Death on the Range: Target Practice Mysteries 1 by Nikki Haverstock

friends, that kinda thing. So she asked me if I could be her boyfriend for the show. I said sure, why not? She was cute enough, and we had a thing once or twice in the past. Plus, I had nothing too serious going on with anyone else. She said it was important that everyone thought we were a real couple, but I told her that you can’t cage the Tiger.”
    He gave us a sad wink, and Mary chuckled softly. His words were flirty, but his tone was sad.
    “The agent was probably a scam artist, and Honey was never going to write a book. Who reads books these days? But just in case, I did my best to act like the loyal boyfriend.”
    I gave a snort. “Loyal boyfriend, eh? Don’t expect to win an Oscar anytime soon.”
    “What can I say, my natural charisma is, like, irresistible. Need any help with the thing tonight?”
    Mary and I looked at each other and shrugged.
    “Have you told everyone? Arranged for liquor so we can toast?” We shook our heads no to Tiger’s questions. “Have you done anything? You two are doing an awful job of planning this.”
    “Planning what?” a voice said from behind us. Turning around, I saw Owley entering the range carrying her bow and her quiver hooked over her shoulder.
    “Mary and Di are planning a celebration of Honey’s life for tonight, like after dinner?”
    “Ya,” I replied, “after dinner is perfect.” I looked at Owley, expecting that she would reply, but she stared at me. I looked at Tiger then Mary then back at Owley. The pressure of the silence weighed heavily on me, and I reached out for any topic.
    “I like your shoes,” I blurted. Owley had black athletic shoes on with teal accents. She looked down at the shoes then back at me. Eternity stretched out before she replied.
    “Huh?” Her high, thin voice wavered a bit. She shifted her weight between her feet.
    “Your shoes are cute. I would totally buy a pair like that.” I gave her a big smile, hoping that the compliment would prompt a response.
    “Um, Di, I think you bought the same pair last week.” Mary had gone shopping with me and would know.
    I laughed, loud and awkward, in the large empty room (and feeling like a total idiot). “No wonder I like them. We could be shoe twins.”
    Tiger and Mary gave a tiny laugh, but Owley continued to stare. Finally she replied, “I need to practice.” She walked over to the shooting line, put her bow down next to Tiger’s, and started getting her equipment on.
    “Hey, great, good luck. Mary and I have things to do.” I gave Tiger a quick wave and dragged Mary from the range.
    ***
    Once in the hallway, I reared around to face Mary. I kept my voice down. “We need to figure out a better way to talk to people. I don’t want anyone knowing that we are investigating.”
    “Batman does, you know, in the movie.” Mary lowered her voice and said, “I am Batman.”
    I chuckled but blew out an exasperated sigh while rubbing my forehead. “We’re not Batman and Robin. At best, we’re Laurel and Hardy.”
    “Oh, sorry I couldn’t match the brilliance of your investigation, Miss-I-Like-Your-Shoes.”
    At the far end of the hallway, a police officer was watching us. I gave him a big smile and waved then started walking toward the entrance. “Fair enough, neither of us is good at winging it. As much as it pains me, I think you’re right. Let’s go back to the room. You can read the memoir, and I can take a short nap before my head explodes.”
    ***
    A dancy little electronic tune woke me up. I grabbed my phone and cleared my throat. “Hello,” I croaked.
    “It’s me. Jess. Are you in your room? I need to introduce you to someone. Don’t move.” It all came out in a tumble of words.
    “Sure, come on over.” I looked at the phone, but Jess had already ended the call. I rubbed my eyes and took in the surroundings. I was lying on the couch in the middle room of our unit. Mary was on the floor, working at the coffee table with her computer, tablet, notebook and a variety