Read Online One Deadly Sister (Sandy Reid Mystery Series #1) by Rod Hoisington - Free Book Online Page A

couldn’t be reached for comment. A spokesman at the FBI regional office in West Palm Beach had no comment….
    In the twenty-four hours since Loraine Dellin’s urgent phone call, Ray had progressed from an unknown, to a person of interest and, according to Beau Cobb, on up to an alleged assassin.
    “Beau, you said Goddard was a rookie detective. Does this town have the resources to make an adequate investigation?”
    “You asking are the police any good? Not bad. They routinely bring in the state crime lab for backup, for DNA and all the tricky junk. They have state investigators available in Tallahassee. But the local state attorney here seldom uses them. Doesn’t like to give up any control. Of course, he’s never handled anything this big. Now if someone starts thinking you’re a hit man from Philadelphia, the FBI will show up fast.”
    Ray guessed Beau loved hanging around, thrilled to be on the inside of a big deal crime and chilling with the perpetrator. “Beau, can you fill me in on a few things?”
    “Well, here’s how it is, man. I’m not gonna make anything off your bail bond, you know, because like there won’t be any. Gonna cost you if you want services. I’m not sure if the tabloids are gonna come through like they said and buy my story. Hey, that reminds me, they want me to sneak out a picture of you.”
    “Absolutely not!” Ray hoped the guy was joking about the tabloids. “How about twenty bucks to get a couple of things for me and fill me in a bit?” Ray wondered if the cops were also paying Beau to report these conversations.
    “Are you one of those rich guys? You look like one of those trust fund babies.”
    “Getting poorer by the minute.”
    “Okay, twenty’s cool. Now if you really are a Philadelphia hit man, all my favors are free.” He made a weak laugh. “Don’t want my kneecaps shot off, know what I’m saying? Saw that in a movie.”
    “How do I pay you for things? They took my money.”
    “I’ll keep track. Of course, I know a lot of inside police stuff from upstairs, can’t give that out,” Beau said with a slight swagger.
    “Tell me how to find a lawyer on a Sunday.”
    “You might not find one on any day. Word upstairs is no lawyer around here is going to defend the perp of the Towson murder. They’re afraid the lynching party will string them up alongside you.” He chuckled. “Just a little jail house humor there.”
    “I know the judge will appoint one, if I can’t afford it. Nevertheless, I want someone competent. I can afford it, within reason anyway. Problem is I must find one.”
    “The judge will ask if you have counsel. You tell him you need help to find one. What else?”
    “Did Towson have enemies?”
    “Sure, goes with the territory. A man of the common people, so he stepped on a lot of big toes. So those people didn’t want to see him make Governor.”
    Ray guessed Beau hadn’t thought up that cliché all by himself. “Who are those people?”
    “ You are those people, according to the talk upstairs.”
    “What about love triangles, jealous husbands and so on.”
    “Don’t think much about that sort of stuff, I’m more into car chases, junk like that. Oh, I get it, man. You’re wondering who wanted him dead. So for twenty bucks I’m supposed to solve the crime for you?”
    Ray tried to bring the pieces together. “Do you know a Norma Martin?”
    “There’s Nutty Norma. She’d come over here and do you right through the bars. Just let me know.” He grinned. “Guess you don’t mean her. Let’s see, Norma Martin? Don’t think so. Is she hot?”
    “How about Tammy Jerrold?”
    Beau brightened. “Of course, I know her .” He plainly had given some thought to this subject.
    “How do you know her? She’s a generation ahead of you.”
    “She’s around the city offices a lot. Got a smoking hot body. You seen the rack on that babe? And the word is they’re real. Yeah, she’s pretty old. The only forty year old I’d ever