It’s over by the time we get there.
Neighbors are on the perimeter, speaking in hushed tones. Max and Jana are in the front yard, but only one of them is alive.
Max.
“Are you with the police?” he says, as I approach, carrying a flashlight.
“No. Have you called them?”
“Yes.”
I glance down the street where Dillon’s already managed to open Jana’s trunk. We’re lucky she parked a good distance away. But I have no idea what to do about the bug Dillon planted in Max’s car.
Speaking of Max, he’s crying.
“What happened here?” I say.
He points at the shattered glass near the front door and says, “My wife tried to shoot us through the window.”
I look at Jana’s body. “If that’s true, she must be the worst shot in history.”
“She fired twice. The second shot must have ricocheted on something.”
“Wait. You’re claiming she shot herself?”
“She must have. Darcie and I don’t own guns. But neither does Jana.”
“Where’s the gun she used?”
“Next to her body, I suppose. This is as close as I’ve gotten to her.”
“Because?”
“I was afraid she might be faking, hoping I’d come closer so she could shoot me.”
I shine my flashlight on her body. If there’s a gun, it’s under her.
“You’re sure Jana doesn’t own a gun?”
“We don’t believe in them. But she sure as hell had one. This is crazy. It’s crazy.”
He looks at me. Says, “Who are you, exactly?”
“Dani Ripper. Your wife hired me to find out if you were cheating on her.”
Something bubbles up inside him. His face twists with rage.
“This is your fault!” he shouts, and punches my face so fast and hard I fly six feet through the air before my back slams against the ground. He starts coming at me, but thankfully two of the neighbors come running to my rescue.
“Are you all right?” first guy says.
I murmur something.
Second guy asks, “What did she say?”
“She said she hates her job.”
“What’s her job?”
First guy leans closer and says, “What’s your job, hon?”
“From now on? I’m a decoy.”
“You mean like duck hunters use?”
“Yeah. That’s exactly what I mean,” I say, rubbing my jaw.
“What’d she say?” second man yells.
“She says she’s a duck hunter!”
YOU ARE READING
Promise You Won't Tell?
Teen Fiction"I think something might have happened to me Saturday night. Something bad." Private Investigator Dani Ripper's client list is nuttier than the Looney Tunes conga line, but she diligently solves one crazy case after another, waiting for a game-chang...
