Read Online Bill Crider - Dan Rhodes 20 - Compound Murder by Bill Crider - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Bill Crider
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what he had here was an impostor, someone’s pet potbellied piglet that had escaped its home and decided to see what the rest of the big wide world had to offer.
That was good news, since it meant that Rhodes wouldn’t have to kill it, not that he had anything to kill it with, and he wouldn’t have to worry about being ripped to shreds by its tusks. In fact, he very much doubted that the hog had any tusks at all.
The bad news was that he still had to do something about it. The pig might be tame, it might even be housebroken, but that didn’t mean it would be easy to handle. Rhodes wished he hadn’t asked Hannah to leave. He wished Alton Boyd were there to help him. He wished he had the telephone number of the hog’s owner. For that matter, he wished he knew who the owner was, but the wishes weren’t doing him any good. He was going to have to do something, and do it before the pig decided to come out of the trash.
He wondered if Hannah had really gone back outside.
“Hannah?” he said.
“I knew you needed some help,” she said from the hall, and she came back into the kitchen.
“Do you have any duct tape?” Rhodes asked.
“Of course I do. My Lawrence always said you could fix anything with duct tape. Duct tape and WD-40. He always had to have those two things in the house. What he couldn’t fix with one of them—”
Rhodes held up a hand. “Could you bring the duct tape in here? Fast?”
“It’s in there.” Hannah pointed to a cabinet drawer. “Right in there. My Lawrence said to keep it handy because you never know when you’ll need it, so that’s what I do.”
The pig lunged forward, pushing the trash can a foot or more. There must have been something really tasty down in the bottom. Rhodes didn’t think the pig would hear him, so he stepped around him and opened the cabinet drawer. Sure enough, a roll of silver duct tape lay right in front. Rhodes took the tape and went back to Hannah. While she watched, he stripped a long length of tape off the roll and tore it free. It wasn’t a quiet process, but the pig wasn’t bothered.
As Rhodes handed the length of tape to Hannah, the pig began to back out of the trash can. Rhodes tossed the roll of tape in the general direction of the stainless steel kitchen sink. It landed with a clang, and Rhodes grabbed hold of the pig’s back legs.
The pig reacted instantly, squirming and squealing. Rhodes kept his grip, forced the legs together, and upended the pig into the plastic can while bringing the can into a standing position. The pig snorted and kicked with its front feet, but without much effect since they were restrained inside the can. It tried to kick with its back feet. Rhodes held tight. The pig writhed. Rhodes pushed down and kept it in the can.
Hannah stood by calmly with the tape, watching.
“Wrap the legs!” Rhodes said. The struggling pig was dragging him away from her. “Wrap the legs!”
“Oh,” Hannah said.
She stepped over, and Rhodes tried to hold himself away from the legs so she could pass the tape around them. After she’d made a couple of rounds, Rhodes squeezed the legs closer together. Hannah made three more rounds. It wasn’t easy, as the pig never gave up. Its exertions carried Rhodes to the right and to the left, and he slid around the kitchen, with Hannah calmly following along and continuing to wrap the legs.
Rhodes knew they weren’t going to get the front legs wrapped. There was just no way. Maybe if they’d had the defensive line of the Houston Texans with them they could’ve managed it, but he and Hannah weren’t up to the job.
Hannah had finished the wrapping, but Rhodes couldn’t let go. He said, “Call the sheriff’s department. When you get Hack Jensen, hand me the phone.”
“You have your hands full already,” Hannah said.
“Don’t worry about that. Just make the call.”
An old black handset hung on the wall beside the refrigerator. Rhodes wouldn’t have been surprised to see a dial
That was good news, since it meant that Rhodes wouldn’t have to kill it, not that he had anything to kill it with, and he wouldn’t have to worry about being ripped to shreds by its tusks. In fact, he very much doubted that the hog had any tusks at all.
The bad news was that he still had to do something about it. The pig might be tame, it might even be housebroken, but that didn’t mean it would be easy to handle. Rhodes wished he hadn’t asked Hannah to leave. He wished Alton Boyd were there to help him. He wished he had the telephone number of the hog’s owner. For that matter, he wished he knew who the owner was, but the wishes weren’t doing him any good. He was going to have to do something, and do it before the pig decided to come out of the trash.
He wondered if Hannah had really gone back outside.
“Hannah?” he said.
“I knew you needed some help,” she said from the hall, and she came back into the kitchen.
“Do you have any duct tape?” Rhodes asked.
“Of course I do. My Lawrence always said you could fix anything with duct tape. Duct tape and WD-40. He always had to have those two things in the house. What he couldn’t fix with one of them—”
Rhodes held up a hand. “Could you bring the duct tape in here? Fast?”
“It’s in there.” Hannah pointed to a cabinet drawer. “Right in there. My Lawrence said to keep it handy because you never know when you’ll need it, so that’s what I do.”
The pig lunged forward, pushing the trash can a foot or more. There must have been something really tasty down in the bottom. Rhodes didn’t think the pig would hear him, so he stepped around him and opened the cabinet drawer. Sure enough, a roll of silver duct tape lay right in front. Rhodes took the tape and went back to Hannah. While she watched, he stripped a long length of tape off the roll and tore it free. It wasn’t a quiet process, but the pig wasn’t bothered.
As Rhodes handed the length of tape to Hannah, the pig began to back out of the trash can. Rhodes tossed the roll of tape in the general direction of the stainless steel kitchen sink. It landed with a clang, and Rhodes grabbed hold of the pig’s back legs.
The pig reacted instantly, squirming and squealing. Rhodes kept his grip, forced the legs together, and upended the pig into the plastic can while bringing the can into a standing position. The pig snorted and kicked with its front feet, but without much effect since they were restrained inside the can. It tried to kick with its back feet. Rhodes held tight. The pig writhed. Rhodes pushed down and kept it in the can.
Hannah stood by calmly with the tape, watching.
“Wrap the legs!” Rhodes said. The struggling pig was dragging him away from her. “Wrap the legs!”
“Oh,” Hannah said.
She stepped over, and Rhodes tried to hold himself away from the legs so she could pass the tape around them. After she’d made a couple of rounds, Rhodes squeezed the legs closer together. Hannah made three more rounds. It wasn’t easy, as the pig never gave up. Its exertions carried Rhodes to the right and to the left, and he slid around the kitchen, with Hannah calmly following along and continuing to wrap the legs.
Rhodes knew they weren’t going to get the front legs wrapped. There was just no way. Maybe if they’d had the defensive line of the Houston Texans with them they could’ve managed it, but he and Hannah weren’t up to the job.
Hannah had finished the wrapping, but Rhodes couldn’t let go. He said, “Call the sheriff’s department. When you get Hack Jensen, hand me the phone.”
“You have your hands full already,” Hannah said.
“Don’t worry about that. Just make the call.”
An old black handset hung on the wall beside the refrigerator. Rhodes wouldn’t have been surprised to see a dial
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