MURDER AT THE PIER (A Sister Sleuths Mystery Book 1) by Rayna Morgan

filled to capacity. Making their way to the back of the men's locker
room, she stopped and pointed to the largest locker on the far wall.
    Tom stopped her as she reached to grasp the lock and dial
the numbers: "Let me do it." He pulled on a pair of latex gloves
before entering the combination.
    The locker was crammed but everything was neatly organized.
T-shirts were on hangers; shorts were folded on the top shelf with training
shoes stacked on top of them. There were no pictures, receipts, or papers of
any kind. The only other item was a large plastic bag on the bottom. Tom pulled
it out, emptying the contents on the floor in front of them.
    Amanda gasped: "I don't understand."
    "What's wrong?"
    "These are some of the tools missing from the
warehouse."
    "You mean the ones Neal implied
Juan had taken? " Amanda didn't answer Tom's question directly.
Shrugging her shoulders, she spread her hands in front of her, shaking her
head.
    Their discovery had dismayed Tom as well. Until the pieces
began to click together.
    Neal not only dismissed Juan. He himself was the
instigator of the theft which became the implied reason for termination. Neal
had a personal agenda in all of this, and I’m beginning to understand what it
was.

Chapter Eight
    Lea was turning off
her computer when she got a call from Paul. "I'm meeting Tom at the Crab
Shack for a beer after work. Want to join us?"
    "Sure. Why don't we order a couple of buckets of
shrimp and crab and that can be our dinner? I'll tell Jon to have Michael over
after basketball practice. They can order a pizza."
    "Great. See you at the Shack at 6:00." Paul had
an afterthought before ending the call. "Lea, I have things to tell Tom
about the murder, but it's not an invitation for you to start asking
questions."
    "Of course not," she agreed, crossing her
fingers. "But give. What goodies have you come up with?"
    "I had to interview someone today about the burglaries
and took the opportunity to eliminate him as a suspect in the murder. You'll
hear about it when I tell Tom."
    "See you soon, sweetheart." Lea's finger jumped
from the end call button to her sister's number. "Paul and I are meeting
Tom at the Crab Shack for a drink and eats. Think up a pretense to meet us
there and we can get the latest on the burglaries and the murder."
    "I don't need an excuse. I'm planning to stop by
several restaurants tonight to drop off posters. I'm asking owners to display
the posters for the 'Food and Music under the Stars' Fundraiser next
month."
    "Great cover. As a heads up, Paul already cautioned me
about not getting involved."
    "Then I guess I'll have to be the one to pry
information out of our illustrious Detective."
    "Tom's never been able to resist you. Just bat your
long lashes and crinkle your cute button nose. He'll tell you everything he
knows."
    Maddy's laugh was infectious. "Oh, yeah. I'm so
irresistible to Tom he's never seen me as more than a friend."
    "You're the one who draws that line, Sis, ever since
your divorce. You only let a man get so close before you shut him out."
    "Oh, oh. This conversation sounds familiar. Gotta run,
Lea. See you at six."
    Lea ended the call shaking her head. In ways, I hope my
sister finds another good relationship even if she never remarries. In other
ways, Maddy's one of those women who seem perfectly capable and happy living on
their own, calling their own shots. Besides, I can't imagine the man who could
be a match for my irrepressible sister.
    * * *
    The tall wooden doors of the
Crab Shack opened into a deep room with a bar along one side. Every stool was
occupied. The alluring clink of glasses and ice rattling could be heard above
the buzz.
    The zigzag of tables on the opposite side of the room
included couples and family groups. Lea and Paul sat at one of the round tables
sipping beer from frosted mugs, catching up on each other's day. The smell of
marinated fish cooking on the grill wafted over their heads whetting their
appetites.
    Lea glimpsed the