Read Online Bone Appétit by Carolyn Haines - Free Book Online Page A

now, will it?”
    “No, because I probably would blame him.” Coleman Peters, Sunflower County Sheriff and a man who held a special place in my heart, was often in the path of danger.
    Tinkie gave me a hug. “You’re a tough nut, but you’re my nut.”
    “What about Hedy?” I asked.
    Tinkie shrugged. “She probably won’t be charged with anything, but it makes me wonder why she’s jumping the gun like that. Hiring us would make her look guilty whether she is or not. Maybe it’s best if we don’t take the case, and as time passes, you’ll want to investigate again.”
    “Then you’ll tell her no?” Not only was I confused, but I’d also developed a huge yellow streak. I didn’t even want to turn down a potential client face-to-face.
    “In the morning,” Tinkie said. She assisted me under the covers. “Now get some sleep. Tomorrow our class is in main courses.”
    I feigned interest. “I’ve always wanted to learn to make cheeseburgers and fries. Or, better yet, chips and salsa.”
    “Ha. Ha. Very funny. One day, when you’ve got a couple of little rug rats clutching your ankles and you’re trying to cook dinner for Graf, you’ll appreciate all of this.”
    Her words were like an old wound. The pain of my loss flashed. “Right.”
    “It will happen, Sarah Booth. Nothing will replace what you lost, but you will have children and be happy. I have to believe that, and so do you.”
    She did her best to hide her worry, but I could see it. “I’ll be okay, Tinkie. It’s just going to take more time than I thought. Funny that my arm is almost healed and Doc says I won’t even know it was broken after a bit of therapy. But my heart . . .”
    “They say the heart is just a muscle, Sarah Booth, and everyone knows that muscle heals more slowly than bone.”
    “You’re the best friend ever.” I snuggled into the bed, suddenly exhausted, as if I’d run uphill for a long, long time. Whatever Tinkie replied, I never heard it. I was asleep before she finished talking.

6
    I’d been asleep no more than six seconds when a loud pounding at the door startled me awake. Tinkie and I sat bolt upright like some 1940s choreographed comedy. The pounding came again, followed by a muffled plea.
    “Miss Delaney! Miss Richmond! Let me in, please.”
    “Hedy Lamarr Blackledge,” we said in unison. Startled awake and angry, I jettisoned myself from the bed.
    “It’s three in the morning,” Tinkie said, indignation growing in her voice. She flung back the covers and padded after me.
    “This had better be an emergency,” I said as I swung the door open. Hedy stood there in sweats and tennis shoes. Her hair was wild and her makeup was smeared. She looked like hell.
    “Janet Menton is dead.”
    “What?” Tinkie and I were perfectly synchronized. If we gave up P.I. work, maybe we could take up swimming.
    “I found her. She’s dead in our room.”
    I glanced at my partner. She gave a tiny frown that told me she didn’t completely believe Hedy. “Come inside.” Tinkie drew the young woman into the room and closed the door.
    “After everything that happened . . . so horrible . . . Brook catching on fire, I mean.” She actually flinched. “You’ve got to help me. There’s more at stake here than just a title or money or what happens to me.” Despite my doubts about my P.I. future, I felt sorry for her.
    “Tell us what happened. Slowly.” I steered her into a chair.
    She nodded, composing herself. “I left the auditorium and I was in a state. I didn’t trust myself to drive to Panther Holler, so I decided to stay in the hotel instead of going to my . . . relatives’. Janet is . . . was . . . my roommate.” Her voice got shakier, and she seemed to study the plush carpet. “We were both upset, but we went to bed. I couldn’t sleep. I knew that once the cops started investigating Brook . . . I called you, and then I went to the auditorium to play my violin. I do that sometimes when I’m