[sufue]

The Horse in the Corner is a short story in the Jeff McQuede series by Vickie Britton and Loretta Jackson, who happen to be sisters. I'm not sure of the publication status of the story, but the books in the series (although originally pubbed by someone else, IMS) have been picked up by Thomas & Mercer. And I also read and enjoyed one of the books. And the short story is free, and short, so you won't waste either money or (much) time, but if its possible publication status offends you, skip it...

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JJ0QLPY

Spoiler:

Zeller’s Fine Jewelry is robbed, and one of the partners, Clark Zeller, dies of a single bullet wound to his heart. Sheriff Jeff McQuede believes that this crime is no simple robbery. Clark Zeller has been running against Morris Burton for the U.S. Senate, and the two have been involved in an ugly campaign. Did Burton have Zeller killed in a mock robbery because he was hiding some secret Zeller intended to make public? Or was Zeller murdered by his business partner or because of one of his many underhanded schemes?

When the getaway car is found with a dead robber inside and a witness who saw a passenger escape into the woods, McQuede searches for a runaway thief who might provide the link between Zeller’s murder and Morris Burton. If such a link exists and Burton has decided to rid himself of the killers he’d hired to shoot Zeller, how will McQuede be able to outwit this clever politician and prove his guilt?