Read Online Nina Wright - Whiskey Mattimoe 06 - Whiskey and Soda by Nina Wright - Free Book Online Page A

got it wrong,” Jenx said. “The PTO was waiting for Vreelander at the trail head, not the trail end.”
    “Maybe Raphael Ramirez got it wrong. He’s the one who texted Chester.”
    “Maybe. Or maybe he was supposed to give Chester the wrong information. He’s Kimmi’s kid, right?”
    “Right. Is she a suspect?”
    I wanted her to be. Everything about Kimmi Kellum-Ramirez offended me, from her fake tits to her FM pumps. Or maybe she just rattled my green-eyed monster. Kimmi reminded me of all the hot, sexy chicks I would never resemble. The girls who had always caught Jeb’s eye and got his free autographed CDs. And more.
    “All the mothers could be suspects,” Jenx said. “If they have means and motive, plus archery skill. We know they had time. If they’d met him at the trail end, they wouldn’t have been able to get to the archery range before Vreelander rode past, but they met him at the trail head. After that, any of them could have driven to the range and got in position before he turned around at the trail end and started back.”
    “I like Kimmi for the crime,” I declared.
    “Yeah, well, I got a witness who says she made a real spectacle of herself at the trail head,” Jenx said. “She screamed and cried and threw her kid’s homework assignments in the headmaster’s face.”
    “Yup. Kimmi killed him.”
    “Robin Wardrip looks good for it, too. My witness says she took a swing at Vreelander. He deflected the blow, but Robin’s got a left hook that could knock out a middleweight. She told him to go fuck himself, and she spat at him.”
    “I still like Kimmi for it,” I said.
    “And then there’s Loralee Lowe,” Jenx said. “She’s a mom and a teacher here, and also one of Bentwood’s lovers.”
    “One of—?”
    Jenx shrugged. “He’s got the twinkle. You saw Loralee this morning. Wavy gold-blonde hair? Dress with flowers all over it? Rumor has it Bentwood’s the father of her child.”
    “Seriously? How old’s the kid?”
    “Three, I think. She’s in Preschool.”
    “Is Loralee single?”
    “She is now. Her ex is her daughter’s legal father. But my source tells me the kid looks like Bentwood. Loralee’s ex thought so, too. He ordered DNA testing before he walked out. Now Loralee’s pushing Bentwood to leave his wife.”
    “Loralee didn’t like the headmaster?” I asked.
    “She hated him,” Jenx said.
    “Why?”
    “He was planning to fire her.”
    “For an ethics violation?”
    “Nope. She’s a lousy teacher.”
    Jenx checked the heavy masculine watch on her wrist. “Eight o’clock sharp. We’d better make our entrance.”
    “We? I’m here to stand by Chester. Now I’ve got to find him in that crowd.”
    “Like he could blend in?” Jenx was moving fast toward the school entrance, and I kept pace. “Chester will feel your support, Whiskey. I’m gonna need you up on stage with me.”
    “Why? I’m just a witness.”
    “You’re the only witness. I want to watch this crowd closely when you tell them what you saw. There’s an excellent chance the killer will be in that room.”
    “What about the French archer? She had the murder weapon, and she was in the right place at the right time. I was an eye witness to that.”
    “We’re looking into her,” Jenx said noncommittally as we stepped into the foyer of The Bentwood School. “By the way, the arrow that killed Vreelander was a mechanical broadhead, as opposed to a fixed broadhead.”
    “What’s the difference?” I asked, not at all sure I wanted to know.
    “Mechanicals open up inside the victim, deploying blades on contact. They may not penetrate as deep as fixed broadheads, but they’re more streamlined as they fly. So they’re easier to control over distance, and they cause a lot of internal bleeding.”
    I shuddered and willed myself to think about Victorian mansions instead. Despite the larger-than-traditional replacement windows and doors, I had expected this one to be dense and shadowy. Not