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

once-over of Colleen’s appearance.
    “Yes, well,” Colleen stammered, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her attire. “We had a training exercise on the beach this morning. Everyone’s a little tuckered out.”
    “Oh, I don’t know,” Hayley said, luxuriously strolling toward the men. “All I see are handsome faces.”
    She watched in wonder as Hayley introduced herself to the men one by one, made little comments to each that only he could hear, and graciously allowed them to take pictures with her on their cell phones. Jason beamed and Wendy checked a text message. They had clearly witnessed Hayley in action many times before. Hayley finished introducing herself to the last firefighter, then turned, spotted Sparky, and, to top off her charm offensive, rubbed the Border collie behind the ear. When Sparky moaned with pleasure, Colleen could swear some of the men did, too. By the time Hayley was done making her rounds, her men were smitten fans. It was going to be tough, if not impossible, to get her team to focus at the debriefing today.
    Wendy read a message on her phone. “The house is ready,” the production manager said to Hayley.
    “It was lovely meeting all of you,” Hayley said. The men stammered feeble responses. “You have quite the crew, Chief McCabe. You’re a lucky woman.”
    The guys grinned.
    “Yes, well, they’re a great team to work with,” she said, not sure how to respond, since she preferred not to think of her men in the way Hayley clearly did.
    “I look forward to shadowing you,” Hayley said.
    Colleen furrowed her brows.
    “We’d best be going if we’re going to meet your friend,” Jason said, taking Hayley’s arm and guiding her from the station’s bay.
    “Bye,” the star said, and swiveled on her heels.
    “Bye,” the men replied in dreamy unison.
    Colleen hurried after Hayley, Wendy, and Jason. “Excuse me, Ms. Thorpe,” she called out. “What do you mean by ‘shadowing’ me?”
    Hayley raised an eyebrow at Wendy and Jason.
    “I thought I’d texted you,” Wendy said to Colleen. “Hayley’s going to shadow you at work during her stay when she’s not filming—to help her with her character.”
    “What exactly do you mean by ‘shadow’?” Colleen asked.
    “She’ll follow you around while you do your job,” Jason said matter-of-factly.
    “Don’t worry,” Hayley said with a pat on Colleen’s arm. “I’ll be as quiet as a mouse. You and your men won’t even know I’m here.” And with that, the three retreated to their vehicle.
    Like hell my men won’t know you’re here, she thought. She watched as the Lincoln SUV disappeared up Lighthouse Drive. As if the summer hadn’t been eventful enough, now she was going to be followed around by a famous actress. She didn’t know how, but she was going to have to discourage this. There was no way she and her men could do their jobs while being distracted by the beautiful and charming Hayley Thorpe.
    She heard the click of Sparky’s nails behind her. “You weren’t any help,” she said as he reached her side. Sparky squinted at her, and she could swear he was smiling.
    Just then, Jimmy and Bobby pulled in.
    “You’re back early. Is everything okay?” she asked.
    “Turns out the ME had staff in Duck. We were able to transfer custody of Doris’s body there,” Jimmy said. “What are you doing out here?”
    Colleen realized how strange she must appear, standing in the middle of the lot and staring blankly off into the distance. “You just missed Hayley Thorpe,” she said, as if that were a perfectly logical explanation.
    “Hayley Thorpe? Constance Hope from Passages in Time ? She was here? I love her,” Bobby gushed.
    Jimmy smiled in agreement. Great, Colleen thought. Hayley Thorpe’s conquest was complete.
    “She took pictures with everyone. I’m sure some of the guys will…” Her voice trailed off. Bobby was already out of the vehicle, half waddling, half jogging to the station to hear all