With You In Spirit (The Bassinville Witches Series) Read Online Free Page B

her eyes.
    He turned the steering wheel, manoeuvring the truck into the car park of the police station, the sunlight glinting viciously across the windscreen. Jackson stopped the truck, the engine dying down with a rumbling sigh. Catherine clicked her door open, and slid out onto the dusty parking space below, right outside the sheriff’s office. She squinted in the bright sunlight at the small tan-coloured building, taking in its peeling window frames and door. Most of the town was painted and immaculate, but for some reason the police station always looked worse for wear. Catherine briefly wonder ed if buildings showed on the out side, how their occupants felt on the inside.
    She followed Jackson inside, her eyes adjusting to the darker interior after the stinging brightness of the sun outside. There were three desks, all covered in various papers and sorters, and a bulletin board that had several notices up, most of them about community events, rather than police notices. It really was a sleepy community. The cells lay just beyond, but there was nobody locked up in them today. Joe and Ellis, his deputy, were stood talking over by the coffee machine, sipping from thick mugs. Joe spotted Jackson and Catherine, and nodded over at them, walking slowly over to his desk.
    Joe Frankson was a man in his late forties, still good-looking, but years of good living had given him a slight pot-belly. His light blond hair was just turning peppery at the edges, and he had a small beard covering his chin , with a matching moustache . He sat down heavily in his office chair, setting his mug down on the desk, where the coffee rings of mugs long past still showed through.
    “Well, how can I help you folks?”
    Jackson gestured for Catherine to go towards the two battered looking chairs in front of the desk, and began to walk over. She grimaced, and followed him over, sitting down lazily, crossing her legs. “Well, I need to talk to you about this weird note I got Joe. It... well , it came with a dagger. And it said that someone was coming for me.”
    Joe leaned f orwards on his desk, placing his arms in front of him self . “Wait, this isn’t a joke? Have you got the dagger or note with you?”
    Catherine nodded, and pulled her bag in front of herself, rummaging around amongst the sweet wrappers and make-up. Eventually she found the offensive object, wrapped up in a plastic bag with the note, and passed it over to Joe , who took it gingerly, narrowing his eyes. He unravelled the plastic, and looked closely at the note, which was clearly visible through the bad. Raising his gaze, he gave a sharp look at Catherine.
    “Have you told your mo m ?” He knew about the problems Catherine and her mother had when her father had disappeared; her mother and Joe were old friends. Catherine shook her head slowly.
    “Good. I think it would be best if we didn’t tell her for now. I’ll have to take these in, of course.” Catherine nodded silently. “Okay, now when did you find this? And where?”
    “Well…” Catherine gave a glance towards Jackson, who pulled a go-on-then face. “I found it in my bedroom last night. I’d been out all day, and there was only my mum in. She would have said something, as you know , if she had seen anyone. The note was wrapped around the hilt, and someone had shoved it underneath my bed.”
    “There was nothing else? Nothing missing, nothing broken into?”
    She shrugged. “Anyone could have walked in, I guess. My mum had the front door open, and she was out in the garden. Anyone could have sneaked in and left without her seeing. And nothing was missing as far as I could see.”
    Joe stood up awkwardly, pushing his chair out, and passed the bag across to Ellis. “Ellis, get that down to the main office, pronto. I need to find out if there are any fingerprints left on it, and whether they can find out anything else that will help us.” Ellis nodded, and began to rummage around in a steel drawer for a proper