Read Online January Thaw (The Murder-By-Month Mysteries) by Jess Lourey - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jess Lourey
Tags: Fiction, Mystery, Minnesota, soft-boiled, jess lourey, lourey, Battle Lake, Mira James, murder-by-month, january
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She yanked a calendar out of her mammoth fringed purse. “Tuesday evening might work for me, but my schedule is filling up quickly, so let’s keep that appointment floating, shall we? In the meanwhile, what say I officially deputize you so you can go find out how Gary is. I truly am worried about him.”
Many questions battled in my head. What came out was, “You can deputize someone?”
She lifted her shoulders. “Why not? I’m mayor.”
“You’re mayor of Battle Lake. We’re in Fergus.”
“Then just be a good little detective and go ask that doctor. He was the one I spoke with before.”
She pushed me out of my seat and toward a white-haired man wearing scrubs. At the same moment, Johnny entered through the sliding front door, his face drawn. I motioned him toward Kennie and strode to the doctor. “Excuse me? I’m wondering how Gary Wohnt is doing.”
The doctor glanced up from a chart. “Are you family?”
“I’m his sister.” I firmly believed that you shouldn’t overplan a lie. Rather, it’s better to be ready to hop on the lie boat if it drifts your way. “Mira Wohnt.”
Shoot . I’d taken it too far by adding details.
It seemed to work, though. The doctor nodded and scratched behind an ear with his pen. “He’s in surgery now. The bullet went in his upper left leg and out the back. Missed the artery. Once he’s sewn up, he should be fine, though he might not agree. It’ll be a while until he’s able to move as he’d like.”
“Thank you.” I swiveled to walk away. The doctor made a small coughing sound in his throat. I turned back.
“Would you like to know what room he’ll be in after recovery?” He raised an eyebrow. “So you can tell the rest of your family?”
“Yes!”
He consulted his clipboard. “He’s scheduled to be moved into 227, barring any unforeseen circumstances.”
“Thanks again,” I said, smiling. Then, it occurred to me that a grin might be unnatural for a woman whose brother has recently been shot, so I frowned.
The doctor’s eyes narrowed, but he walked away without comment. I raced over to Kennie and Johnny to share the little I knew.
Kennie, for all her denial of her feelings for Gary and her scamming me in the waiting room, seemed incredibly relieved by the news. “Did he say what time Gary would be out of surgery?”
“No, but he’ll be in room 227.”
She patted my cheek. “Thank you, doll.”
I nodded. Johnny slipped his hand into mine. I looked down at it, surprised. I’d had to deal with a lot since I’d moved to Battle Lake, and while I had wonderful friends, I’d been forced to handle most of it alone. I looked over at Johnny and recognized strength in his eyes. I squeezed his hand.
Kennie honked her nose again. “Say, did you hear? They ID’d the man in the ice. They think he’s a transient. The only identification they found on him was a Chicago Public Library card. His name was Maurice Jackson.”
Twelve
I spent a chaste, troubled night curled in Johnny’s arms, both of us too tired to clean up the kitchen before we tumbled into bed. It sounded like Gary was going to be okay, but Maurice most certainly was not. Mrs. Berns and I were likely two of the last people to see him alive, besides his killer. Something Kennie had said was niggling at me, too. She’d said Maurice was a transient, but I knew better. He’d been clean and focused every time he’d entered the library, not to mention a regular for a whole week. I made a mental note to call the Chicago Public Library system to see if they could tell me anything about Maurice, up to and including whether or not he’d recently checked out any books.
I must have fallen asleep near sunrise because next thing I knew, I was alone in my bed and the clock was telling me it was 7:14 AM. I sat up, trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I was disoriented, and at first I thought it was because Johnny was gone. Then I realized that the problem was I was sleeping on the
Many questions battled in my head. What came out was, “You can deputize someone?”
She lifted her shoulders. “Why not? I’m mayor.”
“You’re mayor of Battle Lake. We’re in Fergus.”
“Then just be a good little detective and go ask that doctor. He was the one I spoke with before.”
She pushed me out of my seat and toward a white-haired man wearing scrubs. At the same moment, Johnny entered through the sliding front door, his face drawn. I motioned him toward Kennie and strode to the doctor. “Excuse me? I’m wondering how Gary Wohnt is doing.”
The doctor glanced up from a chart. “Are you family?”
“I’m his sister.” I firmly believed that you shouldn’t overplan a lie. Rather, it’s better to be ready to hop on the lie boat if it drifts your way. “Mira Wohnt.”
Shoot . I’d taken it too far by adding details.
It seemed to work, though. The doctor nodded and scratched behind an ear with his pen. “He’s in surgery now. The bullet went in his upper left leg and out the back. Missed the artery. Once he’s sewn up, he should be fine, though he might not agree. It’ll be a while until he’s able to move as he’d like.”
“Thank you.” I swiveled to walk away. The doctor made a small coughing sound in his throat. I turned back.
“Would you like to know what room he’ll be in after recovery?” He raised an eyebrow. “So you can tell the rest of your family?”
“Yes!”
He consulted his clipboard. “He’s scheduled to be moved into 227, barring any unforeseen circumstances.”
“Thanks again,” I said, smiling. Then, it occurred to me that a grin might be unnatural for a woman whose brother has recently been shot, so I frowned.
The doctor’s eyes narrowed, but he walked away without comment. I raced over to Kennie and Johnny to share the little I knew.
Kennie, for all her denial of her feelings for Gary and her scamming me in the waiting room, seemed incredibly relieved by the news. “Did he say what time Gary would be out of surgery?”
“No, but he’ll be in room 227.”
She patted my cheek. “Thank you, doll.”
I nodded. Johnny slipped his hand into mine. I looked down at it, surprised. I’d had to deal with a lot since I’d moved to Battle Lake, and while I had wonderful friends, I’d been forced to handle most of it alone. I looked over at Johnny and recognized strength in his eyes. I squeezed his hand.
Kennie honked her nose again. “Say, did you hear? They ID’d the man in the ice. They think he’s a transient. The only identification they found on him was a Chicago Public Library card. His name was Maurice Jackson.”
Twelve
I spent a chaste, troubled night curled in Johnny’s arms, both of us too tired to clean up the kitchen before we tumbled into bed. It sounded like Gary was going to be okay, but Maurice most certainly was not. Mrs. Berns and I were likely two of the last people to see him alive, besides his killer. Something Kennie had said was niggling at me, too. She’d said Maurice was a transient, but I knew better. He’d been clean and focused every time he’d entered the library, not to mention a regular for a whole week. I made a mental note to call the Chicago Public Library system to see if they could tell me anything about Maurice, up to and including whether or not he’d recently checked out any books.
I must have fallen asleep near sunrise because next thing I knew, I was alone in my bed and the clock was telling me it was 7:14 AM. I sat up, trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes. I was disoriented, and at first I thought it was because Johnny was gone. Then I realized that the problem was I was sleeping on the
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