Partnerships Can Kill: The Third Charlie Parker Mystery (23 page)

The sound exploded in the silent house as the
glass shattered against the baseboard. Immediately, the murmurs
from the kitchen ceased. I waited, not breathing. The door edged
slowly open, the killer facing the hallway, his back to me. I could
make out the soft outline of his dark curly hair. The gun was in my
hand. I swung the butt down against the back of his skull with all
the force I had.

He slumped to the floor in a heap, his gun
clattering across the hardwood. I didn't take any chances. I
planted my foot in the middle of his back as I pulled off my belt
one-handed. It was clumsy work, with my left hand, but I wasn't
about to let go of my weapon yet. Only after I dropped to my knees
on the small of his back and had both of his limp hands in my
control did I set the gun down long enough to cinch the belt
tightly around his wrists. Once he was tightly bound, I remembered
to breathe again.

Chapter 29

Ron lay sprawled out on the kitchen floor, a
white gauze square near his face. Apparently, Michael had planned
to drug us and take us somewhere else for the kill. This
neighborhood was far too quiet to get away with firing two
gunshots. I reached for light switches. He was out, but breathing.
I stepped over Michael, and went to the front door to let Rusty in.
His neck fur bristled when he saw Michael on the floor. He hovered
at attention over the inert form.

"Good boy," I told him. "Stay that way."

He sniffed Michael's face, and growled. A
large red welt was rising behind Michael's ear, but I didn't see
any blood. I left Rusty on guard while I went across the street to
use a neighbor's phone.

I heard sirens just about the time Ron was
beginning to rouse. Cold paper towels against his face were
starting to work some magic on him. By the time Kent Taylor walked
into the building, Ron was sitting up, his back against the
cabinets. Michael, too, was awake but groggy. Rusty kept him from
moving, though.

Kent's analytical stare took in the broken
glass and the two barely conscious men.

"This your work?" he asked, looking at
me.

I didn't feel much like conversation.

Two days later I was back at my desk trying
to get some paperwork caught up. I had treated myself to a day of
sleep, but I'm not one who can lie around too long. Our phones, now
repaired, seemed to be making up for lost time. Sally had been busy
all morning fielding the calls. The story of Michael's arrest for
the murder of his cousin had made the lower section of the front
page, and had been featured on two of the three local TV
newscasts.

Sharon Ortega and Kent Taylor managed to show
up in my office at the same time. I introduced them. After a few
congratulatory words, Kent stepped across the hall to look in on
Ron.

Sharon handed me an envelope. "I knew you
wouldn't write one of these for yourself," she said.

Inside was a check for three more days
investigative work.

"Your checking account balance didn't exactly
allow for extras," I told her. "Are you sure you can afford
this?"

"My insurance check came through." She smiled
faintly. "It was a terrible price to pay, though, and if I could go
back three weeks in time, I would."

Losing her partner had been tough, I
realized. And it might not be over for her yet. I had a feeling
that IRS man was going to have some questions for her.

"Wait here a minute," I said. I went into
Ron's office and pulled the file I'd stolen from Ben Murray.

"You may be needing this," I said to Sharon
as I handed it to her.

She looked puzzled.

"Never mind interpreting it. Just hang on to
it for awhile. Consider it another insurance policy. And, in the
meantime, get yourself a good accountant."

Author’s Note

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for following my Charlie
Parker mystery series. If you like them, please tell your friends!
You can also follow my
blog
,
visit my
website
, (where you can
subscribe to my free mystery newsletter) and follow me on Twitter
@mysteries4U

As of the publication of this e-book, in late
2009, there are eleven books in the Charlie Parker series, with
more to come soon. And I will have updates and I hope some
surprises in store in the coming months, which I will announce
through my newsletter.

Besides writing my own books, I also teach a
writing course, so if you’ve ever had a yearning to write your own
stories you can subscribe to my free fiction writing tips and find
out more about my methods at
Novel In A
Weekend
.

Happy writing and happy reading!!

With my best wishes,

Connie Shelton

What’s Happening Next?

Small Towns Can Be Murder
, the next
installment in the Charlie Parker mystery series, finds Charlie and
her office assistant, Sally Bertrand, visiting Sally’s hometown of
Valle Escondido, New Mexico. An unexplained series of miscarriages
among the local women has the recently-pregnant Sally worried. She
asks Charlie to look into the death of one of them, and Charlie
uncovers deadly secrets, some of them involving the leading
citizens of the little town.

Meanwhile, Drake Langston comes to New Mexico
and he is pushing for a commitment from Charlie, but she isn’t at
all sure she is ready.

National Public Radio called it “A good story
and a challenging puzzle.”