Read Online Avalanche: A Sheriff Bo Tully Mystery (Sheriff Bo Tully Mysteries) by Patrick F. McManus - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Patrick F. McManus
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us a bit more it would have. Smashed up the Explorer pretty good but didn’t hurt us.”
“We’ve got some news here, too. I’ll let Herb tell you.”
Herb Eliot came on. “Bo! Man, are we ever glad to hear from you!”
“How come? Somebody steal the town?”
“Not quite. But somebody murdered Horace Baker last night.”
Tully sat in silence for a moment.
“You there, Bo?” Herb asked.
“Yeah, I’m here. I’m getting a bit overloaded, though. How do you know Horace was murdered?”
“He was shot in the back of the head!”
“That’s a pretty good indication. Who found him?”
“His secretary, Irene Pooley.”
Janice put her hand on Tully’s arm. “Stop tugging on your mustache like that. You’ll pull it out.”
Tully put his hand in his lap.
Herb went on. “He’s still in his office. We left him just like she found him, waiting for you to get back.”
“It’ll be a while before I get back. The road’s blocked by the avalanche. Besides, we still need to find out what’s happened to Mike Wilson.”
“I was saving the kicker for last,” Herb said.
“And the kicker is?”
“Mike Wilson is Horace’s partner in that development deal.”
“The one the county turned down?”
“Yeah,” Herb said. “You remember Horace threatened he was going to put in a giant pig farm on the land instead? A thousand pigs! So right there we have a couple hundred people wanting to kill him, the neighbors to the pig farm, for example, some of them very capable of doing it. Anyway, his secretary, Irene, says Horace was meeting somebody in his office later that night.”
“Who?”
“She said Horace didn’t say who, and she didn’t want to ask. He had apparently told her numerous times that if he wanted her to know something he would tell her. Irene is pretty shaken up by the whole thing. Guess she liked the miserable old devil quite a bit despite everything.”
“He doesn’t have any family that I can recall. Irene is about it.”
Tully began to sense his rear freezing to the sled. He stood up and began stomping his feet. “Anything at the scene that might give you a clue to the killer?”
“Just that Horace had poured a glass of whiskey for someone. It was sitting across the desk from him, apparently untouched. So he obviously knew the person, knew he drank whiskey. Or she did, as the case may be.”
“And he was shot in the back of the head, while seated at his desk?” Tully said. “I didn’t know Horace well but I know he wasn’t the kind of man to let one of his enemies get behind him. I’m slowly freezing to death up here, Herb. I’ve got to go. Get Lurch and Susan Parker over there to investigate the scene. See if Susan can pinpoint the time of death. I’ll be in touch later today.”
“With me or Susan?”
“You.”
“Right, boss. Now I’ve saved the really bad news for last.”
“What?”
“Clarence is back!”
“Clarence! Nooo!”
“Yup. He’s been gone over a month and I know everybody was hoping he’d been shot or run over or something.”
“We can’t have idiots shooting at him in the city.”
“Couple have already tried and missed. We confiscated their rifles. They said how come, for shooting at Clarence? I said no, for missing !”
“I don’t want any shooting in the city. Someone will get killed. You catch somebody shooting, throw him in the slammer. I know what we’ll do with Clarence if we catch him again. The last time we tried to keep him in the Playpen, he scaled the chain-link fence and wiggled through a coil of concertina wire. What’s he been up to this time?”
“Just the usual. He hides under people’s cars and sneaks out and bites them on the ankles.”
“Well, stay after him. And, Herb.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to hear any more of your problems.” He pushed the off button on the phone.
Janice was leaning into him, her head against his chest. She felt warm and surprisingly soft. That was one of the things he liked
“We’ve got some news here, too. I’ll let Herb tell you.”
Herb Eliot came on. “Bo! Man, are we ever glad to hear from you!”
“How come? Somebody steal the town?”
“Not quite. But somebody murdered Horace Baker last night.”
Tully sat in silence for a moment.
“You there, Bo?” Herb asked.
“Yeah, I’m here. I’m getting a bit overloaded, though. How do you know Horace was murdered?”
“He was shot in the back of the head!”
“That’s a pretty good indication. Who found him?”
“His secretary, Irene Pooley.”
Janice put her hand on Tully’s arm. “Stop tugging on your mustache like that. You’ll pull it out.”
Tully put his hand in his lap.
Herb went on. “He’s still in his office. We left him just like she found him, waiting for you to get back.”
“It’ll be a while before I get back. The road’s blocked by the avalanche. Besides, we still need to find out what’s happened to Mike Wilson.”
“I was saving the kicker for last,” Herb said.
“And the kicker is?”
“Mike Wilson is Horace’s partner in that development deal.”
“The one the county turned down?”
“Yeah,” Herb said. “You remember Horace threatened he was going to put in a giant pig farm on the land instead? A thousand pigs! So right there we have a couple hundred people wanting to kill him, the neighbors to the pig farm, for example, some of them very capable of doing it. Anyway, his secretary, Irene, says Horace was meeting somebody in his office later that night.”
“Who?”
“She said Horace didn’t say who, and she didn’t want to ask. He had apparently told her numerous times that if he wanted her to know something he would tell her. Irene is pretty shaken up by the whole thing. Guess she liked the miserable old devil quite a bit despite everything.”
“He doesn’t have any family that I can recall. Irene is about it.”
Tully began to sense his rear freezing to the sled. He stood up and began stomping his feet. “Anything at the scene that might give you a clue to the killer?”
“Just that Horace had poured a glass of whiskey for someone. It was sitting across the desk from him, apparently untouched. So he obviously knew the person, knew he drank whiskey. Or she did, as the case may be.”
“And he was shot in the back of the head, while seated at his desk?” Tully said. “I didn’t know Horace well but I know he wasn’t the kind of man to let one of his enemies get behind him. I’m slowly freezing to death up here, Herb. I’ve got to go. Get Lurch and Susan Parker over there to investigate the scene. See if Susan can pinpoint the time of death. I’ll be in touch later today.”
“With me or Susan?”
“You.”
“Right, boss. Now I’ve saved the really bad news for last.”
“What?”
“Clarence is back!”
“Clarence! Nooo!”
“Yup. He’s been gone over a month and I know everybody was hoping he’d been shot or run over or something.”
“We can’t have idiots shooting at him in the city.”
“Couple have already tried and missed. We confiscated their rifles. They said how come, for shooting at Clarence? I said no, for missing !”
“I don’t want any shooting in the city. Someone will get killed. You catch somebody shooting, throw him in the slammer. I know what we’ll do with Clarence if we catch him again. The last time we tried to keep him in the Playpen, he scaled the chain-link fence and wiggled through a coil of concertina wire. What’s he been up to this time?”
“Just the usual. He hides under people’s cars and sneaks out and bites them on the ankles.”
“Well, stay after him. And, Herb.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to hear any more of your problems.” He pushed the off button on the phone.
Janice was leaning into him, her head against his chest. She felt warm and surprisingly soft. That was one of the things he liked
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