Read Online Murder Passes the Buck by Deb Baker - Free Book Online Page B

up.
    Great. A sermon.
    “ Chester was a God-fearing, law-abiding, upstanding family man, ” he thundered. “ And we should all be proud we got to know him. ”
    As far as I knew, Chester hadn ’ t been to church once in his whole life. If he had a relationship at all with God, he kept it to himself. As far as law-abiding went, he made moonshine in his cellar and sold it to the neighbors, and spit on the federal government and its interfering ways just like the rest of us. I wasn ’ t sure about the family man part; Floyd may have got that right.
     
    Floyd paused with an arm raised to the heavens and shouted to the funeral director. “ How much time I got to say my piece? ”
    “ Whatever you need. ” Ed shouted back at him because everyone knows what a defective hearing aid Floyd wears. Personally I think if he ’ d remember to change the batteries, he ’ d be fine.
    Floyd blah-blahed until I feared he ’ d never shut up, but eventually he sat down with a winded huff.
    I glanced over my shoulder searching for Blaze. Cora Mae and Kitty turned around to see what I was looking at. Blaze, standing in the doorway, seemed in deep conversation with someone in the hall so I trotted up to the front.
    “ I didn ’ t know Chester all that well, ” I began. I needed to talk fast to get it out before Raging Bull could react. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him snorting his way down the aisle. “ But I know he didn ’ t deserve what he got, and I know he wasn ’ t shot with God ’ s gold bullet like Floyd thinks. He … ”
    “ … will be sorely missed, ” Blaze finished for me, arriving at my side.
    “ I ’ m not quite done, ” I whispered to him.
    Blaze grinned out at the crowd. Through clenched teeth he said, “ Ma, you ’ re done. ”
     
    “ Thank you, ” I said to the crowd and walked back to my seat as gracefully as possible considering Blaze ’ s arm grip.
    “ That sure was a fine funeral, ” I said after the service as Blaze helped me into my coat. Everyone was milling around drinking coffee and eating ginger cookies. “ I ’ d like to stay a little longer. ”
    “ I ’ m putting you out in the truck while I round up your partners in crime. Thanks to you I ’ ll be working overtime tonight. ”
    “ Doing what? ”
    “ Damage control. ”
    Blaze found Cora Mae and Kitty, loaded them into the truck, and planted himself well away from the side of the truck until I pulled onto the road. He didn ’ t say a word about my driving, which was a relief.
    “ Is his hand on his gun? ” Cora Mae asked, squinting to see in the dark. “ He looks like he ’ s ready to draw and fire. ”
    I leaned around Cora Mae to take a look. “ Showing off, I guess. ” Leaning back I said, “ I didn ’ t get to talk to Bill Lampi long enough to find out anything. Blaze comes along every time I ’ m getting somewhere and ruins it. Did you get a load of Bill ’ s wife? ”
    “ Sure did, ” Cora Mae said. “ She ’ s wearing falsies. I ’ m sure of it. ”
     
    “ I didn ’ t think to look. Leave it to you to latch on to the important things. ” If Cora Mae ’ s eye for detail extended past the subjects of sex and lust, she ’ d be an integral part of our investigation team. I ’ d have to work on developing it.
    “ Do you know anything about her at all? ” I wanted to know. “ I mean, besides the falsie thing. ”
    Kitty leaned into the center of the truck cab, scrunching Cora Mae over into the steering wheel. It was all I could do to keep the truck on the road.
    “ Bill got her a job over at the Highway Department where he works, ” Kitty said. “ She ’ s the one waves the little flag at cars when they ’ re doing road construction. Guys can ’ t keep their minds on work, I hear. I can ’ t understand a thing she says. That southern accent, you know. ”
    “ Changing the subject, ” Cora Mae continued, “ guess who has a date for next Tuesday night with yours truly? ”
    “ Got him,