Crucified Read Free

turned the Sedan in the direction of the auto shop on the other
side of town.
    What do I know about Mr. Danson ? According to research, he owned the auto shop for just over a year now,
the previous owner made his transition difficult to say the least.
People referred to him as the best wrench for miles, but were quick
to point the finger at him when Casey went missing. The corner of
her mouth lifted and she narrowed her eyes. And he’s not hard on the eyes either.
    She glanced at
her reflection in the rearview mirror. “You’re on duty, Ms
Parker.”
    Besides, in her experience, bikers were in a class all of
their own. Even if he didn’t have a record, he was probably just
like the others she’d come across over the years—smooth operators,
without a whole lot of respect for officers, especially female officers.
    Dianne
double-checked the mirror. She didn’t wear any makeup on duty, and
always wore her hair up. She tried everything she could think of to
look like a no nonsense agent. As she parked the car, she reached
back and adjusted the strap holding her gun in place.
    “ Here goes nothing.” She opened the door, noting it was a
typical garage, nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until she saw
the incredibly gorgeous specimen of a man walking toward her. He
wiped big, oil-stained hands on a rag. For a brief moment she
forgot why she was there. She swallowed deep and shook her
head. Get a hold of yourself, Agent
Parker.
    “ Hi, can I help you?”
    “ Hello, I’m Agent Parker. I need to ask you a few
questions.”
    Dianne watched
the smile fade from his tanned face. His brow creased and his
brilliant blue eyes clouded.
    “ I already told Chief Walker everything I know.”
    “ I’m sorry to take you from your work. It will only take a
minute.”
    He sighed.
“Well, all right. I’m very busy, but we can talk in my office.”
    Taylor led her
through the bay doors, across the tool filled shop, and opened a
glass door into his cluttered office. He moved a stack of papers
from a simple wooden chair that looked to be from a dining set and
motioned for her to sit down.
    “ So how can I help you?” He sat on the edge of a long wooden
table, she guessed to be the mate for the chair he’d converted to a
desk of sorts. His overalls pulled taut across his broad chest, and
his blue eyes were not helping her to focus on the task at
hand.
    “ When is the last time you remember seeing Casey?” asked Dianne
as she took a pad of paper from her back pocket and began taking
notes.
    “ I guess it would have been the Friday before she went missing.
Her and that Tammy she’s always with were hanging out front of the
shop.” He narrowed his gaze at her.
    “ Is that something they did on a regular basis?”
    He shrugged.
“Johnstown is a small place, there’s not a lot for the kids to
do.”
    “ Did you speak to either of the girls?”
    He matched her
inquisitive gaze. “Nope. I might have waved. I don’t remember.”
    She leafed through her notes. “That would have been
Friday . ”
    “ Like I told the chief, I was doing what I always do on Friday
afternoons—chasing clouds.” He held up his hand to halt her
response. “Before you ask… alone.”
    “ Where did you ride to?” Dianne tapped the pad with her
pen.
    “ No where in particular, just down by the ocean. I think I
stopped at the Wharf on the way home.”
    Her eyebrow
arched. “Is there anyone who could verify you were there?”
    He shrugged,
yet again. “Not too sure, maybe the waitress. We were talking about
Mary Jane for a bit.”
    “ Mary Jane? I thought you said you were alone?” Her pulse raced
with unexpected jealousy.
    Taylor laughed,
flashing a dazzling white smile. “MJ is my bike.”
    Much to her
dismay, heat flooded her cheeks. “I see.”
    The smug look
on his face, told her he’d seen her blush. Dianne stood up and
cleared her throat. “I think that will be all for now, Mr. Danson.
Thank you for your time.”
    She didn’t
trust