The Tessa Randolph Collection, Books 1-3 by Paula Lester (good short books .TXT) 📕

Silas shook his head a fraction in each direction. He looked over his shoulder at Artemis’s body. “He’s dead, you know.”

Tessa nodded. “He is.”

“Is he one of your clients?”

“I guess you could say that. Silas, I’m serious. We have to go. Now!” She kept watching the doorway. If someone came through it, they would see Tessa and Silas immediately. There was no way they could blend in with the stainless steel appliances. Especially since Silas seemed to be still trying to hold on to the Florida vibes.

He was still tanned. And he was wearing a short sleeve, button-down shirt that had an orange background and was covered in yellow, blue, and salmon-colored flowers—not something most Michiganders wore when fall touched the air.

“We should probably call 9-1-1,” Silas said, still unmoving.

“No. We should go. I’m trying to tell you we need to leave.”

“Tessa, did you kill that man?” He jabbed a finger toward the body. Tessa reached out and snatched Silas’s hand, pulling him toward the door again. “I promise you’ll get all your answers. But not here. As soon as we’re out of here, I’ll tell you everything.”

Tessa realized she wasn’t lying. She would tell Silas the truth. The whole truth. In hindsight, she wished she already had.

Silas moved, then, though he still seemed reluctant. Whatever. Tessa would take it. As long as he was walking, she could work with that.

Her heart pounded as they rushed through the back door onto the porch and ran down its length. Tessa tried to use the skills she’d acquired in years of dance to bounce on the balls of her feet quietly as she ran. Silas seemed to take a hint from what she was doing, and she could only hear the barest of footfalls behind her.

Wow. She remembered he’d played baseball. Maybe he was incorporating his base running skills. Whatever it was, she was grateful that he was light on his feet. Hopefully, they wouldn’t draw any attention.

But that was more than could be hoped for. As they neared the end of the house, Tessa glanced toward the horse barn and saw four gorgeous specimens lined up against the fence, staring at her and Silas curiously.

Well, at least the horses couldn’t blab about who they’d seen.

“Come on,” she whispered over her shoulder. “We need to go faster.” She dropped Silas’s hand and darted around the corner, keeping close to the house, behind the hedges, again.

When they got to the front of the house, there was nowhere else to remain under cover. If it was just Tessa, she may have tried to stay toward the edge of the lawn, among the landscaping there, but Silas’s shirt was never going to blend in with Michigan’s flora. So, she decided the best thing they could do was simply make a run for it.

She pumped her arms and legs and ran straight down the middle of the driveway. She could hear Silas just behind her, allowing her to lead the way.

They made it about halfway, and Tessa was just beginning to think maybe they’d be okay, when the mansion behind them seemed to erupt into chaos.

It began with one horrendously loud screech, and Tessa knew someone had found Artemis Green. After that, multiple shouts and screams drifted to them from behind. Tessa put on speed, ignoring the aching muscles that were screaming for more oxygen. She scooted through the still-open gate and skidded to a halt next to Linda, dragging open the door and throwing herself inside. She was gratified when Silas climbed in the passenger seat without further trying to slow her down. But when she turned the key in the ignition, Linda didn’t respond at all.

“No!” she cried. “Not now.” Tessa knew it had been too much to hope that the car had gotten over whatever snit she’d been in when they arrived at the mansion. She shot Silas a horrified look.

He was staring at her, not much having changed in his expression or complexion since she’d first turned around to find him in the kitchen. “I knew you were lying to me, but I never expected this.”

Tessa tried firing up the car again. This time, an annoying clicking sound was Linda’s only response. “I know this looks crazy bad. And I swear I’ll explain it, but . . .”

He cut her off. “Did that guy want to die? Is that what kind of agency you work for? A Kevorkian thing?”

So, he hadn’t seen the whole thing. Silas had obviously shown up sometime after Artemis died. She shook her head. “That isn’t it. I don’t do assisted suicides.” Tessa tried to keep her tone calm and soft. It must have been a huge shock for Silas to see Tessa standing there next to a newly dead person.

Still, why was he there? Obviously, he’d followed her.

Again.

A siren sounded. Too close.

Tessa twisted in the seat to pin Silas with her best schoolteacher look. “Silas. We need to get out of here.” She emphasized each word. “I will explain everything when we’re safe. But right now, I need your help.”

The very last thing she wanted to do was try to come up with an explanation for why the two of them were at Artemis Green’s house when he died.

For ten excruciating seconds, Silas stared at her. She watched his jaw work, probably mimicking the gears in his mind as he thought over the situation. Then he barked, “Pop the hood,” and jumped out.

Thank goodness. She did what he asked and then turned to watch the road, ready to burst out of her skin with nerves as the sirens got louder. “Okay, calm down, Tessa. It’s totally fine. No one saw you in the house except the horses. All you have to do is say your car stalled on the road, and you turned in here.”

Having the alibi ready calmed her some, and her heart slowed. She could hear Silas doing something under the hood and feel the car moving as he leaned against