the back of the mansion.
“It used to be a stable,” Brownie told Janie. “Then some great-something or other thought he could rent it to soldiers from a nearby fort. Then Bubba moved in, and some crazy person tried to burn it down. Well, the person tried to burn Bubba up.”
“It wasn’t burned that badly,” Wallie said. “But it did get some of the loadbearing walls, and the housing inspector condemned it. Think it’s the same inspector a rat bit once over to the house where Bayou Billy hung out. The inspector got some kind of strange disease from the rat, and they named the disease after him. Fella never was the same after they had to give him intravenous antibiotics for three months.” Wallie swung a hammer like a pistol. He twirled it fetchingly. Brownie knew he could do better, but he wasn’t allowed to touch any of Wallie’s tools.
“Can you describe the disease?” Brownie asked interestedly.
“Eww,” Janie said.
“And over there is the koi pond,” Brownie said and pointed. “Last time I went down there one of them tried to et me. Big fella. The size of an alligator.”
Janie gazed at Brownie with disgust. “Koi the size of alligators,” she muttered derisively and waded through the grass to the pond. Brownie picked up a stick and followed her.
Wallie called, “I wouldn’t go over by that pond ifin I was you.”
“My mother is a cop,” Janie said with determination. “My aunt is a cop. My granny is a cop. My other aunt is a cop. I wear cop panties. I learned how to shoot before I could walk, and I’m not afraid of any stupid, oversized goldfish that are— ”
Brownie pulled Janie back with his free hand when she froze in sheer amazement.
“— some of the biggest dang fish I’ve ever seen,” Janie finished with the proper note of awe. Her green eyes were large and round as she stared into the pond. “I think that one just looked at me funny. Did he just lick his lips?”
“Hey,” Brownie said. “I think there’s a map of Pegram County in the room Miz Demetrice uses as a study. We can stick push pins in that, and see if there’s a pattern.”
Janie peeped over the side of the pond, and the water began to bubble ominously. She backed away quickly. “We only got three victims,” she said. “Not much of a pattern.”
“Something to do,” Brownie said. “Plus we can snatch another piece of lemon icebox pie on the way.”
“Is that illegal?”
“Not in this county.”
* * *
An hour later, they sat in the small study with two nearly devoured pieces of pie. Janie moaned contentedly and said, “My momma doesn’t cook like that.”
“Neither does mine,” Brownie said. He put his plate aside and located some push pins in the desk. The large paper map of Pegram County adorned the wall next to the large walnut desk with all of its nooks and crannies. In fact, Brownie had combed through every nook and cranny and located one of the ruby slippers.
“Let’s see,” Brownie said as he studied the map. This map had the Pegram County Sheriff’s Department building circled in red from someone’s previous nefarious activities. He put a push pin in the location of the Snoddy Mansion. Then his finger found the McGee house and put another pin in it. A third pin went into the location of the Boomer’s goat farm.
Janie shook her head. “Looks kind of like a line,” she said, “but not exactly.”
“Were you expecting an arrow or something?” Brownie asked sarcastically. “Maybe we should have fingerprinted the poles at Mr. McGee’s house.”
“I left my fingerprinting kit in Dallas,” Janie said.
“You have a fingerprinting kit?”
“I have a real police fingerprinting kit,” Janie said smugly. “And I know how to use it.”
“Cool,” Brownie said and remembered he was supposed to be a gumshoe. He added, “For a skirt, that’s proper. Eggs in the coffee.” He abruptly forgot all the lingo he’d read about. “What do we do next?”
Janie stared at
“It used to be a stable,” Brownie told Janie. “Then some great-something or other thought he could rent it to soldiers from a nearby fort. Then Bubba moved in, and some crazy person tried to burn it down. Well, the person tried to burn Bubba up.”
“It wasn’t burned that badly,” Wallie said. “But it did get some of the loadbearing walls, and the housing inspector condemned it. Think it’s the same inspector a rat bit once over to the house where Bayou Billy hung out. The inspector got some kind of strange disease from the rat, and they named the disease after him. Fella never was the same after they had to give him intravenous antibiotics for three months.” Wallie swung a hammer like a pistol. He twirled it fetchingly. Brownie knew he could do better, but he wasn’t allowed to touch any of Wallie’s tools.
“Can you describe the disease?” Brownie asked interestedly.
“Eww,” Janie said.
“And over there is the koi pond,” Brownie said and pointed. “Last time I went down there one of them tried to et me. Big fella. The size of an alligator.”
Janie gazed at Brownie with disgust. “Koi the size of alligators,” she muttered derisively and waded through the grass to the pond. Brownie picked up a stick and followed her.
Wallie called, “I wouldn’t go over by that pond ifin I was you.”
“My mother is a cop,” Janie said with determination. “My aunt is a cop. My granny is a cop. My other aunt is a cop. I wear cop panties. I learned how to shoot before I could walk, and I’m not afraid of any stupid, oversized goldfish that are— ”
Brownie pulled Janie back with his free hand when she froze in sheer amazement.
“— some of the biggest dang fish I’ve ever seen,” Janie finished with the proper note of awe. Her green eyes were large and round as she stared into the pond. “I think that one just looked at me funny. Did he just lick his lips?”
“Hey,” Brownie said. “I think there’s a map of Pegram County in the room Miz Demetrice uses as a study. We can stick push pins in that, and see if there’s a pattern.”
Janie peeped over the side of the pond, and the water began to bubble ominously. She backed away quickly. “We only got three victims,” she said. “Not much of a pattern.”
“Something to do,” Brownie said. “Plus we can snatch another piece of lemon icebox pie on the way.”
“Is that illegal?”
“Not in this county.”
* * *
An hour later, they sat in the small study with two nearly devoured pieces of pie. Janie moaned contentedly and said, “My momma doesn’t cook like that.”
“Neither does mine,” Brownie said. He put his plate aside and located some push pins in the desk. The large paper map of Pegram County adorned the wall next to the large walnut desk with all of its nooks and crannies. In fact, Brownie had combed through every nook and cranny and located one of the ruby slippers.
“Let’s see,” Brownie said as he studied the map. This map had the Pegram County Sheriff’s Department building circled in red from someone’s previous nefarious activities. He put a push pin in the location of the Snoddy Mansion. Then his finger found the McGee house and put another pin in it. A third pin went into the location of the Boomer’s goat farm.
Janie shook her head. “Looks kind of like a line,” she said, “but not exactly.”
“Were you expecting an arrow or something?” Brownie asked sarcastically. “Maybe we should have fingerprinted the poles at Mr. McGee’s house.”
“I left my fingerprinting kit in Dallas,” Janie said.
“You have a fingerprinting kit?”
“I have a real police fingerprinting kit,” Janie said smugly. “And I know how to use it.”
“Cool,” Brownie said and remembered he was supposed to be a gumshoe. He added, “For a skirt, that’s proper. Eggs in the coffee.” He abruptly forgot all the lingo he’d read about. “What do we do next?”
Janie stared at
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