Death Indoors: Target Practice Mysteries 4 by Nikki Haverstock Page B

eyebrows knit together, forming a deep wrinkle between them. "I know. If we could do one danged event without a murder, that would be awesome. I asked Brian if he would go look around. Hey, they're done fixing the targets. Go get ready to shoot."
    ***
    The rest of the tournament limped along. Archers around me sniffled and groaned, but I focused on my shooting and ignored it. The windows to the outside dimmed as the sun clung low in the sky. The hallway reflected the lights in the parking lot, and a faded sparkling of red and blue passed by at some point, making me think that Brian might have been called out. Little Davey Jones was no longer talkative, though I tried my best to be encouraging without being pushy. Star Student had huffed and gruffed her way through each shot. Serious Matt had explained in detail each end how much better he was in practice, even going so far as to pull out a notebook to show us his normal scores. And that was just the people around me. If I had a point for every slammed bow, teardrop, or "I think something's broken on my bow" uttered, I could have easily cleaned the three hundred round we shot.
    As we approached the target to score the last end, the DOS's voice crackled to life overhead, explaining what was required of us. "Make sure that the boxes on the bottom left are completely filled, and they must match what is in the electronic handheld. If the scores do not match, the lower score will be used. Each scorecard must have two signatures, the archer and the scorekeeper. The cafeteria is open and will remain open for the next ninety minutes. Thank you and see you tomorrow."
    I had just started to call my arrows, listing out the value of each arrow, when the overhead speakers crackled to life again.
    "Can the parents and coaches come over to the far side of the range where Jess is raising her hand?"
    Jess had her hand up by the door. Her mouth was a thin line, and her shoulders hitched up around her ears as she twisted her hands one around the other. Brian stood next to her, his thumb tucked into his belt and feet set wide.
    We finished up scoring. Carefully, we double-checked that each box at the bottom that summarized our scores matched the totals in the handheld. I carefully wrote out the numbers to make sure that none of the numbers were unclear or smudged. Jess had drilled into us the risk of an eight that looked like a three or a two that resembled a jaunty one.
    The meeting with Jess and Brian seemed to be breaking up, and people didn't seem happy; no one had a smile, a few faces were white, and a couple others were blowing their noses. Liam, Moo, Orion and Mary were in the crowd. I caught Mary's eye, and she cut across the range to meet me as I went to join the growing line of people clutching their scorecards to turn in.
    I turned in my scorecard and joined Mary. She leaned in close. "Coach Ron was found dead in the snow."
    I shook my head sadly but couldn't muster up any shock. "Murder?"
    "No! That's the surprising part. Brian thinks it was a heart attack. They already took him away."
    We walked back to my chairs, where I gathered up my bag and other things. "Wow, natural causes? That is a shock."
    "I'll save you and Liam a seat in the dining room." She walked on, and Orion fell into step beside her.
    I watched them leave the range.
    Liam ran a hand through his short hair. "What are you smiling about?" Moo shoved his face into my hand at the end of the leash that Liam held.
    "Oh, nothing." I gave him a smile. "I'm going to drop this stuff off and then grab dinner. You in?"
    "Perfect, I'm starving."
    ***
    By the time we got Moo sorted out and my stuff put away, the cafeteria was mostly empty and the dining room was full. The judges and tournament staff had been offered free rooms and food. The staff was clumped together in a loose group, while the judges were in the group to the side. They clung to the far wall, looking exhausted.
    Kids and their chaperones who were staying at the