Read Online Bingo Barge Murder by Jessie Chandler. - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jessie Chandler.
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Kate stood next to the espresso machine, measuring out coffee beans.
“Have you seen Eddy this morning?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“Thanks.” I gave her a wave and jogged back through Eddy’s kitchen and up her stairs, fear running through my veins. Be okay, I chanted to myself. She shouldn’t have come with us last night. We’d probably caused the heart attack I’d been obsessing about.
Eddy’s partially open bedroom door came into view. I prepared myself for the sight of her lifeless body lying on the bed. What if she was sprawled on the floor instead? What if she’d struggled to get up and couldn’t? What if she died all alone? The thunderous thoughts in my brain came to a screeching halt as I pushed the door all the way open and saw Eddy’s bed was empty. The sheets were rumpled, and the blanket lay half on the floor, but the bed was Eddy-free. This wasn’t right. She never left her bed unmade.
I flew into the attached bathroom and was back in the bedroom in a blink. It occurred to me that maybe she’d gone up to see Coop. Of course! My heart shifted out of high gear, and the roaring in my ears lessened. Still, I shot down the stairs, out of the house, and into the two-car garage. Eddy’s yellow pickup was still parked where we’d bailed out of it last night.
“Coop,” I hollered up at the ceiling. “Coop!” I grabbed the broom and hammered on the wall. “Coop!”
The trap door opened, and Coop appeared. “Where’s the fire?”
“Eddy. You haven’t seen her, have you?”
“Eddy?” Coop’s voice was gravelly from sleep and probably too many smokes.
“Yes, Eddy, for Christ’s sake. She’s gone!”
“Gone? What do you mean, gone?”
“Get down here!” My heart sped up so fast I feared it might slam its way through my ribs. I hoped I wouldn’t pee my pants.
Coop’s head disappeared, then he tossed a shirt, a pair of socks, and his shoes to the garage floor and scrambled down.
“Come on.” I gathered up his clothes, and he followed me toward the house, wearing only his jeans.
“Man,” he said, hurrying to keep up with me. “It’s freezing out here. Could use a smoke, too.”
I threw him a disgusted glare. “Your fatal attraction will have to wait.”
We plowed into the kitchen, and I dumped Coop’s clothing on the table.
“Shay, how do you know something’s wrong?”
“Eddy, I told you. She’s not here, and her bed’s not made.”
Coop would have done a good job of rolling his eyes if he’d been able to open them wide enough. “Who makes their bed anymore?”
“Eddy, you nincompoop. She always does. Always.”
Coop peered at me as if I was a one-eyed frog. “Maybe she went out. Met up with one of the Knitters.”
“I don’t think so. Something feels wrong.”
“Okay, okay …” He picked up his t-shirt from the table and pulled it over his head. He paused with one arm in the air and the shirt halfway on. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?”
Coop picked up a folded slip of paper from the table, half hidden under his socks. He read it, and I watched his face drain of color.
“What is it?”
He handed me a piece of lined paper, one edge jagged where it had been ripped out of a notebook. The words were scrawled in block letters:
GIVE US THE TAPE. AND THE NUTS.
YOU GET THE OLD LADY BACK IN ONE PIECE.
OR ELSE! CALL THIS NUMBER 908-555-9745
PS NO COPS OR SHE’S DEAD!!!!
My hands shook as I read the note again. Unfortunately, the words didn’t change.
“Oh my god,” Coop whispered.
I dropped the note as if it were contaminated and watched it drift down to the table. Hands clenched in my hair, I paced around the kitchen. “Okay. Okay. Calm. We need to stay calm.” My voice rose a number of octaves. “Coop—oh God, we don’t have any nuts.”
“But we do have the tape.”
“Yeah, we—oh my God, no!”
“What?” Coop half-stood, alarmed.
“The tape. I called JT, and she’s going to be here—” I twisted my wrist and
Kate stood next to the espresso machine, measuring out coffee beans.
“Have you seen Eddy this morning?” I asked.
“Nope.”
“Thanks.” I gave her a wave and jogged back through Eddy’s kitchen and up her stairs, fear running through my veins. Be okay, I chanted to myself. She shouldn’t have come with us last night. We’d probably caused the heart attack I’d been obsessing about.
Eddy’s partially open bedroom door came into view. I prepared myself for the sight of her lifeless body lying on the bed. What if she was sprawled on the floor instead? What if she’d struggled to get up and couldn’t? What if she died all alone? The thunderous thoughts in my brain came to a screeching halt as I pushed the door all the way open and saw Eddy’s bed was empty. The sheets were rumpled, and the blanket lay half on the floor, but the bed was Eddy-free. This wasn’t right. She never left her bed unmade.
I flew into the attached bathroom and was back in the bedroom in a blink. It occurred to me that maybe she’d gone up to see Coop. Of course! My heart shifted out of high gear, and the roaring in my ears lessened. Still, I shot down the stairs, out of the house, and into the two-car garage. Eddy’s yellow pickup was still parked where we’d bailed out of it last night.
“Coop,” I hollered up at the ceiling. “Coop!” I grabbed the broom and hammered on the wall. “Coop!”
The trap door opened, and Coop appeared. “Where’s the fire?”
“Eddy. You haven’t seen her, have you?”
“Eddy?” Coop’s voice was gravelly from sleep and probably too many smokes.
“Yes, Eddy, for Christ’s sake. She’s gone!”
“Gone? What do you mean, gone?”
“Get down here!” My heart sped up so fast I feared it might slam its way through my ribs. I hoped I wouldn’t pee my pants.
Coop’s head disappeared, then he tossed a shirt, a pair of socks, and his shoes to the garage floor and scrambled down.
“Come on.” I gathered up his clothes, and he followed me toward the house, wearing only his jeans.
“Man,” he said, hurrying to keep up with me. “It’s freezing out here. Could use a smoke, too.”
I threw him a disgusted glare. “Your fatal attraction will have to wait.”
We plowed into the kitchen, and I dumped Coop’s clothing on the table.
“Shay, how do you know something’s wrong?”
“Eddy, I told you. She’s not here, and her bed’s not made.”
Coop would have done a good job of rolling his eyes if he’d been able to open them wide enough. “Who makes their bed anymore?”
“Eddy, you nincompoop. She always does. Always.”
Coop peered at me as if I was a one-eyed frog. “Maybe she went out. Met up with one of the Knitters.”
“I don’t think so. Something feels wrong.”
“Okay, okay …” He picked up his t-shirt from the table and pulled it over his head. He paused with one arm in the air and the shirt halfway on. “What’s that?”
“What’s what?”
Coop picked up a folded slip of paper from the table, half hidden under his socks. He read it, and I watched his face drain of color.
“What is it?”
He handed me a piece of lined paper, one edge jagged where it had been ripped out of a notebook. The words were scrawled in block letters:
GIVE US THE TAPE. AND THE NUTS.
YOU GET THE OLD LADY BACK IN ONE PIECE.
OR ELSE! CALL THIS NUMBER 908-555-9745
PS NO COPS OR SHE’S DEAD!!!!
My hands shook as I read the note again. Unfortunately, the words didn’t change.
“Oh my god,” Coop whispered.
I dropped the note as if it were contaminated and watched it drift down to the table. Hands clenched in my hair, I paced around the kitchen. “Okay. Okay. Calm. We need to stay calm.” My voice rose a number of octaves. “Coop—oh God, we don’t have any nuts.”
“But we do have the tape.”
“Yeah, we—oh my God, no!”
“What?” Coop half-stood, alarmed.
“The tape. I called JT, and she’s going to be here—” I twisted my wrist and
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