Read Online Chilled in Chattanooga (A Trixie Montgomery Cozy Mystery Book 4) by Deborah Malone - Free Book Online
Authors: Deborah Malone
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finish. By the end of the century it wasn’t doing so well, so Stanton sold it to the Southern Railroad in 1905 and they leveled the old hotel in 1906 to make way for the railroad station.”
She craned her neck to take in the entire ceiling. “It really is beautiful. Now,” Dee Dee pulled out a tablet from her gigantean bag, “let’s get down to working on this list. We don’t have a minute to waste.”
“You’ve got that right. And I’m supposed to be working on the Ghoston murder for Harv. I don’t know how I’m going to finish it before the deadline he gave me.” I separated the branches of the fern and looked out into the lobby. I had a great view. “I feel sorry for Tilly. She was beside herself over Nana’s fall.”
Dee Dee guffawed.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’m sorry Trixie,” Dee Dee snorted. “I had this picture in my mind of Tilly standing beside herself.”
I smiled. “Well, put that way I could see how you’d think it was funny. Unfortunately, I’m not in a funny mood right now.”
“I understand. I was just trying to lighten the mood. We have to laugh some, Trix, or we’ll end up crying and that won’t do anybody good.” She reached in her bag and quickly retrieved a pen. I was in awe. “Tell me who all the other participants in the workshop were and a little bit about them. We’ll have to find out where they’re staying. Got any ideas how to get that information?”
“Detective Sams?”
“See, you made a funny. Good for you.” She wrote something on the paper and underlined it with a flourish. “Now, tell me a name.”
I lifted my head and stared into space trying to remember my classmates. Bodene’s name popped in my head first. “Okay, Bodene Tate.”
Dee Dee looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Sounds like a good Southern name.”
“Yeah, I hope he doesn’t represent all Southerners because he’d give us a bad name. He’s this big, burly guy and he’s all tatted up.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Dee Dee said.
“No, but it’s what he said that got everyone’s attention. He told the class that he’d been in prison and he wanted to write his memoir of prison life. According to him, “he didn’t kill nobody,” and he wants to write a book to clear his name. He said he didn’t have any writing experience, but he thought it would be pretty easy.”
“Wow, he sounds like a character. Were all your classmates of this caliber?” A giggle escaped Dee Dee’s lips.
“No, it was a very eclectic group. There was Lori Wilson, not only is she cover-model beautiful, she’s smart, too. She’s the editor of an ad driven magazine, The Tennessean . She has aspirations of being an editor for a women’s magazine, and with her ambition and gorgeous presence, I believe she just might.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a killer.” Dee Dee shook a cramp from her hand.
“You and I’ve both learned you can’t go by what someone looks like to finger them as a killer.”
“Yeah, we learned the hard way didn’t we?”
“There’s something about her though that raised my hackles. Annie asked if they had ever met and Lori told her “no.” But the look Lori gave Annie could have melted butter. I think there must be some bad blood between them. Why else would she look at her like that?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to put a star by her name.”
“I think she mentioned living in Chattanooga. She might be a good suspect to start with.” I separated the leaves of the fern for another check and staring back at me was a pair of dark, beady eyes. I yelped, jumping from my chair.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
D ee Dee followed suit, and sent pad and pen flying. “What in the tarnation’s going on, Trix. Why’d you do that?”
“Somebody was spying on us.” I grabbed the arm of a uniformed staff member for an explanation. The older woman’s head seemed crooked, and then I realized it was because her hair was leaning sideways. I hoped it was a wig.
She craned her neck to take in the entire ceiling. “It really is beautiful. Now,” Dee Dee pulled out a tablet from her gigantean bag, “let’s get down to working on this list. We don’t have a minute to waste.”
“You’ve got that right. And I’m supposed to be working on the Ghoston murder for Harv. I don’t know how I’m going to finish it before the deadline he gave me.” I separated the branches of the fern and looked out into the lobby. I had a great view. “I feel sorry for Tilly. She was beside herself over Nana’s fall.”
Dee Dee guffawed.
“What’s so funny?”
“I’m sorry Trixie,” Dee Dee snorted. “I had this picture in my mind of Tilly standing beside herself.”
I smiled. “Well, put that way I could see how you’d think it was funny. Unfortunately, I’m not in a funny mood right now.”
“I understand. I was just trying to lighten the mood. We have to laugh some, Trix, or we’ll end up crying and that won’t do anybody good.” She reached in her bag and quickly retrieved a pen. I was in awe. “Tell me who all the other participants in the workshop were and a little bit about them. We’ll have to find out where they’re staying. Got any ideas how to get that information?”
“Detective Sams?”
“See, you made a funny. Good for you.” She wrote something on the paper and underlined it with a flourish. “Now, tell me a name.”
I lifted my head and stared into space trying to remember my classmates. Bodene’s name popped in my head first. “Okay, Bodene Tate.”
Dee Dee looked at me with raised eyebrows. “Sounds like a good Southern name.”
“Yeah, I hope he doesn’t represent all Southerners because he’d give us a bad name. He’s this big, burly guy and he’s all tatted up.”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Dee Dee said.
“No, but it’s what he said that got everyone’s attention. He told the class that he’d been in prison and he wanted to write his memoir of prison life. According to him, “he didn’t kill nobody,” and he wants to write a book to clear his name. He said he didn’t have any writing experience, but he thought it would be pretty easy.”
“Wow, he sounds like a character. Were all your classmates of this caliber?” A giggle escaped Dee Dee’s lips.
“No, it was a very eclectic group. There was Lori Wilson, not only is she cover-model beautiful, she’s smart, too. She’s the editor of an ad driven magazine, The Tennessean . She has aspirations of being an editor for a women’s magazine, and with her ambition and gorgeous presence, I believe she just might.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a killer.” Dee Dee shook a cramp from her hand.
“You and I’ve both learned you can’t go by what someone looks like to finger them as a killer.”
“Yeah, we learned the hard way didn’t we?”
“There’s something about her though that raised my hackles. Annie asked if they had ever met and Lori told her “no.” But the look Lori gave Annie could have melted butter. I think there must be some bad blood between them. Why else would she look at her like that?”
“I don’t know, but I’m going to put a star by her name.”
“I think she mentioned living in Chattanooga. She might be a good suspect to start with.” I separated the leaves of the fern for another check and staring back at me was a pair of dark, beady eyes. I yelped, jumping from my chair.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
D ee Dee followed suit, and sent pad and pen flying. “What in the tarnation’s going on, Trix. Why’d you do that?”
“Somebody was spying on us.” I grabbed the arm of a uniformed staff member for an explanation. The older woman’s head seemed crooked, and then I realized it was because her hair was leaning sideways. I hoped it was a wig.
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