your sister hired. He waited out there until you parked, then followed you in" I glanced at the front
door. "Now, here's what you do. Get your keys and walk directly to your car. Get in, start it up, and get out of here.
He'll follow"
"But what if he stops me?"
"He won't. And, trust me, he won't follow you more than
a few feet"
I could see the apprehension in her face. I patted her
hand. "I know what I'm doing. Now, go. And if your sister
should mention anything about tonight, play dumb"
A crooked grin played over her lips. "That won't be hard.
I've got no idea what's going on"
Hurrying out the rear and around to the back lane, I
watched as Tricia started her car. Seconds after the lights
flashed on, the restaurant door burst open, and Bulldog Face
came running across the lot.
By now, Tricia had exited the parking area and was pulling
onto the highway below.
The Ford's engine roared to life, and the car shot forward.
In a shrill shriek of ripping metal, the howling automobile
jerked to a sudden halt, and its rear end shot up into the air
and then crashed to the gravel, raising a cloud of dust.
I grinned and muttered. "Thanks, American Graffiti!"
uring the drive back to my apartment on Payton-Gin
Road, I went back over what little information I had. First,
Vanessa Chester had hired Bulldog Face to tail her sister.
Why? Obviously, to see what she was up to.
No question she had hired him to find Justin, but why,
after she insisted she would spend none of her money on
the effort to locate her brother?
I had spotted him in San Antonio three times. He had to
have been tailing me. Someone had entered my room. Could
he be the one? But if so, he'd learned nothing. From what
Bones had said, Bulldog Face never found the Grasshoppers,
so he couldn't have discovered Elysian Hills.
So, if he were responsible for Justin's death, the only way
he could have learned of the small community was from
Vanessa, and only after Justin returned to Austin, which made
her a conspirator.
Motive? Plenty of that. Hey, ten million is motive enough to check out just about anyone, except perhaps the Pope.
And then-well, I won't say any more.
That night, I dreamed about Justin and the spaceship. I
saw him crumpling the piece of aircraft skin, and then, as if
by magic, it unfolded itself.
That's when A.B. jumped onto the bed and awakened me.
As long as I can remember, I've had pets around. As I
grew older, they became more of a chore, but I was forced
to keep them. Have you ever tried to find a home for a cat?
What about a brain-damaged Albino Barb exotic fish?
I've had them all, and now it was A.B. He had it made.
And the little guy couldn't argue that. All had been right
with his world ever since that day I plucked him from the
grasp of two swamp Neanderthals who were planning on
running a 12/0 shark hook through him for alligator bait.
That's how he came up with that moniker, A.B.
Down at the office the next day, I briefed Marty on the
situation. When Tricia arrived, I reminded her that she was
not hiring us to investigate Justin's death but to gather his
belongings and talk to his friends, both in Austin and Elysian
Hills.
She glanced warily at Marty.
I winked at her. "I told him everything"
She seemed to relax. "Good. I told the sheriff up there
we were sending someone to gather Justin's possessions
and talk to the people he worked with. He's expecting you"
Once again I took care to explain that since the body had
been cremated, we could not prove Justin had not been
drinking. The justice of the peace's report would stand.
"I understand, but-" She paused and glanced at Marty.
"As I told Tony, I want to know, if for nothing else, for my
own peace of mind. If my brother or sister is involved,
then .. " Her voice trailed off.
Marty shrugged. "We'll do you a good job, Miss Chester.
Don't you worry."
After she left, I turned to Marty. "Must be a good feeling
not to worry. Looks
door. "Now, here's what you do. Get your keys and walk directly to your car. Get in, start it up, and get out of here.
He'll follow"
"But what if he stops me?"
"He won't. And, trust me, he won't follow you more than
a few feet"
I could see the apprehension in her face. I patted her
hand. "I know what I'm doing. Now, go. And if your sister
should mention anything about tonight, play dumb"
A crooked grin played over her lips. "That won't be hard.
I've got no idea what's going on"
Hurrying out the rear and around to the back lane, I
watched as Tricia started her car. Seconds after the lights
flashed on, the restaurant door burst open, and Bulldog Face
came running across the lot.
By now, Tricia had exited the parking area and was pulling
onto the highway below.
The Ford's engine roared to life, and the car shot forward.
In a shrill shriek of ripping metal, the howling automobile
jerked to a sudden halt, and its rear end shot up into the air
and then crashed to the gravel, raising a cloud of dust.
I grinned and muttered. "Thanks, American Graffiti!"
uring the drive back to my apartment on Payton-Gin
Road, I went back over what little information I had. First,
Vanessa Chester had hired Bulldog Face to tail her sister.
Why? Obviously, to see what she was up to.
No question she had hired him to find Justin, but why,
after she insisted she would spend none of her money on
the effort to locate her brother?
I had spotted him in San Antonio three times. He had to
have been tailing me. Someone had entered my room. Could
he be the one? But if so, he'd learned nothing. From what
Bones had said, Bulldog Face never found the Grasshoppers,
so he couldn't have discovered Elysian Hills.
So, if he were responsible for Justin's death, the only way
he could have learned of the small community was from
Vanessa, and only after Justin returned to Austin, which made
her a conspirator.
Motive? Plenty of that. Hey, ten million is motive enough to check out just about anyone, except perhaps the Pope.
And then-well, I won't say any more.
That night, I dreamed about Justin and the spaceship. I
saw him crumpling the piece of aircraft skin, and then, as if
by magic, it unfolded itself.
That's when A.B. jumped onto the bed and awakened me.
As long as I can remember, I've had pets around. As I
grew older, they became more of a chore, but I was forced
to keep them. Have you ever tried to find a home for a cat?
What about a brain-damaged Albino Barb exotic fish?
I've had them all, and now it was A.B. He had it made.
And the little guy couldn't argue that. All had been right
with his world ever since that day I plucked him from the
grasp of two swamp Neanderthals who were planning on
running a 12/0 shark hook through him for alligator bait.
That's how he came up with that moniker, A.B.
Down at the office the next day, I briefed Marty on the
situation. When Tricia arrived, I reminded her that she was
not hiring us to investigate Justin's death but to gather his
belongings and talk to his friends, both in Austin and Elysian
Hills.
She glanced warily at Marty.
I winked at her. "I told him everything"
She seemed to relax. "Good. I told the sheriff up there
we were sending someone to gather Justin's possessions
and talk to the people he worked with. He's expecting you"
Once again I took care to explain that since the body had
been cremated, we could not prove Justin had not been
drinking. The justice of the peace's report would stand.
"I understand, but-" She paused and glanced at Marty.
"As I told Tony, I want to know, if for nothing else, for my
own peace of mind. If my brother or sister is involved,
then .. " Her voice trailed off.
Marty shrugged. "We'll do you a good job, Miss Chester.
Don't you worry."
After she left, I turned to Marty. "Must be a good feeling
not to worry. Looks
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