Murder on the Hoof: A Mystery (Colleen McCabe Series) Read Free Page A

puller!” Chip yelled, jerking on Kenny’s shirt as she entered the empty bay.
    “Nozzle jockey,” Kenny grunted, expertly breaking free of Chip’s grasp and putting him in a headlock.
    Sparky circled and barked at the two wrestling men.
    “Enough!” Colleen said.
    All in the room, including Sparky, jumped. Kenny released Chip and shuffled back a few feet with his head down.
    “Did you see that?” Chip said, rubbing his neck and pointing at Kenny.
    “I did indeed, Mr. Reed,” she said, trying to keep her cool. “I also saw that you started it. Care to explain why?”
    “As a matter of fact—”
    “And please don’t tell me it’s about your girlfriend. I believe I’ve already made myself perfectly clear about not bringing your personal life to work.”
    The rest of the men stole glances at one another and smirked. She deduced from their reaction that the fight had indeed been about Fawn. Colleen hadn’t had any trouble with Chip until he had started dating the girl several weeks ago. Now trouble was all she got from him—and Fawn was always the reason. He gaped at her, mouth open but silent.
    “You’re on the job; now get into the job,” she said sternly. “That goes for all of you,” she added, turning to address the rest. “We’ll have a meeting about the training soon. Until then, I suggest you make yourselves useful.”
    The men dispersed, moving to do equipment checks, clean the engines, and in general make themselves scarce.
    “Kenny, I’d like to speak with you,” she said on her way up the stairs to her second-floor office.
    “Woowee!” came a response from below.
    Colleen stopped mid-step.
    “What a babe,” someone else remarked, followed by a low whistle.
    She swung around, ready to lay into her men, and discovered them intently watching two women and a man approaching from the parking lot. She descended the stairs and observed the strangers as they strode away from a Lincoln SUV with tinted windows and headed across the asphalt. The group was led by a cute twentysomething woman with a bob haircut, tailored clothes, and a phone to her ear. Behind her followed an equally tailored young man. The third member of the party was an attractive woman, perhaps in her early forties, wearing Jackie Kennedy Onassis–style sunglasses, a flowing pale pink blouse, red capri pants, and matching sling-back pumps. The woman screamed glamour, and it suddenly dawned on Colleen who she was.
    “Now that’s a kitty I could rescue,” she heard one of her team say. Colleen observed the men in her peripheral vision and caught a few checking the freshness of their breath and straightening their hair.
    “Where can I find Chief McCabe?” asked the cute woman with the bob as she and her companions entered the shade of the station’s garage.
    “You must be Wendy,” Colleen said, crossing the room and shaking Wendy’s hand.
    “I’m Jason,” said the young man, shaking her hand. “I’m Ms. Thorpe’s assistant.”
    “Nice to meet you.”
    “And, as I’m sure you know already, this is Hayley Thorpe,” Jason said, stepping back and with a sweep of the arm gesturing toward Hayley in a way someone might do when introducing royalty.
    Hayley Thorpe removed her sunglasses. Much to Colleen’s amazement, she heard a collective sigh from her men.
    “Lovely to meet you,” Hayley said, extending a dainty, perfectly manicured hand.
    Colleen took Hayley’s hand in hers and was suddenly aware of how rough her own skin must feel against the satiny soft skin of Ms. Thorpe’s palm. She released her grip and unconsciously placed her hands behind her back.
    “I wasn’t expecting you, Ms. Thorpe,” Colleen said, glaring pointedly at Wendy. Wendy smiled back, unfazed.
    “Please, call me Hayley,” the actress said with a purr.
    “Hayley insisted we come unannounced,” Wendy explained. “She wanted to see the station and your world as it normally is.” The young woman punctuated her remark with a quick