Oh Say Can You Fudge Read Free

office and I’ll leave.”
    “I’m nearly there,” Rex said. “I need you to leave now.”
    “But it’s only a few feet and I’ll be careful.” I checked for trip wires or anything like what you see in movies that might cause an explosion as I carefully tiptoed across the bay door. “If anyone sees me doing this, they’re going to think I’m crazy.”
    “Allie, I’m very serious—”
    “I’m being careful, really. I promise, I won’t open the door or anything. I’m only going to peek inside.” I slowly made it across the bay to see a light on in the second office. “The light is on. I’m sure it will be fine. Phil’s probably inside unaware that I’m skulking around.”
    “Darn it, Allie.”
    I peeked inside the window and stopped cold. “Oh, no.”
    “What is it? What’s going on?”
    “There’s a man slumped across the desk, faceup.” I couldn’t help the wince in my voice. “I can see his expression and his eyes have the same look that Joe Jessop’s did. I’m pretty sure he’s dead. And—”
    “And what?!”
    “Weird. Little paper chickens are all kind of tethered together. It’s like a string of lights or something draped over him. Do you want me to go in and see?” I reached out toward the office doorknob.
    “Freeze!” Rex’s voice echoed from the phone and the hall behind me.
    I screamed a little and wheeled around to see him striding purposefully toward me dressed in full police uniform, his bike helmet still on his head. He had one hand out in the universal sign of stop and the other hand on the butt of the gun on his hip.
    “Darn it! You scared me half to death.” I scowled at him. “How did you get here so fast?”
    “Frances called me the minute you left the McMurphy.”
    “Figures,” I muttered. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in the building?”
    “Get your hand off that doorknob, Allie.” Rex was serious and his seriousness got to me.
    It was one thing for him to be authoritative on the phone and quite something different to see him face-to-face in full cop mode. I raised both hands slowly in the air. “I’m not touching it.”
    Just then there was a sharp screaming sound and a little pop coming from the other side of the glass. I whirled to see that the little chickens were tethered together by a fuse. They were fireworks. The screaming sound and pop repeated itself over and over as the chickens lit up.
    “What the heck?” he asked beside me.
    “Fireworks are going off in there,” I said as he looked inside.
    “Hang up your phone,” Rex ordered. His cop’s gaze took in everything at once. “Gosh darn it, you’re right. He has the blank stare of a dead man and those are screaming chickens going off. Did you see anyone else in the room?”
    “Nope.”
    “You need to get out of the building.” He put his hand on my arm and gently led me to the entrance door beside the bay door. He stopped and carefully inspected the door, running his hand along the edges. “Feels clean.” He cautiously opened the door and alarms went off, blaring.
    I covered my ears and let him lead me outside and a few hundred feet from the building. We stood where the surrounding parking lot gave way to woods.
    “Charlene,” Rex said into the walkie-talkie on his shoulder. “We need the fire department, the EMTs, and call in a bomb squad from Mackinaw City.”
    “Bomb squad?” I heard Charlene parrot.
    “That’s right.” Rex studied me. “Allie McMurphy reported a phone message that someone tampered with the fireworks. When we arrived some minor fireworks started to go off. I didn’t see anyone so they were most likely lit with a slow fuse. I want a bomb squad here to check out the warehouse before anyone goes back in there.”
    “I’ve got a call into Mackinaw City,” Charlene replied over the crackle of the walkie-talkie. “Do I need to send in Shane?”
    “What makes you think we need a crime scene investigator?”
    “Allie McMurphy’s there,