Skating Under the Wire: A Mystery (Rebecca Robbins Mysteries) (32 page)

Lionel winced. “I was going to tell you, but it never seemed like the right time. There was always something getting in the way.”

Car explosions. Death threats. Dead bodies. Yeah, over the months, lots of things had gotten in the way.

“Are you mad?” he asked.

“Not really.” My initial anger had faded. Almost watching someone die had put things in perspective. “Although I guess when things get back to normal you should tell me about it.”

Lionel smiled and wove his fingers through mine. “It’s a date.”

Food was served. People oohed and aahed over the silver bell ornaments Danielle had set next to every plate. On each was a small tag tied with a ribbon that read
RICH AND DANIELLE’S WEDDING
, along with the date. The cake was cut—though I was sad to see the horrible cake topper survived to ruin another bride’s day—and the DJ cranked out tunes while the entire town danced. Erica the Red beat out Jasmine in the bouquet toss and got to dance with Lionel, who winked at me when he caught the garter. While they danced, I spotted a uniform-clad Sean watching me from the doorway and headed over.

“Ethel?” I asked as we stepped into the hall.

“She’s holding her own. Her coconspirators are missing, but we were able to freeze the bank account and found the records they kept on the items they stole and who they sold them to. There’s a chance we might be able to locate some of the items and return them to their rightful owners.”

I thought about Julie Johnson and smiled. “Did you find Jimmy Bakersfield?”

“The cops in Dixon spotted his car parked outside a motel and called it in.” Sean leaned against the wall. “Jimmy’s relieved to know he wasn’t responsible for your injuries.”

“Why did he run when I tried to question him?”

“Jimmy’s having memory issues. When he saw the dent in the hood of his car and realized the car wasn’t where he remembered parking it, he panicked. I’m guessing he’ll be seeing Doc first thing on Monday morning to make sure this kind of thing never happens.”

Poor Jimmy.

“What about Seth and Jan?” I asked.

Sean shrugged. “Hearing Ethel and the rest of the winter migration club were behing the thefts must have spooked them. By the time I got to their house, the basement was empty.”

“So now what?” I asked.

“Now I keep searching for Ethel’s coconspirators and try to run down as many of the stolen items as I can.” Sean smiled. “Want to help?”

Help? “With what?”

Sean pushed away from the wall and sauntered toward me. “Making calls. Tracking down jewelry and family heirlooms. Reuniting victims with their possessions.”

“You want me to work for the sheriff’s department?”

“No.” His eyes met mine. “I want something different. The sheriff thinks you’ll be an asset, though. He’d like you to work part-time to help close out this case. After that, you’ll be back to ordering concessions and renting skates while those of us who are trained to catch bad guys do our jobs.”

Wow. “I don’t know what to say.” About the job. About Sean and what he wanted. About any of it.

“Think of it this way,” Sean said. “After all the work you’ve put in, wouldn’t it be nice to get paid?”

I pictured Mrs. Johnson’s check. It was still stuck on my fridge with a magnet, where I’d put it the day she wrote it. The check had made me feel guilty because I didn’t believe I’d be able to help. But I did. And maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to do a whole lot more.

“Yes,” I said, giving Sean a smile. “Yes, it would.”

ALSO BY JOELLE CHARBONNEAU

Skating on the Edge

Skating Over the Line

Skating Around the Law

About the Author

JOELLE CHARBONNEAU has worked as a professional singer and actress and currently is a private voice instructor. She is an Anthony Award finalist. She lives with her husband and son in Illinois.

Visit her Web site at
www.joellecharbonneau.com
.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

A THOMAS DUNNE BOOK FOR MINOTAUR BOOKS.

An imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group.

SKATING UNDER THE WIRE.
Copyright © 2013 by Joelle Charbonneau. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.thomasdunnebooks.com

www.minotaurbooks.com

Cover design by David Baldeosingh Rotstein Cover art by Doron Ben-Ami

ISBN 978-1-250-01959-2 (hardcover) ISBN 978-1-25001960-8 (e-book) e-ISBN 9781250019608

First Edition: October 2013