Dead By Midnight by Beverly Barton Page A

see the sheriff right now,” the deputy said.
    Lorie glanced around the room and noted that to a person, everyone in the sheriff’s department was staring at the two of them. She smiled. “Why not? It’s obvious he isn’t busy.”
    Before Deputy Ladner could do little more than clear her throat, Lorie watched while Mike put down his cup, stood up, and walked to the door.
    When he opened the door, the deputy jumped back. “Sir, I told Ms. Hammonds that you were unavailable.”
    â€œIt’s all right, Lana. Ms. Hammonds doesn’t like to follow the rules. You may go now. I’ll handle this.”
    Lana Ladner? The name certainly didn’t suit the plump, plain female deputy. The name was far too fancy for such an ordinary-looking woman.
    When Lana walked away, Lorie flashed Mike with a lavish smile. Totally fake, of course.
    â€œI take it that I’m what you intend to handle,” Lorie said.
    Mike grabbed her arm and dragged her into his office, then closed the door behind him. “You wanted to see me. Here I am.”
    â€œYou’re really pissed about this, aren’t you?” When he cocked an eyebrow as if saying I-don’t-know-what-you-mean, she elaborated. “You don’t like my invading your territory, even with a valid complaint.”
    Mike snorted.
    â€œI know you don’t believe that I’m in any danger. You think I concocted those two death threats, don’t you?”
    â€œOne letter,” Mike corrected. “Maleah explained that you threw the first one away…if there was a first one.”
    â€œYou egotistical son of a bitch. You actually think that I’m so determined to get back into your life that I’d fake death threats.” She punched her index fingertip into his chest. “Get this straight.” She repeated the punching motion again and again as she said, “I got the message loud and clear. You don’t want me. You wish I had never come back to Dunmore. You think I’m poison. Fine. Now, listen up—I’m over you. Finally. I wouldn’t have you if you were served to me on a silver platter with a gold apple in your mouth.”
    He stood there and stared at her, his blue-black eyes wide with surprise.
    She lifted her finger from his chest and balled her hand into a tight fist. “Someone has sent me two letters telling me that I’m going to die. It may be somebody’s idea of a sick joke or it could be that out there somewhere there’s a crazy person who intends to kill me. So, do your job, Sheriff. I’m a tax-paying citizen of your county.”
    Lorie turned and left his office, ignored the wide-eyed department personnel, and marched straight out the front door.

Chapter 4
    He exited the small commuter airplane, hoisted his vinyl carryall over his shoulder, and went directly to the car rental kiosk. If anyone remembered seeing him, they would describe him as a gray-haired man with a mustache and goatee. They might add that he wore sunglasses and dressed in wrinkled khakis and a plaid shirt. And if the airline passenger list were ever checked, his real name wouldn’t appear, only the name on his phony ID.
    He was a smart man. He had covered all his bases.
    Within twenty minutes, he was behind the wheel of a low-mileage Ford Taurus and halfway across town. Charles Wong, aka Charlie Hung, lived in a duplex on Rider Avenue. The adjoining apartment had been recently vacated and was For Rent. Charlie now had a wife and a couple of stepkids, and was presently unemployed. It was amazing how much you could find out about a person by simply using the Internet.
    He turned off the main street that went straight through Blythe, Arizona, population ten thousand, a quiet little border town southeast of Yuma. From what he could tell, the town was overrun with Mexicans and he figured half of them were illegals.
    He slowed down as he drove past Charlie’s apartment, but he