Half Truth

HALF TRUTH A SQUEAKY CLEAN IN BETWEEN MYSTERY BOOK 2.5 CHRISTY BARRITT Copyright © 2023 by Christy Barritt All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. CONTENTS Note to Readers: Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Also by Christy Barritt: You might also enjoy … About the Author Complete Book List NOTE TO READERS: If you’re an avid Squeaky Clean series reader, this book officially takes place between It Came Upon a Midnight Crime and Organized Grime. CHAPTER ONE I raised my hand in the air as I felt opportunity begin to slip away. “One hundred dollars!” My breath clouded with frost in front of me as I stood outside on the cold thirty-seven-degree day. At least it was sunny. And at least I was surrounded by a wall of lime green storage units to break the wind. An auctioneer stood at the front of the crowd. I’d envisioned going to an auction before. But in my imaginings, people had been dressed in tuxes and fancy dresses while bidding on famous paintings and artwork. This was more of a redneck auction, with most of the crowd seeming rather ordinary in their jeans and sweatshirts. I fit in here. These were my people. Ordinary people. Blue-collar people. I’d convinced myself that the contents of Unit 139 should be mine. Don’t ask me why. I’d just decided I wanted what was behind that roll-up door. Riley Thomas, my friend, neighbor, and the man I was secretly crushing on, leaned closer. “You could pay your electric bill for the month with that money, you know.” “I realize that. But I just know something good is inside that storage unit. Besides, it’s the last one I can bid on.” For no good reason, I’d chickened out before bidding on the previous ten units that had been up for auction. Money wasn’t something I played around with—especially since I lived from paycheck to paycheck. But I considered this a business opportunity. I was hoping this place would be packed with items that I could resell on eBay or even at a yard sale. Maybe someone had even left money inside. I’d heard of crazier things happening. Somehow, I’d talked Riley into coming with me to this auction where the contents of unpaid storage units were being sold. Usually, the auctioneer gave people a peek inside the units before bidding began. This time, he was selling them all sight unseen—almost as mystery offers, I supposed. And I loved mysteries. I couldn’t wait to see what was inside Unit 139 of the Excess Storage Facility in Norfolk, Virginia. I’d heard about these auctions for a long time, and it had been on my bucket list to actually come to one of these events and bid on a unit. I wasn’t even quite sure why—other than the suspense of it all. Also, I wanted to do something different, something exciting. This seemed like a better option than, let’s say . . . hang gliding or going to a casino. “One twenty-five,” a man behind me said. Surprise washed through me when I heard the competing bid. I turned to look at the guy who’d called out the amount and saw he was wearing a black baseball cap, sunglasses, and a puffy black jacket that concealed most of his features. He’d been at the auction from the start. I’d seen him in the crowd when I signed in. But he hadn’t bid on any of the other storage units. Only this one. Since each unit was being sold sight unseen, why was that? Why was he only bidding on this one? Did he know something I didn’t? Then again . . . he could be thinking the same thing about me. I shouldn’t rush to judgment. Determination rose in me. “One fifty!” “One seventy-five,” the man called back. We’d been instructed to bid in twenty-five-dollar increments. “Two hundred!” I wasn’t sure what was happening to me. Did I really want this storage unit that bad? Or did I just want to win? Either way, I was all in. Some type of determination had grown inside me, almost like a sports car going from zero to sixty in 5.2 seconds. I glanced over my shoulder at the man, waiting to see if he would outbid me again. I couldn’t see his eyes. Couldn’t see if he was looking at me or tell what he was thinking. A fact that kind of drove me crazy. I liked trying to read people, and I’d become pretty good at it. Sunglasses made that hard. “Three hundred,” the man said. I sucked in a breath. He’d skipped two twenty-five, two fifty, and two seventy-five! “Gabby . . .” Riley muttered as if he were reading my mind and knew exactly what I was about to do. “Four hundred!” I blurted. Four hundred? Had I lost my mind? No one else had bid this high on other storage units. They’d maxed out at three hundred. I needed my money to live on. I needed to eat, for goodness’ sake! But I would recoup the funds. I was sure of it. I held my breath as I waited. Would the man bid against me again? I heard nothing. My gaze went back to the auctioneer, a bearded man who reminded me of a silver-tongued Grizzly Adams. I wanted to win. And I didn’t want to win. Part of me wanted to keep my hard-earned money. The other part of me didn’t want to lose. I was