special Services officer turned amusement park owner is accused of murdering Christmasland's head elf, and Murder at the Toadstool Cafe finds Derek caught up in a dramatic shooting at Faerie World amusement park where a headless horseman is the prime suspect. Buy now at Amazon.
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Abou t the Author:
The books of Connie Flynn, a bestselling, award-winning author of ten novels and several short stories, are getting some positive attention from eBooks readers these days. She writes in several genres, including paranormal romance, romantic comedy and romantic action/adventure, contemporary fantasy, and mystery/suspense and, as Connie Flynn, has won a conveted PRISM award and was a finalist several times. Look for more backlist titles and new releases over the next year. Connie says she's the brains behind the Connie Flynn/K.C. Flynn stories, but than K.C. says the same thing. Regardless, we keep them coming.
Note From Connie:
Thank you for purchasing CHILLS & THRILLS. I hoped you enjoyed reading the stories as much as I enjoyed writing them. I would love to hear about your reading experience and if you have a moment I'd appreciate you doing me a huge favor by posting an honest review on Amazon. Authors are ranked by their reviews and their like buttons so even the shortest review is of enormous help.
I'd also like to point to SHADOW ON THE MOON, volume one of the werewolf series, whee you'll learn more about Lily's intriguing backstory. Like all my published books, it's available at Amazon .
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Connie also blogs at Much Cheaper Than Therapy on the first Tuesday of each month and randomly Ink Jockeys
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Chills & Thrills Paranormal Boxed Set Page 55