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Back A Penny for Your Thoughts Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. A PENNY
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Twenty-Four
  29. Twenty-Five
  30. Twenty-Six
  31. Twenty-Seven
  32. Twenty-Eight
  33. Twenty-Nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-One
  36. Thirty-Two
  37. Thirty-Three
  38. Thirty-Four
  39. Thirty-Five
  40. Thirty-Six
  41. Thirty-Seven
  42. Thirty-Eight
  43. Thirty-Nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-One
  46. Forty-Two
  47. Forty-Three
  48. Forty-Four
  49. Forty-Five
  50. Forty-Six
  51. Forty-Seven
  52. Forty-Eight
  53. Forty-Nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-One
  56. Fifty-Two
  57. Fifty-Three
  58. Fifty-Four
  59. A Sample Chapter of Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels
  60. About the Author
  61. Other Books by Mindy Starns Clark
  62. About the Publisher

“Long story,” I replied, thinking that now that all of the brouhaha was over, I would need to get my car over to the police station where Keegan and Sollie could document its wounds as proof of my run-in with Redburn.

“We’re headed to the hospital,” Marion said, leaning forward so I could see her around Nick. “How did Carlos look?”

“Carlos is going to be fine,” I said. “And the cut isn’t very wide, just kind of deep. He probably won’t need more than five or six stitches.”

I could see the relief in her face. I could also see the tension in Nick as I realized Angelina had gotten out of my car and come to stand behind me.

“Marion,” I said, “before you go, Angelina wants to talk to you. She has some things she would like to say.”

Marion set her jaw and looked straight ahead. I knew she was hurt about the theft of the shirt. I could only hope that the two women could work it out. It seemed a shame to me that a man like Alan with all of his schemes could come in and destroy the warm relationship between them.

For me, I was too tired to try and help them. I looked from Marion to Angelina, who was staring at the ground, red-faced and teary-eyed. This one she would have to handle on her own. Exhaling slowly, I excused myself from the scene in the driveway and headed toward the house. Nick got out of the car and let me in with his key, disarming the alarm for me before turning to go.

I headed upstairs, and when I reached my room, I let myself fall, fully clothed, onto the bed. I was exhausted beyond belief. I closed my eyes, wanting sleep, wishing I could just blink my eyes and wake up in my own bed in my own home. Wearily, I reached for my phone and dialed Tom’s number, knowing that his voice was the only one I felt like hearing for the rest of the night.

He was glad I called and said that news of Alan’s theft and capture and Carlos’ disappearance and recovery had even made a two-minute blurb on the evening news in Washington.

“They showed you climbing down that tower,” he said. “They’re calling you a hero.”

“All in the line of duty,” I replied, smiling up at the ceiling. For a moment, I let myself admit that it felt good to save the day.

I asked him what he had heard from the police, and not surprisingly, he was fully informed. After he fussed at me for a while about not removing myself from the case when I realized I was in danger, he calmed down and brought me up-to-date.