Streak of Lightning Read Online Free

give an official statement tomorrow,” he told her. “And he’s Detective Burke.”
    â€œOkay, Detective Burke. Why did you wait so long to call the police?”
    â€œI am the police,” Greg said. “I called Will Thompson over at the Morristown Fire Department. He’s the ranking paramedic there, and he came over and told me what I already knew: that Joe was dead. Then I called Jesse and waited for the chief to come back. It’s his jurisdiction.”
    â€œAnd when I got here, I called the state police,” Jesse explained to the detective.
    She smiled. It was a warm smile, which gave me a glimmer of hope. “I appreciate that, Jesse,” she said. “But we’ve got a problem. I’ve got to go by the book the same way you do. I’m not looking to hang Greg out to dry, but if he’s saying he killed someone . . .”
    â€œHe misspoke,” Jesse said sharply, putting his hand up to stop Greg before the detective could utter another word. “We won’t know what happened until we have an official cause of death.”
    â€œYou’re right,” Adkin agreed. “And tomorrow being New Year’s Day, I doubt I’ll have anything. But January second, I will have an autopsy, and your detective will have to explain himself.”
    Greg stepped forward. “Am I under arrest?”
    â€œAs your chief has made clear, I don’t know if a crime was committed yet, so no,” she said. “But this is the death of a prisoner in custody and . . .” She hesitated for a moment before carefully choosing her words. “There are reasons to be concerned that it wasn’t natural causes.”
    â€œWhat reasons?” Jesse asked.
    â€œI can’t share that with you. So, until we know for sure what happened, the jail cell is a crime scene. No one from the Archers Rest Police Department is allowed back there. I’ll be posting an officer to make sure—”
    â€œTerri . . . ,” Jesse started.
    â€œAnd you are not allowed to investigate this incident, Chief Dewalt.” She turned to me. “And neither are you, Miss Fitzgerald.”
    â€œI’m just an art student,” I said. “I make quilts.”
    She laughed. “You don’t think I’ve heard the stories about the murders you’ve helped solve? You and your friends at the quilt shop make a nice unofficial branch of the Archers Rest Police Department. But not this time. Not this case. Am I making myself clear?”
    Even as I said yes, I wondered how many of the quilt group I could round up to start looking into Joe’s death. And when I caught Jesse’s eye, I could tell he was wondering that, too.

Chapter 6
    An hour before midnight on New Year’s Eve is not the best time to try to get people to come to a quilt shop, but Eleanor and Barney made it, as did Carrie. She left her husband to watch their two sleeping children with a promise that she’d kiss him next year, and arrived at Someday Quilts just after eleven-thirty. Unfortunately, the other members of our little group were out of town for the holidays, leaving us with a skeleton crew of amateur detectives. This time we had Jesse, though he seemed a little lost. He was used to being the one who discouraged unofficial investigations; now he was leading one. I felt sorry for him but also, selfishly, a little excited to be working so closely together. I decided to put my disappointment about the weekend out of my mind and focus instead on this rare chance to share every step of the case with him.
    We sat, as the quilt group usually did, in the classroom of the shop. Carrie brought leftover treats from Jitters, and Eleanor brought a few sandwiches along with a large pot of coffee she’d brewed at home. Quilters are always prepared to provide comfort, whether it’s with food, a quilt, or a few kind words. But right now, I was just grateful for