Read Online Stump Speech Murder by Patricia Rockwell - Free Book Online

don’t—didn’t– know her at all.”
    “All right,” said Joan, “I’m going though.”  She looked at Pamela.
    “You can go,” said Rocky.  “I’ll wait here for you.”
    “No,” said Pamela to Joan.  “You go ahead Joan.  You had actually met the woman.”  Joan hiked her purse up over her shoulder and headed as cautiously down the grassy slope as her two inch heels would allow.
    “I don’t mind waiting for you, Babe,” said Rocky. 
    “It’s all right, Rocky,” repeated Pamela.  “There’s no reason to inundate that poor couple with a lot of strangers.  I’m afraid people will do so just because this is a media circus.”  She gestured around at the cameramen, noticeable at the ridge of the hill.  “They don’t need an extra person intruding on their grief.”
    “It does look as if every TV station in town has sent a team, doesn’t it?” asked Rocky.
    “And then some,” she agreed.  “And add to the mix, all the local politicians.”
    “Which ones are they?” he asked.
    “Over there to your left, in that group down by the edge of the canopy,” she pointed discreetly.  “The bald guy’s the mayor—Hap Brewster.”
    “Oh, yeah,” said Rocky.  “I recognize him.”
    “And the guy next to him—the fat one with the long pointy nose and the suit much too dark for August—that’s Victor Baines, his campaign director.”
    “Creepy,” noted Rocky.  “And the younger guy?  The nerdy one on the other side?”
    “That’s his Communications Director,” she replied. “I think Joan said his name is Kevin Sturges.”
    “The three of them look like a hit squad.”   Rocky ambled closer down the hill to get a better look at the mayor and his cronies.  Pamela followed along.
    “You may be speaking figuratively, Rocky,” said Pamela, “but you may be more right than you know.”
    “Hit squad?”
    “Yes,” she said.  “From what I’ve been hearing from Jane Marie, the Brewster gang pretty much controls local businesses.  That is, no one opens or keeps a business in Reardon without Brewster’s approval.”
    “Really?”
    “And she would know.  She’s lived here all her life.  Her husband works in the oil fields and he gets a lot of information from people in that industry.  She’s just sick about James.  She was hoping he’d get elected and oust Brewster.”
    “A lot of residents of Reardon were, I guess,” answered Rocky.  “It’s never been something that’s concerned me—us—particularly.”
    “I know,” she agreed. “He doesn’t really have much to do with the university.  Just the local businesses.  And he’s been mayor for as long as Jane Marie can remember.  How many terms would that be?”
    “Don’t know.  I’ve heard of some mayors in some small towns holding office for life.”
    “It certainly looks like that’s what Brewster intends,” she whispered, as the couple wandered far enough down the hillside to overhear the conversation taking place between Brewster and his two political lieutenants.  Rocky turned towards his wife, his back towards the threesome and Pamela gazed adoringly into her spouse’s face.  The couple appeared as oblivious of the Brewster trio as any of the other funeral attendees who were standing around chatting idly.
    “Make sure you get one of those reporters to interview the grieving parents,” ordered Brewster to his Communications Director, Sturges.  “The wife is still blubbering.”
    “She’ll be very sympathetic,” added Campaign Manager Victor Baines.  “Distraught mother.  If she blames the son-in-law on camera—even better.”
    “Don’t worry,” said Sturges. “I’ll make sure they get good footage.  Stuff that’ll look bad for Grant.”
    “If this doesn’t get him to officially drop out,” said Brewster, “nothing will.  I don’t want to wait around for some damn trial.  I want him out now!”
    “Hap,” said Baines, with a firm hand on the mayor’s arm, “calm