Neighing with Fire: A Mystery (Colleen McCabe Series) Read Free

The mule startled and Sparky growled at the apple as it rolled to a stop. One member of the crew, likely the perpetrator of the apple-tossing crime, laughed at the animals’ reactions but the rest shook their heads and resumed working.
    “Sparky heel!” Colleen called.
    The dog lowered the front half of his body in true Border collie herding mode and stood his ground.
    “Sparky,” she said again, this time in a stern warning tone, and the dog came running with his tail wagging. She rubbed her canine buddy’s side and watched with concern as Raymond retrieved the apple and then withdrew with his harem.
    “Stupid fella,” Denny said as the mule departed. “Although you gotta admire his way with the ladies.”
    Her cheeks flushed red with anger. “You know it’s against the law to interfere with the horses.”
    “I’ll do what I want—to anything or anyone who comes on my property.” He locked eyes with her.
    Colleen’s heart rate quickened. Was he threatening her?
    He heaved his body from the metal folding chair that had sunk into the sand under his weight and pushed his thumbs into the belt loops of his pants. She couldn’t help notice Denny’s large belt buckle of the smiling Porky Pig Looney Tunes cartoon surrounded by the words THAT’S ALL FOLKS! shining in the sunlight.
    “You like what you see?” he said, proudly thrusting his midsection in her direction.
    She shuddered slightly in disgust. One thing was abundantly clear … Denny lacked any of the chivalry of his rival.
    His smile faded to a scowl. “You tell Salvatore I’m not giving up on that property, and he better surrender his claim to it if he knows what’s good for him.”
    What was Denny talking about? She wasn’t aware of any property dispute between the two developers. She studied his face. Perspiration beaded on his upper lip and the left side of his mouth twitched slightly.
    “Will there be anything else?” he asked through clenched teeth. “Some of us have work.”
    She took a slow, deep breath. She had done as Myrtle had asked. She had checked on Denny’s construction site and the horses. There was no point getting into an altercation.
    “No,” she said. “But I suggest you keep an eye on your properties.”
    “Don’t you go worrying your pretty little head about me,” he said and held up a fist. “I know this land and the people who live here like the back of my own hand. If something was amiss, I’d catch wind of it.”
    “Then I won’t need to speak with you further.” She touched Sparky’s neck and turned away.
    “Tell Salvatore that if he wants to spy on me he shouldn’t send a girl to do his dirty work,” he called after her.
    She contemplated laying into the man, but instead marched to her SUV, opened the door, hopped in after Sparky, and slammed the door closed. It wouldn’t do for her to be Denny’s enemy … although he had just become hers.
    She backed onto the sandy road. It would be good to get away from Denny and the noise of the construction site. The visit had given her a headache. A horn blew signaling the crew that it was time for their lunch break. The hammering, sawing, and drilling ceased. It was then that they all heard it—a woman’s high-pitched scream.
    She slammed on the brakes. Two workers on the second floor hurried to the edge of what would soon be a balcony and pointed to a house a short distance beyond several dunes. She hit the gas, sending sand flying, and sped toward the spot.
    Two high dunes marked the driveway entrance and made it difficult to see anything but the roof of the house. She parked on the shoulder in case emergency vehicles needed access to the driveway and sprinted toward the sounds of yelling coming from the ocean side. Sparky took the lead and disappeared behind the house.
    She rounded a corner and was surprised to find the back area deserted. The sea breeze carried with it excited voices from the beach. She dashed to a flight of stairs that led to the ocean