Read Online Minor in Possession by J. A. Jance - Free Book Online

Crenshaw’s office.
    As people filed into the dining room, they were strangely silent, as though somehow word had spread through the general Ironwood Ranch population that something was dreadfully wrong. As yet, nobody seemed to know exactly what it was, but all were equally affected by it. There was no playful banter in the serving line, no joking or calling back and forth as people headed for tables. At the far end of the room, Calvin Crenshaw paced nervously back and forth in front of the huge fireplace. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and he stared fixedly at the floor as he walked.
    Ed Sample sidled up to me in line. “What the hell’s going on?” he demanded. “Everybody’s acting as though their best friend died or something.”
    I glanced at him quickly, trying to assess if his comment was merely an innocent coincidence or if he had some inside knowledge of what had happened. Despite my questioning look, Sample steadfastly met my gaze, his countenance blandly open and indifferent, his smooth features the picture of a man with nothing to hide. Had I been the detective on the case, I would have paid attention to his comment and done some discreet digging into Ed Sample’s personal life to see if there was a connection between him and that miserable dead excuse for a human being, Joey Rothman.
    You’re not the detective, I reminded myself silently. Go have some lunch and stay out of it.
    â€œBeats me,” I said aloud, and hurried over to Dolores Rojas’ serving window. I collected a plate filled with her version of corned-beef hash along with a generous portion of steamed fresh vegetables. I glanced around the room and found that Karen and the kids were already settled at a table. Scott had saved a chair for me. I hurried over to it, wanting to be there as a buffer when Calvin Crenshaw made his inevitable announcement.
    As I walked across the dining room carrying my plate, that’s when the inconsistency struck me full force. Why was Calvin Crenshaw making the announcement? Why not Louise? For someone who was always front and center, for someone who had insisted that she be the one to notify the authorities of any irregularities, this sudden reticence seemed totally out of character. Understated elegance wasn’t Louise Crenshaw’s style.
    Karen looked at me questioningly as I walked up. Kelly feigned an engrossing conversation with the person next to her so she wouldn’t have to see me. I took the chair Scott offered, sat down, and glanced around the room, making a quick mental roll call.
    Cal was still pacing in front of the fireplace. Louise was nowhere to be seen. Michelle and Guy Owens weren’t seated at any of the tables, nor were they standing in line waiting to be served. That was just as well. Their absence confirmed my suspicion that they must have been the first to benotified of Joey Rothman’s death when Nina Davis had pulled them out of the room before the beginning of our early morning session.
    When the last straggler left the serving window, Cal cleared his throat with a tentative cough that carried throughout the room. The already subdued crowd hushed expectantly.
    â€œI regret to inform you,” Cal began slowly and deliberately. “I regret to inform you that something tragic has happened here today. Joey Rothman was found in the river early this morning.”
    Calvin stopped speaking. The people in the room looked uncertainly at one another. “What I’m trying to tell you,” Calvin Crenshaw continued, “is that Joey Rothman is dead.”
    There was a moment of stark silence followed by a shocked, betrayed shriek. Sobbing, Kelly leaped from her chair and stumbled blindly from the room.
    It was going to be one of those days. All day long.

CHAPTER
6
    K aren shoved back her chair and went after Kelly while Scott caught my eye. “Geez, Dad,” he said. “What’s going on here?”
    I