Read Online F Is for Fugitive by Sue Grafton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sue Grafton
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she always takes him back. Yo, Daisy. How about some peanuts down here?"
"I thought that was Pearl," I remarked, to keep the conversation alive.
"I'm Curtis Pearl," he said. "Pearl to my friends."
Daisy scooped what looked like a dog dish full of peanuts from a garbage pail under the bar. The nuts were still in the shell, and the litter on the floor suggested what we were meant to do. Pearl surprised me by chomping down a peanut, shell and all. "We're talkin' fiber here," he said. "It's good for you. I got a doctor believes in cellulose. Fills you up, he says. Gets the old system powerin' through."
I shrugged and tried it myself. No doubt about it, the shell had a lot of crunch and a sharp infusion of salt mingled nicely with the bland taste of the nut inside. Did this count as grain, or was it the same as eating the panel from a cardboard box?
The jukebox sparked to life again, this time a mellow vocalist who sounded like a cross between Frank Sinatra and Delia Reese. The two women at the end of the bar began to dance again. Both were dark-haired, both slim. One taller. Pearl turned to look at them and then back at me. "That bother you?"
"Why should I care?"
"Not what it looks like anyway," he said. "Tall one likes to dance when she's feeling blue."
"What's she got to be unhappy about?"
"They just picked up the fellow killed her little girl a few years back."
Chapter 7
----
I watched her for a moment. At a distance of half the bar, she looked twenty-five. She had her eyes closed, head tilted to one side. Her face was heart-shaped, her hair caught up in a clip on top, the lower portion brushing across her shoulder in a rhythm with the ballad. The light from the jukebox touched her cheek with gold. The woman she was dancing with had her back to me, so I couldn't tell anything about her at all.
Pearl was sketching in the story for me with the practiced tone of frequent telling. No details I hadn't heard before, but I was thankful he'd introduced the subject without any further prompting on my part. He was just warming up, enjoying his role as tribal narrator. "You staying at the Ocean Street? I ask because this fella's dad owns that place."
"Really," I said.
"Yep. They found her down on the beach right in front," he said. Residents of Floral Beach had been telling this tale for years. Like a stand-up comedian, he had his timing down pat, knowing just when to pause, knowing just what response he'd get.
I had to watch what I said because I didn't want to imply I knew nothing of this. While I'm not averse to lying through my teeth, I never do it when I'm apt to be caught. People get crabby about that sort of thing. "Actually, I know Royce."
"Aw, then you know all about this."
"Well, some. You really think Bailey did it? Royce says no."
"Hard to say. Naturally, he'd deny anything of the sort. None of us want to believe our kids would kill someone."
"True enough."
"You have kids?"
"Unh-unh."
"My boy was the one who spotted the two of 'em pulling into the curb that night. They got out of the truck with a bottle and a blanket and went down the steps. Said Bailey looked drunk as a skunk to him and she wasn't much better off. Probably went down there to misbehave, if you get what I mean. Maybe she sprung it on him she was in a family way."
"Hey, there. How's that little Heinie car acting?"
I glanced back to see Tap behind me, a sly grin on his face.
Pearl didn't seem thrilled to see him, but he made polite noises with his mouth. "Say, Tap.
What're you up to? I thought that old lady of yours didn't like you comin' in here."
"Aw, she don't care. Who's this we're talking to?"
"I'm Kinsey. How're you?"
Pearl raised an eyebrow. "You two know each other?"
"She had her bug in this afternoon and wanted me to take a look. Said it was kind of whiny up around sixty. Whiny Heinie," he said, and got real tickled with himself. At close range, I could smell the pomade on his hair.
Pearl turned and stared at him. "You got
"I thought that was Pearl," I remarked, to keep the conversation alive.
"I'm Curtis Pearl," he said. "Pearl to my friends."
Daisy scooped what looked like a dog dish full of peanuts from a garbage pail under the bar. The nuts were still in the shell, and the litter on the floor suggested what we were meant to do. Pearl surprised me by chomping down a peanut, shell and all. "We're talkin' fiber here," he said. "It's good for you. I got a doctor believes in cellulose. Fills you up, he says. Gets the old system powerin' through."
I shrugged and tried it myself. No doubt about it, the shell had a lot of crunch and a sharp infusion of salt mingled nicely with the bland taste of the nut inside. Did this count as grain, or was it the same as eating the panel from a cardboard box?
The jukebox sparked to life again, this time a mellow vocalist who sounded like a cross between Frank Sinatra and Delia Reese. The two women at the end of the bar began to dance again. Both were dark-haired, both slim. One taller. Pearl turned to look at them and then back at me. "That bother you?"
"Why should I care?"
"Not what it looks like anyway," he said. "Tall one likes to dance when she's feeling blue."
"What's she got to be unhappy about?"
"They just picked up the fellow killed her little girl a few years back."
Chapter 7
----
I watched her for a moment. At a distance of half the bar, she looked twenty-five. She had her eyes closed, head tilted to one side. Her face was heart-shaped, her hair caught up in a clip on top, the lower portion brushing across her shoulder in a rhythm with the ballad. The light from the jukebox touched her cheek with gold. The woman she was dancing with had her back to me, so I couldn't tell anything about her at all.
Pearl was sketching in the story for me with the practiced tone of frequent telling. No details I hadn't heard before, but I was thankful he'd introduced the subject without any further prompting on my part. He was just warming up, enjoying his role as tribal narrator. "You staying at the Ocean Street? I ask because this fella's dad owns that place."
"Really," I said.
"Yep. They found her down on the beach right in front," he said. Residents of Floral Beach had been telling this tale for years. Like a stand-up comedian, he had his timing down pat, knowing just when to pause, knowing just what response he'd get.
I had to watch what I said because I didn't want to imply I knew nothing of this. While I'm not averse to lying through my teeth, I never do it when I'm apt to be caught. People get crabby about that sort of thing. "Actually, I know Royce."
"Aw, then you know all about this."
"Well, some. You really think Bailey did it? Royce says no."
"Hard to say. Naturally, he'd deny anything of the sort. None of us want to believe our kids would kill someone."
"True enough."
"You have kids?"
"Unh-unh."
"My boy was the one who spotted the two of 'em pulling into the curb that night. They got out of the truck with a bottle and a blanket and went down the steps. Said Bailey looked drunk as a skunk to him and she wasn't much better off. Probably went down there to misbehave, if you get what I mean. Maybe she sprung it on him she was in a family way."
"Hey, there. How's that little Heinie car acting?"
I glanced back to see Tap behind me, a sly grin on his face.
Pearl didn't seem thrilled to see him, but he made polite noises with his mouth. "Say, Tap.
What're you up to? I thought that old lady of yours didn't like you comin' in here."
"Aw, she don't care. Who's this we're talking to?"
"I'm Kinsey. How're you?"
Pearl raised an eyebrow. "You two know each other?"
"She had her bug in this afternoon and wanted me to take a look. Said it was kind of whiny up around sixty. Whiny Heinie," he said, and got real tickled with himself. At close range, I could smell the pomade on his hair.
Pearl turned and stared at him. "You got
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