Read Online Between the Living and the Dead by Bill Crider - Free Book Online Page B

mice.
    â€œSeepy will have to find me before he can come at me,” Rhodes said. “You’d better not tell him where I am.”
    â€œMe?” Hack said with an attempt to sound both innocent and hurt. “You know I’d never do a thing like that.”
    â€œRight,” Rhodes said. “I’m sorry I mentioned it.”
    â€œYou ought to be,” Hack said.
    *   *   *
    The Clearview city hall was in sore need of repair and had been for years, but so far the city hadn’t been able to come up with the money to do anything about it without raising taxes, and nobody on the city council wanted to do that. They were afraid they’d be lynched by the citizens if they did. The damage wasn’t visible from the outside of the structure, however, and the old building looked quite respectable. Rhodes went in and walked down the deserted hallway to the mayor’s office. The door to the outer room was open, and Alice King sat at the desk.
    Alice had been a year behind Rhodes in high school, and she’d always been full of spunk. She was a cheerleader, and she still looked as if she might leap out from behind the desk at any moment and lead some shadowy crowd in a rousing round of “Go, team, go!”
    â€œHey, Sheriff,” she said as he walked in, as perky as if she were at cheerleader practice. “How’s your day been so far? Great, I hope.”
    Rhodes wondered if she’d think getting bounced around the Walmart parking lot by a sweaty bull qualified as great. He wasn’t going to find out, though, because he lied and said, “It sure has, Alice, and how’s yours been?”
    â€œFine as frog hair,” she said. “Are you here to see His Honor?”
    â€œThat’s right. Hack tells me you called.”
    â€œThat Hack,” Alice said. “He’s a sight. Told me to ask you about mice, for some reason. You have a mouse problem, Sheriff?”
    Rhodes wondered if it was legal for the sheriff to shoot his own staff. If it wasn’t, it ought to be.
    â€œNo,” he said. “Not a problem. I have two cats.”
    â€œI just love cats,” Alice said. “Especially the calico ones. Is either one of yours a calico?”
    â€œNo, they’re mostly black.”
    â€œI like black ones, too, but mine’s a calico. She’s a real mess.”
    She might have gone into more detail about what a mess her cat was, but the door to the inner office opened, and Clifford Clement poked his head out. He was losing his gray hair and kept it cut short to disguise the loss as much as possible. He had a short, neatly trimmed beard, which Rhodes thought he’d likely grown to compensate for the hair loss.
    â€œI thought I heard you out here, Sheriff,” Clement said. “Come on in.”
    He went back into his office. Rhodes looked at Alice, who shrugged, and went on through the door.
    â€œClose it,” Clement said.
    He was already seated behind his desk and made no move to get up and shake Rhodes’s hand, which didn’t bother Rhodes at all. Rhodes closed the door and sat in the visitor’s chair without being asked.
    â€œHack said you wanted to see me,” Rhodes said.
    Clement nodded. “That’s right.”
    â€œWhat for?”
    â€œIt’s about something that happened last night.”
    â€œHow did you find out about that?”
    Clement started to speak, hesitated, then said, “From the Web site that young troublemaker has.”
    Rhodes didn’t consider Jennifer Loam a troublemaker, but he could see how the stories she used might irritate the mayor. The stories were calculated to get people to the Web site and drive up the count so Jennifer could sell advertising, not to please the city officials. Also, Jennifer was friendly to Rhodes. Clement wouldn’t approve of that, either.
    â€œWhat did you want to know about the man who was killed?” Rhodes