Read Online Dead Dogs and Englishmen by Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli - Free Book Online

…”
    Miguel shook his head and backed away, tripping over a tree root. He turned and hurried into the house. He closed the door carefully, and quietly, behind him. A white sheet was immediately draped across the front window.
    â€œHope I didn’t just lose my best worker,” Joshua Sutter said, digging the toe of one heavy shoe into the dirt beside the fire pit. “Never seen Miguel like that before. He’s a good man. I’d say a brave man, but he’s scared. I can’t figure out what’s doin’ it to him.”

“Scared shitless.” Dolly turned her squad car back toward Leetsville, pulling out onto US-131 and heading south. The car was hot and smelly. This hot spell had been going on for a couple of weeks now. It was the time of year when I began praying for rain, even a couple of cool nights. “That’s what the guy is.”
    I rolled my window all the way down and leaned back against the hairy seat, grateful for the fresh air, no matter how overheated. Anything was better than the smell of Dolly’s car which must have been inhabited recently by a sour old drunk, a sick old drunk, and maybe a couple of teens chewing cinnamon gum.
    I sighed. “Sometimes migrant workers are not comfortable around authority figures like you. Could be an illegal. That would make him a little difficult to communicate with.”
    â€œDon’t think Josh Sutter would have an illegal on his place. Said the guy had been coming back for ten years or more.”
    â€œStill, you don’t know for sure.”
    Her radio crackled and Chief Lucky Barnard launched into a message.
    â€œI gotta leave, Dolly. Charley’s got a doctor’s appointment …”
    Lucky’s son had been sick for a couple of years. He came first in Lucky’s life. Everyone in Leetsville knew and tried to keep their real emergencies to days when Charley was feeling good.
    â€œOn my way in,” she answered.
    â€œHow’d it go with Sutter?” he asked, voice cracking.
    â€œOkay, I guess. The guy Josh Sutter wanted us to see was awfully nervous. Emily Kincaid thinks it’s because I’m a cop.”
    â€œCould be. She still with you?”
    â€œYeah,” I called out. “I’m here.”
    â€œHow ya doin’, Emily?” We exchanged a few more pleasantries and he was back to business with Dolly.
    â€œGet your report on my desk by morning, okay? I got to call Brent or that Winston guy and see if there’s anything new on their end. I’m getting a strange feeling about this case. It could go a lot deeper than we’re thinking.”
    He signed off and Dolly hit the steering wheel with the pad of her hand.
    â€œDamn it to hell. More paperwork. Wish he’d just let me write it up my own way and give it to ’im. A form for this. Form for that. Be a lot more productive if I didn’t have to fill out forms all the time.”
    I broke into the tirade. “Mind stopping at the IGA before you take me home? I need canning lids. I promised Harry. We’re going fishing tomorrow.”
    â€œYou’re actually going to can fish?”
    â€œHe said it’s good.”
    â€œYeah, that’s from a man who eats roadkill.”
    I sighed. “Just stop, will you? I need some groceries, unless you want to go have lunch at EATS.”
    â€œI don’t go there much any more. Too nosey for my tastes. Always gettin’ into my business. Decided I’d just stay away for a while. Cate likes cooking anyway.”
    â€œThey’re worried about you.”
    â€œWhy?” She made a face at me.
    â€œEugenia thinks there’s something going on.” My back was itching from the seat cover, hairy bits sticking through my light cotton shirt. I moved around, scratching my skin as best I could. “You and Cate getting along all right? You’ve been alone a long time. Must be kind of hard. I mean, it’s nice to have