A Friend in Death--A Short Read
Page 7
Johnny jumped up so fast the chair skidded backwards and overturned coming to rest next to the rear wall. He slammed his hands down on the table with fury emanating from every muscle of his body. “I knew that weasel was up to something,” he snarled. “He called me into his office and told me he knew who I was and who I work for. He said he wanted ten million dollars to buy his silence and if I didn’t pay him, he’d rat me out to the cops out front. Can you believe it? Ten million!” A vein was visibly twitching in his temple by now. “I told him he was crazy. The idiot tried to blackmail me! Before I knew it, I was squeezing the life out of him. And I enjoyed doing it.” He took a deep breath and sat back down, a look of fear slowly replacing the rage in him. “They said if I failed with her…” He gestured toward Miranda. “They warned me that they were going to kill me if I didn’t deal with her! Look, I want protection. I can give you names. I can give you people. I can be valuable to you!”
“For all the good it will do you,” Dixon sneered back. “And nice try using Markus’ fake emails to try and put Debra here in the frame. You tried to put the blame everywhere but on your own head, didn’t you?”
At Dixon’s signal, two uniformed officers handcuffed Johnny and read him his rights. They led him out still ranting and raving, and silence followed after him.
Miranda rose from the table. “Thank you, Detective Dixon, for listening to me.”
His smile was a lot friendlier than it had been before. “Not sure how I’m going to write some of this up, but it was good to work with you, Miss Wylder. Maybe later I can get you to sign your book for me?”
“Detective, it would be my pleasure.”
She nodded to Kyle that he should follow, and the two made their way outside into the twilight.
Kyle was shaking his head. “Well, I wasn’t expecting it to be Johnny.”
“Your killer’s been caught,” Miranda said, with a sad smile. “It’s done. I guess… I guess you’ll be going now.”
“I guess so,” Kyle said. He looked all around him. He looked up at the sky. He looked back at Miranda. “Er, when?”
“Do you see anything Kyle? A bright light anywhere?”
“A light? Is that really a thing? I thought they just made that up for the movies.”
“You don’t feel, I don’t know, a tug like someone’s pulling you home?”
“Nope. Huh. Looks like I’m here for a bit longer.” Kyle grinned. “Maybe I’m supposed to keep you safe? Like a guardian angel type of a deal. Yeah! That’s me. Kyle Hunter, guardian angel.”
“Oh, Lord help me,” Miranda groaned. Truthfully, she liked the idea of her friend still being here.
Suddenly, a big hand clapped her on the shoulder. Miranda gasped and turned around.
It was Joe Dixon. “One more thing, Miss Wylder. Now that Johnny has been arrested and we have your research I’m fairly confident that you are safe from the mob. But just in case maybe you should leave town for a while. Have a little holiday or something. Make yourself scarce, you know?” Miranda wasn’t sure what to think of that. Dixon put a hand on her shoulder and continued, “I know I thought you were a suspect to start with, but you really proved yourself. Seriously, if you ever want a job as a consultant, you’ve got it. You know, if you ever get tired of the crazy psychic act.”
And with that, he strode away.
Miranda looked behind her to see Debra Thomas and Markus Stidham staring at her. Clearly Dixon had said the last bit way too loud. So, the very thing she feared was coming to pass. There was no way Markus would keep that to himself. Debra either. With a sigh, Miranda strode off through the parking lot to her car.
Kyle was already in the passenger seat. “What’s up?” he asked when he saw the expression on her face.
“You know that psychic thing is going to be all around the place by the end of the week.”
“True enough. Dixon’s got a big mouth, and Markus is a gossip.” Kyle shrugged one hazy blue shoulder. “But is that so bad?”
“Yeah. Look, I moved to Melbourne to get away from Sydney because everyone there knew me as the crazy psychic lady. I hated it.
“So, what now?” Kyle said. “I’ll go wherever you go, kid! I’m not even sure if I have a choice.”
“Well… I don’t ever want to spend another moment in that apartment after what happened to you… and I could still be a target for the mob… so I guess I’ll be looking for a new place to live.”
Miranda thought back to the letter from her Uncle Horatio. Smiling suddenly, she turned to Kyle.
“I’ve got an idea. Have you ever heard of a small town called Moonlight Bay?”
“Nope.” He said, grinning. “Let’s go!”
And with that, Miranda put the key in the ignition and fired up the engine. It was time to start a new chapter in her life.
-End-
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About the Authors
K.J. Emrick
Kathrine Emrick writing as K.J. Emrick is the author of the popular Darcy Sweet Cozy Mystery series and the Pine Lake Inn Cozy Mystery series.
Strongly influenced by authors like James Patterson, Dick Francis, and Nora Roberts, Kathrine Emrick dreamed of being an author for the majority of her life.
She never quite gave up on the idea of being a published author and at the age of 51, thanks to the self-publishing explosion, she finally realized her dream. Her maturity allows her to bring a variety of experiences and observations to her writing.
She lives in beautiful South Australia with her family which includes several dogs and cats.
Kathrine can always be found jotting down daily notes in a journal and like many authors, she loves to be surrounded by books and is a voracious reader. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering at the local library.
Her goal is to regularly produce entertaining and noteworthy content and engaging in a community of readers and writers.
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To find out more please visit the Kathrine's website at kathrineemrick.com
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Kathryn De Winter is a passionate Cozy Mystery Author & Bookworm who spends her days writing and reading in Melbourne, Australia. Born in the UK her passion for crafting stories began during her childhood and it has stayed with her ever since.
Anytime Kathryn writes, she strives to create something entertaining that her readers thoroughly enjoy to read and dreams of being a New York Times® Best Seller one day. The authors who influence her work the most are Agatha Christie and James Patterson. She is also deeply inspired by her good friend K.J. Emrick.
Kathryn lived in the USA during her twenties where she became a single parent after her first marriage ended. Coincidentally, she met her now Australian hus
band in the US five years ago, when they were both there on holidays.
When she has a few moments to herself, Kathryn likes swimming, bike riding, cooking tasty meals, and discovering new places. She is also an avid music and animal lover. (Drums are her instrument of choice and she is a cat & dog person.) One of Kathryn’s favourite places to be is her local library. Most importantly, she loves spending time with her wonderful husband and son.
Kathryn De Winter recently finished a three-part cozy mystery series and has written another two cozy mysteries in a different three-part series. To find out more about her publications, visit her official website: kathryndewinter.com