Read Online The Corpse Wore Cashmere by Sylvia Rochester - Free Book Online Page B

“Well, I’d better get to my post.” Sam waved his infamous prosthesis in the air. “Crocs be damned,” he shouted. “I’ll hang the varmint’s hide to the mizenmast.” He strode toward the stairs with a swagger that would have made John Wayne proud.
    “That’s the spirit,” A. K. called after him. “And speaking of spirits, I’m past due. Miguel, I’m going to leave you in good hands. Susan knows what to do. You’ll look fantastic.”
    “I’ll catch up with you later,” Susan said to A. K. then turned her attention to Miguel. She handed him a blousy shirt and a tight-fitting pair of pants. “Change into these behind that screen, and we’ll go from there.”
    While Miguel put on the garments, Susan continued to talk with him. “How long have you lived in Biloxi?”
    He stepped from behind the screen and put his other clothes on a counter. “All my life.”
    Susan tied a sash around his waist and tucked a black-powder pistol into it. “Hold on. We’re not finished yet.” She positioned a wig designed after Sparrow’s likeness on his head. “Ha, yes, just a few more things.” A tricorn hat and a pair of boots completed the outfit. “Perfect. So, you’ve lived here all your life? Then you must know a good many people.”
    “Mostly those in the hotel industry. I started working the strip when I was in my teens. Did various jobs at the casinos in Gulfport and Biloxi, but I settled on the Pirates’ Reef. Mr. Fleming believed in me, gave me a chance to prove myself, and I worked my way up. I’ve been here five years.” His smile reached from ear to ear. “Don’t plan on working anywhere else.”
    He put on the hat and boots then took a stance in front of a floor-length mirror. “Awesome!”
    “One more thing.” Susan handed him a makeup kit. “You can’t put too much mascara around the eyes.” She grinned. “I suppose you knew Lorraine, too.”
    “Of course. I couldn’t believe it when she up and left.” Miguel paused. “You said ‘I suppose you knew her.’ Did something happen to her?”
    “She’s dead.”
    Miguel’s mouth opened. She thought he was going to say something, but he apparently changed his mind. Then he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to hear that. How’d she die?”
    “She was murdered in Palmetto, my hometown.”
    He gave a low whistle. “How? Who did it?”
    “They’re waiting for an official determination.” Susan thought it best not to give him the gory details. “The investigators still don’t have a suspect. How well did you know her?”
    “About as well as anyone. We’re like family here at the Pirates’ Reef. Not much goes on that the others don’t know about.”
    “Did she have someone special in her life?”
    Miguel’s eyes narrowed, and he backed away. “Where’s this going? Why all the questions?”
    “I’m close to a detective investigating Lorraine’s case and thought maybe I could find out something about her past. She left Palmetto so long ago, most everyone lost contact with her. Anything you know about her might help in his investigation.”
    “Hey, we’ve all made mistakes from time to time, and I’m not one to point a finger. It would be hearsay anyway, and I sure don’t want to get mixed up in a murder case.”
    He hugged his arms to his body as if to wall himself off from her. Whatever he was thinking, he wasn’t about to share it.
    “I understand, but if you change your mind, I promise to pass it on as an anonymous source. It’s just that my friend is having a really tough time finding leads.”
    Susan was counting on Miguel’s gregarious nature. Instead, he drew his lips tight and looked away. She decided to try a different approach, throw out her own speculations. “Her sister said Lorraine made a good salary and loved the nightlife, so why did she give up a great job to come home to a small town that had nothing to offer her? The coast and its casinos make Palmetto seem like the dark ages.”
    Miguel took the