J.A. Jance's Ali Reynolds Mysteries 3-Book Boxed Set, Volume 2: Trial by Fire, Fatal Error, Left for Dead Read Free Page A

be great,” she said. “And from what I’ve heard, that Devon guy is a real piece of work. Sally Harrison isn’t the only ladylove he has on the side. With any kind of luck he’ll be going down the road on a permanent basis.”
    As for Dave Holman? Ali called and invited him to stop by for dinner that very night. He arrived holding a somewhat forlorn bouquet he had snagged from what was left in the flower section of Safeway. He had gone there to raid the deli section so he could make a single-dad dinner for his two school-aged daughters.
    “You’re not mad at me, are you?” Dave asked warily as he handed Ali the flowers. “For interfering in your life, I mean?”
    Ali handed the flowers over to Leland, who gave them a disparaging look and then set off for the kitchen with the bedraggled bouquet in hand. No doubt he’d get rid of the faded flowers and sort the rest into something a bit more appealing.
    “I take it you’ve already heard the news?” Ali returned.
    Dave nodded. “Gordy was delighted—and relieved.”
    “Gordy?” Ali repeated. “That’s what you call Sheriff Maxwell?”
    “Not to his face,” Dave admitted. “But he’s not getting a fair shake on this one. The previous administration left him encumbered with a pile of deadwood—Devon Ryan being the worst case in point. Due to civil service rules he can’t just dump the guy,but Sheriff Maxwell needs some help cleaning up the mess—someone from the outside, and someone with a little class.”
    “Namely me?” Ali asked.
    Dave grinned. “Absolutely.”
    He poured two glasses from the opened bottle of Coppola claret Leland had liberated from the vin ordinaire section of her ex-husband, Paul Grayson’s, extensive wine collection. Taking their wineglasses with them, Dave and Ali retreated to the patio while Leland finished cooking.
    “So when do you start?” Dave asked.
    “Next week,” she said. “In the meantime I have those two commencement speeches to give. I’m still working on them.”
    “What are you going to say?”
    “To the graduates?” Ali asked.
    Dave nodded.
    “That regardless of what their high school experience may have been, unqualified success or miserable failure, the world beyond high school is entirely different. They should go out into that world and explore it—see what there is to be seen and get their education. But eventually I hope some of them will feel compelled to come back home with whatever they’ve learned.”
    Dave took a thoughtful sip of his wine. “After all,” Ali added, “that’s what you did.”
    “I suppose,” he said.
    “That’s also the real reason I had to say yes when Sheriff Maxwell asked me to help out,” she said. “Either that or face the fact that I’m a complete hypocrite.”
    “You wouldn’t be a hypocrite even if you’d turned Sheriff Maxwell down cold,” Dave said. “That’s not who you are.”
    “Thanks,” Ali said, smiling and accepting the compliment. “But what’s it going to be like? He says he wants me to shadowhim next week and get an idea of what’s going on—sort of like one of those new waiters who follow the old ones around, smiling a lot but never touching a plate. I’m not looking forward to that. I have a feeling the people who are there already won’t exactly welcome me with open arms.”
    “They don’t have a leg to stand on,” Dave pointed out. “None of them was willing to step up and take on the job, even when it was offered. Besides, you’re a consultant, remember? That word alone conceals a multitude of sins. You’ll be fine.”
    “I’m not so sure,” Ali said, but Leland appeared in the doorway just then to announce that dinner was served. Since there was no point in agonizing over what might or might not happen in the future, Ali stood up and led the way into the house.
    “Let’s go eat,” she said. “No sense letting it get cold.”
    That night, long after Dave left, Ali lay awake and thought about the twists and turns