Dead by Midnight - Beverly Barton [71]
“The more manpower, the better. Right?”
“Right.”
“Do I want to hear the bad news?” she asked.
“This morning, Ryan Bonner’s boss at the Huntsville Times sent one of the newspaper’s legal eagles to represent our overeager reporter. We had to release Bonner.”
“Then he’s free to write his exposé.”
“I’m afraid so, if his boss gives him the green light.”
“As if knowing someone plans to kill me isn’t bad enough, now I’m faced with the possibility that my daily life will become a living hell again,” Lorie whispered as she glanced around to make sure no one overheard her.
Mike knew she was as aware as he was that all of her customers were watching the two of them. To a person, everyone in the store pretended to be shopping while they strained to overhear their conversation.
Suddenly Lorie clapped her hands together, the action momentarily startling Mike and gaining everyone’s attention. “Ladies”—glancing around, she spotted four men scattered about in the shop—“and gentlemen, I have an announcement. As most of you know, I’m Lorie Hammonds, one of the owners of Treasures of the Past. I’m sure all of you know our sheriff, Mike Birkett.”
Mike threw up his hand as he looked around the shop at all the inquisitive faces. He had no idea exactly what Lorie was up to, but whatever it was, apparently he was right smack-dab in the middle of it.
“But there’s someone here y’all don’t know,” Lorie told them. “Shelley, wave at the folks, will you?” Taken by surprise, a what-the-hell-are-you-doing? expression on her face, Shelley waved the feather duster. “Shelley is my bodyguard. You’ll be seeing her here at the shop every day. She’ll be with me wherever I go. She carries a big gun and knows how to use it. She’s been hired to protect me. It seems that my wicked past has finally caught up with me and somebody wants to see me dead.”
The crowd buzzed with excitement, everyone talking at once, the din growing louder by the second.
“Why the hell did you do that?” Mike demanded.
“I honestly don’t know,” Lorie admitted. “It just felt right.”
As Shelley made her way through the crowd of at least twenty-five customers, everyone she passed took several steps back, as if they weren’t a hundred percent sure she wouldn’t use her big gun on them.
Mike cleared his throat. “Show’s over for today, folks. If you’re buying something, line up and check out. If you’re not buying anything, please exit through the front door. Ms. Hammonds is closing up shop”—he glanced at his wristwatch—“in ten minutes.”
“Shutting me down, Sheriff?” she asked, a deceptively perky smile curving her lips. “Afraid I’ll cause a riot?”
He ignored her and turned to Shelley as she approached. “I think you should take Lorie home and let her calm down. She’s not thinking straight at the moment. Otherwise she wouldn’t have made a public spectacle of herself.”
“I’m thinking perfectly straight, thank you very much,” she told him. “And if you think that little confession was making a public spectacle of myself, then just stick around until I do show-and-tell.”
“Sheriff Birkett is right,” Shelley said. “I don’t know what set you off, but you are acting irrationally.”
Lorie huffed. “Two against one. It’s not fair.” She giggled.
“Damn,” Mike cursed under his breath. “Escort her out the back way and take her home,” he told Shelley. “I’ll get rid of all these people and close up the shop.”
“Isn’t he forceful and commanding,” Lorie said to Shelley. “My big, strong hero.”
“Get your purse, Lorie,” Shelley said. “We’re doing as the sheriff suggests and going home now.”
Lorie retrieved her purse from beneath the counter, pulled a key chain from inside, and tossed it to Mike. “Lock up for me, honey.” Then she turned around and went through the shop and out the back way, with Shelley at her side.
“Sorry, folks, I’ll have to ask everyone to leave the shop now. Please do so quickly and orderly,” Mike said.
When the customers began leaving,