Murders & Romance: A Psychic Detective Romantic Mystery (Isaac Taylor Mysteries Book 5) by Lashell Collins (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗

some menthol to rub on her chest, and some cough drops. And he said to keep her drinking clear fluids.” Zoe flipped through the stack of mail in her hands as she spoke. “He thinks with lots of rest, she’ll be back on her feet in no time.”

“Good.”

“Oh, here’s a package for you.”

Sidney looked up from her computer screen.

“A package?”

“Yes. It was in the mailbox.”

Zoe handed her the small, nondescript, brown box addressed to ‘The Future Mrs. Ike Taylor.’

“That’s odd.”

“What’s that?”

“Look at the way it’s worded. The future Mrs. Ike Taylor? Who would send me something addressed that way?”

Zoe shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. Maybe your beloved?”

Sidney examined the box. There was no return address.

“I don’t think Ike would go to the trouble of mailing me something here.”

“Your future sister-in-law maybe? The one who brought the food by and ended up giving birth here. What’s her name again?”

“Bree Taylor.”

“Yes, her. Maybe she sent you something.”

Sidney shook her head. That didn’t make any sense to her either.

“Maybe.”

“Well, there could be a card inside. Or at least a clue of some sort. Open it.”

Sidney searched for the letter opener on her desk and used the very tip to puncture the tape on the box, slicing down the middle. Then she opened it up.

It took her mind a few endless seconds to comprehend what she was seeing.

A small stuffed puppy — mutilated with dirty, matted fur.

The eyes were ripped off.

The stuffing was coming out.

And crawling on top — the biggest, hairiest, brown spider.

Panic in her mind and fear in her gut battled like wild dogs.

Sidney screamed, leaping from her seat like a shot.

The box fell to the floor.

The spider crawled out.

Zoe screamed in solidarity. Then she went running to her desk for the heaviest book she could find.

Sidney couldn’t wait that long.

With a loud karate yell, she stomped on the big creepy crawly with her wedged-heeled bootie.

Zoe stared at her, hard-covered dictionary raised above her head.

Ann and Beth came running, stopping in the doorway to gape at them.

Panting, Sidney looked at Zoe.

“I’m afraid to look.”

“Raise your foot. If it’s not dead, the dictionary’s ready.”

Sidney nodded frantically. Then she took a breath and raised her foot.

“Oh, thank God!” Zoe breathed a loud sigh of relief. “You got him.”

“Ahh!”

Sidney took a step back and flopped down into her chair.

“What just happened?” Beth asked.

“Where did that huge thing come from?” Ann chimed in.

“Good question!” Zoe looked from Ann to Sidney. “What the fuck was that?”

“How the hell am I supposed to know? You brought the box in here! Was it in the mailbox?”

“Yes. I told you, I found it in the mail. Addressed to you.”

“No. It was addressed to the ‘Future Mrs. Ike Taylor.’”

“Well, that is you!”

“Yes, it’s me. But who the hell would send something like that in the mail?”

Zoe threw up a hand. “I don’t know.”

“Oh, my God.” A thought hit Sidney’s brain.

“What?”

She got up and maneuvered carefully around the squished spider. Then she picked up the box and studied the outside of it more carefully. Not only was there no return address. There was also no postage, no post office stamp. Nothing.

“I don’t think someone sent this through the mail at all. I think someone simply put it inside the mailbox.”

“Who would do that?”

Sidney grabbed a pencil from her desk. Then she bent down and used the end of the pencil to shove the stuffed animal back into the box. She took a deep breath and did the same with the fat, dead spider.

“Yeewl!”

The creeped out sound came with a shiver of her entire body. Then she closed up the box and looked up at Ann and Beth.

“Can one of you find me a plastic bag to put this in, please? Ziplock if we have it.”

“Sure.”

They both hurried from the doorway, and Sidney stood up.

“What are you doing, Sidney? Why not just throw it away?”

“Because it’s evidence. I’m bagging it up to give to Ike.”

“Evidence? Of what?”

“Harassment. This, on top of my tires being slashed. It might not be related, but… it could be.”

Zoe placed her hands on her hips.

“Oh, heavens. I never thought of that.”

“I’m not sure I would have either, but Ike and I just had a conversation about this yesterday. He said that I should keep a record of any strange things going on here.”

Zoe glanced at the door and then lowered her voice when she said, “Do you think it could be Ann’s husband?”

“The thought occurred to me. I think he’s still in jail though. And how would he know who I’m marrying?”

There was another thought that occurred to her as well.

Dr. Lance Tobey.

He was just there, after all. Who’s to say he couldn’t have dropped the package in the mailbox before he walked in the door?

“Here you go, Sidney.”

“Thanks.”

She took the plastic bag from Beth and placed the box inside, zipping it up tight. Then she put it on the corner of her desk and looked at Zoe.

“It’s officially been the worst day ever.”

Zoe fought to hold in her laughter, finally letting it burst forth.

Sidney shook her head and joined in because… well, it was better than crying.

19

Isaac floated out of the briefing room that morning and over to his desk as if his chest were filled with helium. And why not? The most beautiful woman in the world was going to marry him in just two short months. Less than that even.

Oh, yeah. Happy wasn’t a big enough word for what he was feeling.

“What are you doing right now?”

Isaac looked up to find Pete staring at him in the most peculiar way.

“What?”

“That strange sound. The one coming from your mouth. Is that whistling? Are you whistling right now?

“Yeah, so I was whistling. What of it? Am I not allowed to whistle?”

“Oh, no, you’re allowed. But you usually don’t.”

“I whistle.”

“No, you don’t. Because whistling implies that you’re in a good mood. Which you usually aren’t. And it implies that you like people and that you’re approachable. You hate people, and you’re most definitely not approachable.